Unlocking Ecological Insights from Subseasonal Visible-to-Shortwave Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy: The SHIFT Campaign

We stand at the threshold of a transformative era in Earth observation, marked by space-borne visible to shortwave infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectrometers that promise consistent global observations of ecosystem function, phenology, and inter- and intra-annual change. However, the full value of repeat spectroscopy, the information embedded within different temporal scales, and the reliability of existing algorithms across diverse ecosystem types and vegetation phenophases have remained elusive due to the absence of suitable subseasonal spectroscopy data. In response, the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) High-Frequency Time Series (SHIFT) campaign was initiated during late February, 2022 in Santa Barbara County, California. SHIFT, designed to support NASA's SBG mission, addressed mission scoping, scientific advancement, applications development, and community building. This ambitious endeavor included weekly Airborne Visible-infrared Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) imagery acquisitions for 13 weeks (spanning February 24 to May 29, 2022), accompanied by coordinated terrestrial vegetation and coastal aquatic data collection. We describe the rich datasets collected and illustrate how the complex sub-seasonal patterns of change can be linked to biological science and applications, surpassing insights from multispectral observations. Leveraging open-source processing methods and cloud-based analysis tools, the SHIFT campaign showcases the readiness of the scientific community to harness ecological insights from remotely sensed hyperspectral time series. We provide an overview of SHIFT's goals, data collections, preliminary results, and the collaborative efforts of early career scientists committed to unlocking the transformative potential of high-frequency time series data from space-borne VSWIR imaging spectrometers.

我们正处于地球观测变革时代的门槛之上，其标志是星载可见-短波红外（VSWIR）成像光谱仪——这类仪器有望实现对生态系统功能、物候学以及年际与年内变化的持续全球观测。然而，由于缺乏合适的亚季节光谱数据，重复光谱观测的全部价值、不同时间尺度中蕴含的信息，以及现有算法在多样生态系统类型与植被物候期的可靠性，均尚未得到充分发掘。为此，地表生物学与地质学（SBG）高频时间序列（SHIFT）计划于2022年2月下旬在加利福尼亚州圣巴巴拉县启动。SHIFT旨在支持NASA的SBG任务，其内容涵盖任务范围界定、科学进展推动、应用开发以及社区建设。这项雄心勃勃的工作包括13周内每周进行的下一代机载可见-红外成像光谱仪（AVIRIS-NG）影像采集（时间跨度为2022年2月24日至5月29日），同时辅以协同的陆地植被与海岸水域数据收集。我们描述了所收集的丰富数据集，并阐明了复杂的亚季节变化模式如何与生物科学及应用相关联——这一关联的深度超越了多光谱观测所能提供的见解。通过利用开源处理方法与云基分析工具，SHIFT计划展示了科学界已具备从遥感高光谱时间序列中获取生态见解的能力。我们概述了SHIFT的目标、数据收集情况、初步结果，以及青年科学家为挖掘星载VSWIR成像光谱仪高频时间序列数据的变革潜力所做出的协作努力。