GPM Ground Validation MRR: OLYMPEX Campaign Radar Data

Micro Rain Radar data was collected from four locations on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula between October 31, 2014 and May 22, 2016 for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission's OLYMPEX field campaign. The dataset contains measured signal backscatter and derived atmospheric parameters, including Doppler spectra, radar reflectivity, and drop size distribution. Files are stored in ASCII format.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-based precipitation retrievals based on ground-based radar reflectivity and rain rate.
• Analyzing precipitation microphysics using derived drop size distribution and liquid water content.
• Studying vertical profiles of precipitation using Doppler velocity and path integrated attenuation data.

Strengths

• Provides data from a focused, multi-year field campaign (October 2014 to May 2016).
• Includes data from four separate instrument locations, offering spatial context within the study region.
• Contains both raw measured backscatter and multiple derived atmospheric parameters.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not specified in the available metadata.
• Conflicting license information exists between platforms (specified as 'other-license-specified' on some, 'None' on others).
• Dataset size and row counts are not provided, limiting immediate assessment of scale.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Gathered using Biral/Metek 24 GHz vertically oriented Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave radars during the GPM Ground Validation OLYMPEX field campaign.

Time Range

October 31, 2014 through May 22, 2016

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:36:02.619260

Geography

Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, USA