IFloodS Rain Gauge Pairs for GPM Ground Validation

Rainfall data from paired Met One Model 380 tipping bucket gauges deployed during the Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) field experiment. The dataset contains two file types: 1-second resolution rainfall accumulation and 1-minute cubic-spline interpolated rain rates. Data were collected from April to December 2013 by NASA to support validation of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission satellite observations.

Use Cases

• Validating GPM satellite rainfall retrievals using high-frequency ground-based gauge measurements.
• Analyzing rainfall intensity and accumulation at 1-second and 1-minute intervals for hydrological modeling.
• Studying the spatial variability of precipitation using data from paired gauges (A and B) at each station.
• Calibrating or testing radar-based precipitation algorithms with precise ground truth data.

Strengths

• Provides high-temporal-resolution data with measurements at 1-second intervals and derived 1-minute rates.
• Data collection spanned a 9-month period from April to December 2013, covering a full warm season.
• Uses paired gauges (A and B) at each station, allowing for assessment of measurement consistency.
• Instrument specifications are well-documented, with a known resolution of 0.254 mm per bucket tip and a 30.5 cm catchment diameter.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and total dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one showing 2013-12 -27 and another showing 2026-03-13.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by Met One Model 380 tipping bucket rain gauges during the GPM Ground Validation IFloodS Field Experiment.

Time Range

April 2013 through December 2013

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:22:28.826226

Geography

Iowa, United States (implied by the Iowa Flood Studies experiment)