NERC Field Spectroscopy Facility

Welcome to the FSF home page. The NERC Field Spectroscopy Facility is now located at the University of Edinburgh and is run alongside the NERC Geophysical Equipment Facility (GEF).

Included in this site are links to all relevant loan application and user information. Please follow the links on the left hand menu. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or require any further information not available on this site.

We look forward to seeing you in Edinburgh at some time... The FSF Team

News items:

FSF again scores maximum points in SRG review. (Posted July 2009) The NERC Field Spectroscopy Facility scored maximum grades in its recent Services Review Group round, undertaken by NERC Services and Facilities in early 2009. On this basis we expect the Facility's contract will be renewed for a further 5 years from April 2010. The reviews are held regularly for each NERC supported Service/Facility to ensure that they continue to provide cost-effective research support relevant to NERC's science objectives. FSF obtained maximum (5) scores in all the four categories in which it was reviewed (need, uniqueness, quality of service, quality of science and training), the highest score of any of the facilities reviewed in 2009. Reviewers comments were highly flattering including such statements as:

'the Facility's equipment is state-of-the-art and evolving to meet user demands';

'a well run cost effective facility, serving a wide range of community needs.'

'The SRG considered the quality of science being undertaken was 'very impressive'

'the User community has praised the quality of service provided by the Facility

The SRG Complemented the Facility on the level of training it makes available to users and those attending the Introduction to Field Spectroscopy course

The review group acknowledged the global distribution of projects supported by the Facility and commented that this was a particular strength. In addition, the review group recognised the scope for collaboration with other NERC Facilities and encouraged FSF to pursue these.

A pdf of the report submitted to the SRG can be down loaded here

Please note. A software bug uncovered in FSF Excel template. (Posted June 2009) A bug has been uncovered in the version 3 of the Facility's ASD White Reference Excel template and Raw Reflectance Excel template. The templates had been updated to make them compatable with Excel 2007 and a bug has been uncovered. This bug assigns a incorrect wavelength scale to the processed data. This has now been rectified and you can down load version 3c of these templates from Post Processing Templates We apologise for any inconveniance caused.

New software resource to be released in early 2009. (Posted December 2008) The PlanarRad software for calculating radiative transfer in plane-parallel shallow-water environments has been developed by Dr John Hedley at the University of Exeter. A report summarising the results obtained during the demonstration at RSPSoc is now available to download. The software will be available in early 2009 through the FSF software resources page. Click here for a preview.

New FSF user group being launched shortly! (Posted November 2008) The Field Spectroscopy Facility user group is intended to provide a series of useful utilities designed to facilitate the extraction and processing of field spectrometer data collected by the Facility's equipment suite. By registering as a group member you will be able to download open-source macros and programmes that may be of use to you, as well as contributing your own for others to use. The first programme is due to go live in early 2009...

Successful and well received terrestrial and Marine/Aquatic Field Spectroscopy Demonstrations at RSPSoc 2008. (Posted October 2008) The NERC Field Spectroscopy Facility hosted a series of field spectroscopy manufacturer demonstrations at this year's Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society Conference held at the Cornwall Campus of the University of Exeter near Falmouth.... Read more

Another successful team returns from China! (Posted August 2008) A team, led by Dr Mike Smith and Dr Tom Stevens of Kingston University and supported by NERC FSF, has just returned from the Chinese Loess Plateau. The aim of this pilot project was to determine whether the spectral reflectance of loess sediments are correlated to their magnetic susceptibility ... Read more

New Microtops software is now available for download. (Posted March 2008) Microtops Inverse, developed by Vitchko Tsanev and Tamsin Mather, is designed to allow the retrieval of columnar aerosol optical thickness, concentrated in plumes, from Microtops II measurements. Plumes can result from volcanoes, fires or industrial plants and the Facility's Microtops instruments have been used to study plumes resulting from an eruptions of Mt Etna in 2006 and the 2005 Buncefield Oil Depot fire. For more information and to download the software please 'click' here

Following a successful capital bid, the NERC Field Spectroscopy Facility has purchased the latest field spectroradiometers from both ASD and SVC. (Posted June 2008) Research by FSF has led to both manufacturers improving the FOV of their instruments and these improvements have been incorporated in ASD's FieldSpec3 Hi-Res and SVC's HR-1024. In addition, through development work by FSF, both manufacturers have included an external interface to their systems. These interfaces allow external sensors to be coupled and enable the simultaneous measurement of reference/target and irradiance/ambient light, with data stored in target spectra's file header. To learn more of these innovative developments contact FSF or the manufacturers, ASD or SVC, directly.

Archived news items:

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