NATALI - Neural network Aerosol Typing Algorithm based on LIdar data aims to intensify the participation of the Romanian scientific community to the "ESA contributing missions" through the development of new tools for aerosol typing based on optical (active) remote sensing data. These products are relevant for several satellite missions, as detailed in Section 6, and have multiple applications for Earth Observation Envelope Programme (EOEP-4). Moreover, they will foster a wider use of the satellite services in fields like air quality, climate change, atmospheric research, and aviation safety.

Project objectives converge toward the general purpose of using the existing infrastructure and expertise for the benefit of the ESA missions and of the scientific and users community. INOE’s high-quality research facility is capable of deploying more instruments to observe a variety of atmospheric processes, but also to analyze and correlate the information to address a wide range of atmospheric and atmospheric related science investigations. 

Aerosol properties and classes will be a valuable complement to the ADM-Aeolus, CALIPSO, Sentinel 5P and EarthCARE missions. Ongoing studies indicate that the CALIPSO, ADM-Aeolus, Sentinel 5P and EarthCARE measurements can be used to establish a long-term data set of aerosol properties to the benefit of not only NWP, but for climate research and prediction in particular.

As such, these ESA missions could benefit directly or indirectly from the software prototype, either as validation of the retrievals from different instruments (correlative space and ground-based measurements), or as parallel aerosol typing algorithm.

Even when the satellites will be fully operational, the Contributing Missions will continue to be essential, delivering complementary data to ensure a broad range of observational requirements is satisfied. Information on atmospheric variables could be provided in support of European policies. Services could include the monitoring of air quality, stratospheric ozone and solar radiation as part of climate monitoring.