Landsat surface reflectance validation site selection

An investigation was conducted to determine optimal locations within the continental United States for insitu measurements to validate the U.S. Landsat Analysis Ready Data (ARD) Surface Reflectance product. Site assessment involved analysis of aerosol optical depth, precipitable water vapor, land cover, cloud cover, and elevation models. Nineteen sites were selected for further month-by-month ranking to identify those sites most likely to capture simple or complex atmosphere.