GPM GCPEx: Ground Validation Mission Reports

GCPEx campaign reports span from September 4, 2011, to May 11, 2012, with the core field experiment occurring from January 15 to February 29, 2012, in Ontario, Canada. The reports were filed by scientists to address shortcomings in the GPM satellite's snowfall retrieval algorithm by collecting microphysical properties and coordinating model simulations. Categories include Mission Scientist, Mission Manager, Instrument Scientists, Weather Forecasts, and Plan of Day reports, many with additional attachments.

Use Cases

• Validating GPM satellite snowfall retrieval algorithms based on coordinated ground and remote sensing observations.
• Analyzing microphysical properties of precipitating snow documented in instrument scientist reports.
• Reviewing operational decisions and weather conditions using daily Mission Manager and Plan of Day reports.
• Studying field campaign logistics and data collection strategies for cold-season precipitation experiments.

Strengths

• Contains detailed, scientist-authored reports from a focused NASA field campaign (GCPEx).
• Covers a multi-month period around the core experiment, providing contextual data.
• Includes multiple report categories (e.g., Mission Scientist, Weather Forecasts) offering different operational perspectives.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are unknown, limiting machine-readability.
• Conflicting metadata exists: one source lists a last update date of 2026-04-10, while another lists 2012-05-11.
• Specific file counts, row counts, and dataset size are not provided.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Reports filed by scientists during the GPM Cold-season Precipitation Experiment (GCPEx) campaign.

Time Range

September 4, 2011 to May 11, 2012

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:36:34.373992

Geography

Ontario, Canada