JACIE Bulletin

Updated May 20, 2026

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Each edition of the JACIE Bulletin will provide updates on the annual JACIE Workshop, relay the ongoing efforts and outcomes of JACIE's assessments, feature upcoming workshops across the globe, and share a list of recent notable satellite launches.

JACIE Workshops

The JACIE workshop is an annual effort to engage federal agencies, their partners, and the commercial remote sensing industry. A key goal of the workshop is to understand the characteristics and capabilities of current and new data sources, along with the quality of data they provide. 

2026 JACIE Workshop Highlights

The JACIE 2026 Workshop was held  Monday, April 13 - 17, 2026 at the USGS Headquarters in Reston, Virginia. The workshop had a successful and record-setting year, while reflecting the continued growth and global interest in calibration and validation (Cal/Val) across the Earth Observation community. A major highlight this year was a visit from the Director of USGS, Ned Mamula, underscoring the increasing visibility and importance of Cal/Val activities across agencies and the broader remote sensing community.

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JACIE 2026 By the Numbers

• Approximately 371 unique online attendees
• More than 200  in-person attendees
• Nearly 100 oral presentations
• 12 poster presentations 
• 18 exhibitor booths

Key Technical Themes

The 2026 sessions reinforced JACIE’s commitment to maintaining a strong technical focus while expanding into emerging applications and technologies. Major themes included:

• Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML) 
• Hyperspectral remote sensing 
• Thermal imaging and thermal calibration 
• SAR and microwave sensing 
• Spatial, geometric, and elevation calibration/validation 
• Atmospheric correction and characterization 
• Trust, traceability, and standards development 
• Interoperability across agencies and systems 
• Thermal imaging continued its momentum with a dedicated thermal session for the second consecutive year.

Side Meetings & Community Collaboration

Several highly attended side meetings highlighted growing collaboration within the community:

• The RadCalNet Side Meeting drew approximately 50 participants interested in radiometric calibration networks and applications. 
• The ROCX (RIT Open Community Experiment) side meeting continued to support collaborative calibration exercises across the community. 
• The CEOS Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV) meeting further strengthened international coordination efforts. 

Uncertainty Workshop Continues to Grow

The pre-workshop Uncertainty Workshop once again served as a strong kickoff to JACIE week, and highlighted the growing importance of uncertainty analysis and quantitative validation methods within the Earth Observation field. The workshop included 65 in-person and 35 online participants. 

Looking Ahead

Thank you to all presenters, attendees, volunteers, sponsors, exhibitors, and partner agencies who contributed to making JACIE 2026 a success! As participation and technical contributions continue to expand, organizers noted that JACIE may explore additional scheduling and session formats to accommodate increasing demand — including expanded lightning talks and extended programming.

Save the date for the next JACIE Workshop

 JACIE 2027 Workshop will be held April 5-9, 2027 at the USGS Headquarters in Reston, Virginia.  Abstract submission forms and registration will open in the Fall. 

Visit the JACIE 2027 Workshop webpage often to keep informed of important updates.  

Recent JACIE Technical Team Meeting Topics 

• OroraTech’s 4 AM / 4 PM Thermal Constellation for Fire and LST Applications – Andrea Spichtinger, Ororatech
• JACIE 2026 Summary – Jim Vrabel, USGS-EROS ITC
• The Hydrosat Constellation, Products, and CalVal Aspects – Hydrosat team
• VH-RODA 2025 Summary – Jim Vrabel, USGS-EROS ITC

If you would like to present at a JACIE Tech Team meeting, email eccoe@usgs.gov. Please note you must be a government employee or a contractor to the government to attend JACIE Tech Team meetings.

Upcoming Events

If you would like to connect during one of these events with our coordination team, please email eccoe@usgs.gov.

JACIE Resources

• Online Applications
  • Test Sites Catalog
  • Spectral Characteristics Viewer 
• Documents
  • JACIE Best Practices Report
• Open-source Tools
  • Coming soon!

Do you have important updates to share? Email them eccoe@usgs.gov. Submissions should include a brief description of your event or update, along with relevant links and  images.

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