GPM Ground Validation Doppler on Wheels Radar Data for OLYMPEX

The GPM Ground Validation Doppler on Wheels (DOW) OLYMPEX V2 dataset contains mobile X-band radar observations from the Olympic Mountain Experiment campaign. Data were collected by the Center for Severe Weather Research using a dual-polarization, dual-frequency radar with a 60 km range to study orographic precipitation enhancement. Measurements are available in CFradial netCDF-4 format from November 6, 2015, to January 15, 2016.

Use Cases

• Analyzing orographic enhancement of precipitation using radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity columns.
• Studying frontal passage impacts on precipitation over mountain ranges with time-series data.
• Validating satellite-based precipitation estimates from the GPM mission with ground-based radar observations.
• Researching dual-polarization radar signatures in complex terrain for weather model improvement.

Strengths

• Data were collected by a specialized mobile radar system with dual-polarization and dual-frequency X-band capabilities.
• Provides a continuous time series of observations over a 71-day period during the OLYMPEX field campaign.
• The dataset is available in the standardized, self-describing CFradial netCDF-4 format.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source.
• License information is inconsistently reported as 'other-license-specified' on Data.gov but 'None' on NASA Earthdata.

Provenance

Source

Center for Severe Weather Research (CSWR), collected for NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission.

Collection Method

Obtained by a mobile Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radar deployed in the Chehalis Valley during the OLYMPEX campaign.

Time Range

November 6, - January 15, 2016

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:05:43.736359

Geography

Chehalis Valley, Olympic Mountains region.