GOCE quick-look gravity field analysis in the framework of HPF

The Quick-Look Gravity Field Analysis (QL-GFA) is a component of the Routine & Rapid Processing Facilities in the framework of the ESA-funded project "GOCE High-level Processing Facility" (HPF), an operational hardware and software system for the scientific processing (Level lb to Level 2) of GOCE data. The purpose of the QL-GFA is to analyze partial and/or incomplete sets of gravity gradient and orbit data, in order to derive a fast diagnosis of the GOCE system performance in parallel to the mission, and thus to provide a fast feedback to GOCE mission control. Key products are quick-look gravity field models and estimates of the gradiometer error PSD. The paper gives an overview of the operational QL-GFA software system. On the basis of a numerical case study, which is based on the data of an ESA GOCE end-to-end simulation, the key components of the QL-GFA processing architecture are addressed, and the information content of all relevant output products is presented and discussed.