GPM Ground Validation Rain Gauge Pairs Data from Wallops Flight Facility

NASA's GPM Ground Validation Met One Rain Gauge Pairs Wallops Flight Facility dataset provides rain rate data from four tipping bucket gauge networks in Virginia and Maryland. It contains three processed products: formatted gauge tips (GAG), and interpolated one-minute rain rates for a year (GMIN) and a month (2A56). Data covers a period from April 10, 2012, through October 1, 2018, and is available in ASCII format.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived precipitation estimates from the GPM mission using ground-based rain gauge measurements.
• Analyzing high-temporal-resolution (one-minute) rain rate patterns for specific weather events in the Mid-Atlantic region.
• Comparing precipitation data across four distinct gauge networks (Nassawadox, Pocomoke, HalfDeg, WFF Assorted) for spatial variability studies.
• Calibrating hydrological or climate models with observed tipping bucket gauge data collected over a six-year period.

Strengths

• Data spans over six years, from April 2012 to October 2018, providing a multi-year observational record.
• Includes three distinct processed data products (GAG, GMIN, 2A56) offering raw and interpolated rain rates.
• Collected from four separate gauge networks, allowing for analysis of spatial precipitation patterns near Wallops Flight Facility.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided by any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: Data.gov lists March 2026 (likely a metadata error), while NASA Earthdata lists October 2018 (the data end date).
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on Data.gov, requiring further investigation for reuse terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Data collected by Met One tipping bucket precipitation gauges at four networks (Nassawadox, Pocomoke, HalfDeg, WFF Assorted) as part of the GPM Ground Validation campaign.

Time Range

2012-04-10 to 2018-10-01

Freshness

2018-10-01 13:37:00

Geography

Gauge networks located in Virginia and Maryland, USA, near the Wallops Flight Facility.