Uncertainty Requirements in Contract SOW for GOES-R and Implementation of GUM and VIM3

The conventional terminology and methods for error and uncertainty analysis in science and engineering will be reviewed to elucidate the needs which inspired the CIPM and the BIPM to guide the development of the 1995 Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) edition 2 and the 2008 Vocabulary in Metrology edition 3 (VIM3).The CIPM (International Committee for Weights and Measures) consists of 18 representatives from the Member States of the 1875 Meter Convention and it is the highest authority in the world on all matters relating to metrology. The BIPM (International Bureau of Weights and Measures) is an international metrology center set up by the CIPM and the Member States to ensure world-wide uniformity of measurements and their traceability to the International System of Units (SI). The GUM is published in the names of eight international scientific standards organizations relating to measurements and all major national measurement institutes (NMIs) of the world are implementing them. The GUM is a de facto international standard on expression of uncertainty in measurement and the VIM3 defines standardized terminology used in both conventional as well as modern methods for error and uncertainty analyses. The usage of terminology and methodology in the old contracts in the remote sensing community that are carried into new contract statements of work makes it difficult to implement the VIM3 and the GUM for satellite sensor uncertainty and error analysis. Taking GOES-R as an example, we discuss the contract requirements and the sensor vendor interpretation and the difficulty of framing requirement waivers according GUM and VIM3 during the contract implementation. The role of computations from scientific models and comparisons with measured results for the uncertainty and error analysis will be discussed based on the methodology in the GUM. Recommendations for implementing the VIM3 and the GUM in future remote sensing contract specifications on uncertainty and error analysis for sensor development will be presented