Standard terms and definitions applicable to the quality assurance of Essential Climate Variable data records

This document contains a selection of standard terms and definitions relevant to the quality assurance of Essential Climate Variable (ECVs) data records. It reproduces appropriate terms and definitions published by normalization bodies, mainly by BIPM/JCGM/ISO in their International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM) and Guide to the Expression of Uncertainties (GUM). It also reproduces selected terms and definitions related to the quality assurance and validation of Earth Observation (EO) data, available publicly on the ISO website and on the Cal/Val portal of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS).

Several of those terms have been recommended by CEOS in the GEO-CEOS Quality Assurance framework for Earth Observation (QA4EO) and, as such, are applicable to virtually all Copernicus data sets of EO origin. Terms and definitions are expected to evolve as normalization organisations regularly update their standards.