GPM IMERG: Global Daily Precipitation Estimates at 0.1 Degree Resolution

NASA's GPM IMERG Late Precipitation L3 dataset provides global surface precipitation rate estimates. The data has a spatial resolution of 0.1 degrees and a temporal resolution of half-hourly, aggregated here to daily means, with coverage beginning in 2000. It is produced by NASA and JAXA as part of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, using a constellation of satellites.

Use Cases

• Modeling flood risk based on high-resolution global precipitation estimates.
• Analyzing long-term precipitation trends based on multi-year satellite data beginning in 2000.
• Monitoring drought conditions in regions with sparse ground observations, as mentioned in the description.
• Calibrating weather forecasting models based on the Late Run's 14-hour latency for same/next-day applications.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage at a high spatial resolution of 0.1 degrees.
• Offers half-hourly temporal resolution, aggregated to daily means for flexibility.
• Includes a 'Late Run' product with a 14-hour latency for time-sensitive applications.

Limitations

• Satellite estimates are noted to have lower skill over frozen surfaces, complex terrain, and coastal zones.
• The changing satellite constellation over time may introduce artifacts affecting multi-year change studies.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Derived from half-hourly satellite retrievals (GPM_3IMERGHHL) using the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) algorithm.

Time Range

Beginning 2000

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:16:34.650696; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global