This article describes the regional
in situ calibration method developed by NOVELTIS in the framework of CNES and ESA projects. Considering offshore
crossover points between the various altimeter missions,
this technique enables to multiply the number of
absolute bias estimates around a calibration site, thus
extending the local approach to a wider regional scale
and strengthening the statistics on the bias estimates.
Moreover, given its generic characteristics, this method
can be used for any radar or laser altimeter mission, on
its nominal or interleaved orbit, on repetitive or non-repetitive
tracks.