The QA4EO framework has been endorsed by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) — to support the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) — as well as the Global Satellite InterComparison System (GSICS). Based around its core principles (see below) QA4EO provides practical frameworks that support interoperability and long-term stability of all observational systems in a consistent way across disciplines.
QA4EO applies metrological concepts to Earth Observation. Metrology, the science of measurement, is the discipline that maintains the SI and the associated system of measurement, ensuring measurements are stable over time and measurement standards equivalent worldwide. These properties are supported by the principles of metrological traceability: uncertainty analysis and comparison.