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FRM4STS is an ESA funded project, to establish and maintain SI traceability of global Fiducial Reference Measurements (FRM) for satellite derived surface temperature product validation. The project will facilitate international harmonisation and interoperability through organisation of a set of inter comparisons under the Committee for Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and its Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV).

The Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (GHRSST) is an open international science group that promotes the application of satellites for monitoring sea surface temperature (SST) by enabling SST data producers, users and scientists to collaborate within an agreed framework of best practice. GHRSST provides a framework for SST data sharing, best practices for data processing and a forum for scientific dialog, bringing SST to the user.

JCOMM, the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology, is an intergovernmental body of technical experts that provides a mechanism for international coordination of oceanographic and marine meteorological observing, data management and services, combining the expertise, technologies and capacity building capabilities of the meteorological and oceanographic communities.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

On 1 March 2002, an Ariane-5 rocket successfully launched AATSR on-board the Envisat satellite - the largest ever built in Europe. Envisat flew in a Sun-synchronous polar orbit. Generally considered to be, in engineering terms, 'the best ATSR yet', AATSR continued to function well for just over 10 years before the failure of Envisat on 8 April 2012 brought an abrupt end to its operational mission.

The Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) is the fourth of the along-track scanning radiometers and is designed to maintain highly accurate SST and LST data continuity after Envisat, as part of the EU's Copernicus space segment. SLSTR was launched into a Polar, Sun-synchronous orbit from Russia on 16 February 2016, on the Sentinel 3A satellite.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was founded in 1901 and is now part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST is one of the USA's oldest physical science laboratories. It's mission is to "promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life".

NPL is the UK's National Metrology Institute, developing and maintaining the national primary measurement standards. It is a Public Corporation owned by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).  NPL is part of the National Measurement System (NMS) which provides the UK with a national measurement infrastructure and delivers the UK Measurement Strategy on behalf of BEIS.

QA4EO is a best practice framework endorsed by The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) to establish The Global Earth Observation System of Systems, based on coordinated and harmonised processes and activities that enable interoperability. Its internationally agreed principles contain a suite of guidelines that provide a consistent approach across disciplines, including for fundamental data records (FDRs), thematic data products (TDPs), and fiducial reference measurements (FRMs).