GPM IFloodS: Near-Real Time Rain Rates from Satellite and Ground Sensors

NASA's Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) campaign produced this dataset by merging rain gauge measurements with satellite microwave data from the DMSP F15 and F16 platforms. The Probability Matching Method was used to generate near-real-time rain rate estimates over eastern Iowa from April 23 to June 30, 2013. This dataset supports the validation of satellite-based precipitation products from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived precipitation estimates based on concurrent ground-based rain gauge measurements.
• Analyzing the spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall during a targeted field campaign in eastern Iowa.
• Improving flood prediction models by integrating multi-source rain rate data from the IFloodS period.
• Comparing precipitation estimates from different sensor types (SSM/I and SSMIS) using a common ground-truth dataset.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a multi-instrument fusion of ground-based rain gauges and two satellite-based microwave sensors (DMSP F15 SSM/I and F16 SSMIS).
• Covers a defined, intensive field campaign (IFloodS) with a specific time range from April 23 to June 30, 2013.
• Available in analysis-ready formats (netCDF-4, binary) alongside browse imagery (JPG) for quick inspection.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low: specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided on any platform.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2013-06-30 on NASA Earthdata vs. 2026-04-10 on Data.gov), creating uncertainty about metadata freshness.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a 69-day campaign window, restricting analysis to a specific season and year.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)

Collection Method

Produced using the Probability Matching Method with data from rain gauges, DMSP F15 SSM/I, and DMSP F16 SSMIS sensors.

Time Range

2013-04-23 to 2013-06-30

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:35:29.869781

Geography

Eastern Iowa, United States