GPCC Monthly Global Precipitation Data From Rain Gauges

ISLSCP II Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) Monthly Precipitation is a global, in-situ precipitation dataset. It is produced by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) from rain gauge station data collected via the WMO Global Telecommunication System and national networks, then resampled to a 0.5-degree grid. The dataset is a core component of international climate monitoring projects like the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).

Use Cases

• Analyzing global and regional precipitation climatologies using the 0.5-degree gridded data.
• Validating satellite precipitation products against in-situ rain gauge observations.
• Studying long-term trends in monthly rainfall amounts for climate change research.
• Providing ground-truth data for hydrological and land surface model initialization and calibration.

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC), operated by Germany's national meteorological service.
• Based on a global collection of in-situ rain gauge measurements, providing direct physical observations.
• Processed for integration into major international projects like GPCP and GCOS, indicating rigorous quality standards.

Limitations

• Sources conflict on the last update date, with one listing 1995-12-31 and another 2026-03-13, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source, limiting detailed assessment of structure and volume.

Provenance

Source

Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC), operated by Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD).

Collection Method

Data gathered from global rain gauge stations via WMO's Global Telecommunication System (GTS) and supplementary national meteorological/hydrological networks.

Freshness

2026-03-13

Geography

Global, resampled to a 0.5-degree latitude/longitude grid.