Report on new Pléiades Neo sensors benchmark : geometric benchmarking over Maussane test site for CAP 2014+ purposes

In order to be used in the frame of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2014+ direct payments' management, all Very High Resolution (VHR) imagery should comply with spatial accuracy compatible with a scale of 1:5000 or larger. To check this, the JRC has set a benchmarking test to verify whether the planimetric accuracy of produced ortho imagery of any new VHR sensor does not exceed certain thresholds. The JRC has been contacted by Airbus Defence and Space Intelligence Company to test their new Pléiades Neo VHR sensors. The benchmarking tests were carried out on six Pléiades Neo 3 and 4 imagery collected between February and May 2022. This report describes in detail how the tests were performed i.e. auxiliary data used, methodology and workflow as well as outcome from the Internal Quality Control. Tests are performed by the sensor Company itself but, to make the tests objective, the JRC also performs an external Quality Control which is a base for certification of the sensor. The results of these tests allowed to conclude that the imagery collected by recently launched Pléiades NEO satellites can be potentially used in the frame of The CAP 2014+ image acquisition campaign. This conclusion remains valid under certain conditions of image acquisition angles and ortho rectification process. (To note that the benchmarking tests have been set for the CAP 2014+ technical specifications and were valid until 31 December 2022. For the CAP 2023+, entering into force on 1st January 2023, new technical specifications will be set to comply with the new VHR imagery use requirements i.e. in the frame of Quality Assessment processes).