GPM GPROF: Satellite-based Global Precipitation Profiles at 5 km Resolution

Version 07 is the current climate-referenced product from NASA's GPM mission, using ECMWF-Interim reanalysis for homogeneous ancillary data. The GPROF algorithm retrieves precipitation profiles from a constellation of passive microwave sensors, including GMI, AMSR-E, and SSMIS, providing 3-hour global coverage. The Bayesian algorithm provides mean rain rate, vertical structure of hydrometeors, and associated uncertainty.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term climate precipitation trends based on the climate-referenced (CLIM) product using homogeneous ancillary data.
• Validating and calibrating atmospheric models based on retrieved vertical profiles of cloud and precipitation hydrometeors.
• Studying global precipitation patterns and sampling based on the large spatial and temporal coverage from the sensor constellation.
• Assessing precipitation uncertainty for specific events based on the Bayesian algorithm's probabilistic retrieval outputs.

Strengths

• Provides a consistent, climate-referenced data record using homogeneous ECMWF-Interim reanalysis ancillary data.
• Offers large spatial and temporal sampling from a constellation of multiple passive microwave sensors.
• Algorithm retrieves not just surface rain rate but also the vertical structure of precipitation and its uncertainty.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific ML tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) via the GES DISC.

Collection Method

Retrieved via the GPROF Bayesian algorithm from brightness temperatures measured by the GPM constellation of passive microwave sensors.

Time Range

Time series spans the operational period of the contributing satellites (e.g., Aqua, GPM, DMSP).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:29:04.154505; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage.