The CSC Production operations encompass all activities necessary to process any acquired Sentinel satellite data, generating user level data, engineering data or HKTM, meeting the quality specifications and making it available for archiving and for further user access.

The production operations cover the following operational functions, addressed in more detail in the following sections:

• Systematic Production, gathering the data stream acquired by the Sentinel satellites and made available at pick-up points by the Acquisition services; processing it into a set of pre-defined set of data meeting the expected specifications; and deliver them systematically and fully to the production delivery point within a given timeliness.
• Reprocessing, aiming at the bulk (re-)generation of past User Level Data (typically Level-1/2) from archived lower level data (typically Level-0).

Production operations rely on the use of data processors developed and maintained by ESA, and made available to the services involved in production operations (the precise list and scope of the data processors is mission dependent):

• Data processors, allowing transforming input satellite data into output User Level Data according to validated algorithms (typically Level-0, Level-1 and Level-2 data processors)
• Routine Quality Control elements, allowing the automated routine quality control of all generated User Level Data as part of the systematic production data flow.

The Routine Quality Control performed as part of the production operations allows screening all generated User Level Data for detecting production related issues or data quality related issues that are identifiable in a fully automated manner. The Routine Quality Control complements the expert quality control performed as part of the calibration and validation activities and allows the fast identification of production and/or quality issues whenever their nature allows an automated detection.

Systematic Production

In line with the Copernicus missions’ operations concept, all data acquired by the Copernicus Sentinel missions satellites is systematically processed to a set of pre-defined User Level Data types and made available to users within a given timeliness.

The systematic production is the element in charge of generating a pre-established set of User

Level Data for each Sentinel satellite according to the associated User Level Data and timeliness baseline, starting from the satellite CADU stream acquired at the Acquisition Ground Stations contributing to the satellite operations, and performing an automated routine quality control of the resulting User Level Data.

The Systematic Production operations are fulfilled by the Production Service in the form of operational service provision. Multiple Production Service contribute jointly to the overall CSC systematic production needs.

The systematic production and routine quality control operations cover the following main functions:

• Retrieval of CADU data stream from the XBIP, as delivered by each Acquisition service and of CADU data steam from the EDRS Service (whenever relevant)
• Retrieval of auxiliary data from AUX data gathering
• Systematic production from the CADU stream of the Level-0/1/2 User Level Data in line with the Sentinel mission specificities (including CADU assembly as necessary, generation of Level-0 data, generation of the Level-1 data, generation of Level-2 data whenever relevant)
• Operations and management of the Production Interface Point, including a short rolling storage (few days) to support retrieval from the various consumers
• Provision of the systematically generated data to the PRIP within the required timeliness and performance
• Automated routine quality control of the generated User Level Data

In order to ensure redundancy and avoid single points of failure, at least 2 services for each Sentinel mission production are foreseen as part of the Ground Segment architecture, jointly contributing to the overall mission data production without duplication (e.g. sharing implemented based on Sentinel satellite unit). The production services for each Sentinel mission comply to the same interfaces, performance and expected service outputs in order to ensure full transparency from user perspective and to be fully interchangeable.

Reprocessing

The Reprocessing operations allow the bulk (re-)generation of past higher level data (typically Level-1/2) from archived lower level data (typically Level-0). The reprocessing function may be operated in a public cloud environment or on a private infrastructure according to the reprocessing needs, performance, capacity and effort. The Reprocessing operations are fulfilled by the Production Services according to the specific reprocessing needs.

The reprocessing covers the following main functions:

• Retrieval from the LTA AIP of Level-0, auxiliary data or other data required for the processing
• Generation of the requested higher level User Level Data (typically Level-1 or Level-2) according to the required processing baseline.
• Provision of the data to within the required schedule and performance
• Automated routine quality control of the generated User Level Data

The reprocessing is considered a specific case of Production service. Reprocessing operations are performed on a case by case basis, according to the needs for massive re-generation of a specific mission User Level Data types over a specific mission time frame with a given processing baseline.