Spectro-temporal reflectance surfaces: a new conceptual framework for the integration of remote-sensing data from multiple different sensors

The conflict between spatial and temporal resolution of satellite systems, as well as the frequent presence of clouds in the images, has been a traditional limitation of remote sensing in the optical domain. Nevertheless, most of the conceptual tools and algorithms developed classically in remote sensing are based on the input of a series of cloud-free images from identical sensors. In this study, we propose a conceptual framework that is able to ingest data from several different sensors, make them homogeneous, eliminate clouds (virtually), and make them usable in a flexible, efficient, and transparent way. The methodology is based on previous developments such as spatial ‘downscaling’, temporal interpolation, and spectral transformations, but adds a conceptual framework that is able to integrate all of them and facilitate synergies between all these techniques.