DEADLINE: applications are requested by 31 March 2026 for ‘pay as you go’ deployment of a SoRAD system during 2026. In subsequent years, deadlines will be specified once or twice per year.
Water reflectance sensor observation instruments
NEODAAS provides, as a pay as you go service, autonomous instrumentation for measurement of above-water reflectance. The service includes advice on methods and costs of remote installation support and data processing.
The Solar-tracking Radiometry (So-Rad) platform
Measurements of above-water reflectance are critical to monitor aquatic ecosystems and to validate satellite ocean colour data. To facilitate above-water reflectance data collection, NEODAAS provides pay as you go access to three solar-tracking radiometry platforms (So-Rad) to UK-based researchers for medium- and long-term deployments (in the order of months up to a year). The So-Rad is a high-end, autonomous system where the optical sensors rotate to maintain optimal viewing angles, avoiding sun glint and platform shading. The system is specifically designed for operation on ships and data are automatically transferred to a processing backend at PML, from where they are shared under an open data license. The local operator is only required to periodically clean the optical sensors. An overview of So-Rad and the user manual is provided here: https://zenodo.org/record/7642879
Installation and NEODAAS request procedure
The So-Rad is suitable for deployment on ships, large buoys and fixed platforms. Each installation consists of attaching a control unit, motor enclosure, sensors, data and power cables, and two GNSS antennas. So-Rad systems can be requested by researchers eligible for NERC funding via the application form which is subject to peer review: https://data.neodaas.ac.uk/files/NEODAAS_SoRad_Request_Form_2023.docx. but note that all installation, shipping, processing and calibration costs need to borne by the end-user, since NERC funding to this service strand ceased in 2025-26.
The form also assesses the technical feasibility of the planned deployment. For inclusion on NERC grants, PML should be added as an additional partner when the proposal is submitted, please contact NEODAAS for details on this.
Data processing and access
As part of the service, data from So-Rad are automatically processed in near real-time and made available through a data analysis package and dedicated data services dashboard to monitor data collection in the field: https://rsg.pml.ac.uk/dashboards/d/JUzLKd9nz/monocle-so-rad?orgId=1.
