Ground network optimization using satellite information: application to the French heliographic network

The authors deal with the setting up of sunshine recording stations using satellite information. Most statistical criteria used to select measurement locations rely on knowledge of the correlation structure of the measured phenomenon. As this structure is generally not known extensively, it must be modeled under homogeneity assumptions. An alternative solution is proposed to avoid such modeling by using instead the correlation structure deduced from remote-sensed measurements of the studied phenomenon. A case study is presented