NPOL Radar: S-Band Dual-Polarimetric Data from OLYMPEX

GPM Ground Validation NASA S-Band Dual Polarimetric (NPOL) Doppler Radar OLYMPEX V2 dataset contains rain rate, reflectivity, and Doppler velocity measurements. Data was collected by a transportable S-band radar deployed on the Olympic Peninsula during the OLYMPEX field campaign. Files are available in Universal Format (UF) with browse imagery in PNG format from November 5, 2015, through January 15, 2016.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite precipitation retrievals based on ground-based radar reflectivity and rain rate measurements.
• Analyzing storm structure and microphysics using dual-polarimetric parameters like differential reflectivity and specific differential phase.
• Studying orographic precipitation enhancement on the Olympic Peninsula using geospatial and time-series data.
• Calibrating and evaluating weather radar algorithms with co-polar correlation and Doppler velocity fields.

Strengths

• Data originates from a dedicated NASA field campaign (OLYMPEX) for ground validation of the GPM mission.
• Covers a focused 72-day observation period from November 2015 to January 2016.
• Provides multiple data products including raw UF files and processed PNG browse imagery for quick analysis.

Limitations

• Column names and detailed data schema are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting license information: one source specifies 'other-license-specified' while another lists 'None'.
• Dataset size and row counts are unknown across all sources.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Wallops Flight Facility research team.

Collection Method

Collected by the NPOL (NASA S-Band Dual Polarimetric) Doppler research radar.

Time Range

November 5, 2015, to January 15, 2016.

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:56:57.782376 (most recent update from datagov)

Geography

Olympic Peninsula, near the ocean, Washington, USA.