A EUROPEAN TEST SITE FOR GROUND DATA MEASUREMENT AND EARTH OBSERVATIONSERVICES VALIDATION

Over the ApulianTavoliere (southern Italy), an activity of ground data collection for the validation of Earth Observation (EO) products is ongoing since 2014. The site is a large agricultural area (about 4000 km2) in the Apulian region (Italy). Over the area, measurements of the main soil and vegetation parameters, relevant for agricultural applications, have been carried out according to international protocols. This article describes the test site, the measurement campaigns and the related research projects. Moreover, examples of the obtained products and services are also given.