Iowa Flood Study Satellite Rainfall Estimates from Hydro-Estimator

Hydro-Estimator IFloodS provides 15-minute rainfall rate estimates derived from NOAA GOES satellite infrared data. This dataset is a subset for the Iowa region, supporting the Iowa Flood Studies field campaign for Global Precipitation Measurement ground validation. Data are available in netCDF-3 format from April 25 through June 30, 2013.

Use Cases

• Validating GPM satellite rainfall measurements against ground observations in Iowa.
• Analyzing the spatial and temporal patterns of convective rainfall during the 2013 spring/summer season.
• Inputting high-temporal-resolution precipitation estimates into hydrological flood forecasting models.
• Studying the performance of the Hydro-Estimator algorithm for a specific regional field campaign.

Strengths

• Provides high-temporal-resolution data with estimates produced every 15 minutes.
• Dataset is focused on a defined field campaign (IFloodS) and region (Iowa), enabling targeted validation.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData signals its importance for the research community.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data dimensions are not provided by any source, limiting precise understanding of the data structure.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: Data.gov lists 2026-03-13 (likely a metadata update), while NASA EarthData lists 2013-06 30 (the data end date).
• The license is ambiguously noted as 'other-license-specified' on Data.gov, requiring further investigation for reuse.

Provenance

Source

NOAA Center of Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), archived by NASA.

Collection Method

Rainfall estimates derived from GOES satellite infrared brightness temperature data using the Hydro-Estimator algorithm.

Time Range

April 25, 2013 to June 30, 2013

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:04:25.985004

Geography

Subset to the Iowa region, United States.