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Abstract

An end-to-end Simulation software (EeteS) has been developed in the frame of the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) mission, and results are presented based on the approach of the complete processing chain simulation. The main objective of a hyperspectral sensor simulator is to provide an end-to-end capability which allows whether the science goals or the mission requirements can be met. Therefore, it may be a handful tool for a variety of tasks and system’s tradeoffs analysis, by defining of future Earth imaging systems, allowing the optimization of fundamental instrument parameters, the development and validation of calibration and data pre-processing algorithms or the generation of realistic images for the scientific exploitation. Based on spectral and spatial high resolution image data EnMAP-like image scenes (L0) are simulated taking into account varying instrumental and environmental configurations. The sequential processing chain consists of four independent modules referred to as atmospheric, spatial, spectral and radiometric. This forward simulator is coupled to a series of pre-processing modules (radiometric calibration, co-registration, atmospheric correction and orthorectification) in order to build a representative end-to-end simulation model. EeteS is able to derive EnMAP reflectance images after the complete L1 and L2 processing chain. The analysis of final and intermediate EeteS products resulting from the processing chain supports the decision making process of engineers and scientists involved in the Mission. Selected case studies for end-to-end simulations are presented emphasizing on quantitative evaluation of the influence of instrumental and processing errors on data quality and the retrieval of higher-level image products.