STATISTICAL

ANALYSIS
OF IN-WATER PRODUCTS
Ana Ruescas, Carsten Brockmann
BROCKMANN CONSULT GmbH

1
 Contents

•  Analysing water quality parameters:

–  Average chlorophyll concentraHon close to sea ice
–  Comparing water quality parameters with in-situ
measurements

•  Exercise:
–  Profile of track
–  Masks creaHon & manipulaHon
–  Region of interest and tools for staHsHcs
–  Exercise 1: Region of interest, plots and staHsHcs tool
 Exercise 1: ROIs and staHsHcs tool

•  What to do:
–  Import vector file (ship-track data)
–  Use masks as ROIs
–  ROIs in profile plots
–  ROI in staHsHcs tool

•  Data:
subset_0_of_MER_RR__2PRBCM20080606_095728_000007182069_00151_32
770_0001.dim
in-situ/ferrybox_cosyna.txt
 Import vector as csv
•  Open the subset image.
•  Import vector data/CSV/ferrybox_cosyna.txt

The data were provided by the COSYNA system operated by Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht
Zentrum für Material- und Küstenforschung GmbH
Profile plots
 Flags in MERIS products
•  MERIS L1 and L2, but also MODIS, SeaWiFS, VIIRS and the future
OLCI/SLSRTS products contain binary informaHon which
characterizes the pixel of interest. This binary values are called flags.
•  The MERIS products contain a certain number of parameters for
each pixel. These are stored in so called Measurement Data Sets
(MDS). The MDSs of the Level 1 product contain the top of
atmosphere radiances and the flags. The MDSs of the Level 2
product contain derived geo-bio-physical parameters and the flags.
•  For MERIS the Product Confidence Flags (PCDs) are key when
working with the geo-bio-physical quanHHes. The other flags
contain informaHon, which helps to interpret the WQ value
correctly.

L1b flags
 MERIS Flags Concept
•  Surface type flags:
•  Level 1b: land/water
•  Level 2: land/water/cloud
•  Products confidence flags: only in the L2
•  Science flags
 Science flags
•  Science flags are available in L1b and L2 products.
•  The science flags provide addiHonal informaHon for the
pixel. The algorithm for a science flag can be as
complicated as an algorithm for a geo-bio-physical
parameter, which is stored in its own MDS as a floaHng
number. Actually, the main difference between a science
flag and geo-bio-physical parameter is that the result of
a flag algorithm is a Boolean, while it is a floaHng
number for a geo-bio-physical parameter.
•  Science flags do not have associated PCDs.
•  Low_sun, OOADB, ABSOA_DUST, CASE2_S, CASE2_Y…
Create and use new mask using flags
“algal_1_valid”
ROIs in profile plots
StaHsHc Tool
ROIs in staHsHc tool
ROIs in staHsHc tool
gpt StaHsHcsOp [opHons]
 gpt StaHsHcsOp (shapefile)
Batch processing from command line using an XML template

 Exercise 1: SoluHon

•  Create a new mask with valid pixels of algal_1:

use math expression in mask manager
–  !invalid_algal_1
•  Import ferry-box in situ data:
•  Import vector data/CSV/
ferrybox_cosyna_20120402.txt
•  ROIs in profile plots:
•  Click on the ROI and select algal_1_valid mask
•  ROI in staHsHcs tool:
•  Click on the ROI and select algal_1_valid mask
 Take-home messages

•  SelecHng valid pixels is important. The PCDs in

MERIS products should idenHfy them, but a
criHcal look is necessary and a refinement
someHme necessary.

•  The mask manager in SNAP provides many ways

to construct Regions Of Interest. These can be
visualised as masks and they can be used to
select pixels for staHsHcal analysis, histograms,
scaper plots and transect analysis.
End of Unit