RapidScat Collocations: Multi-Sensor Ocean Wind, Rain, and Cloud Data

Remote Sensing Systems produced this dataset of microwave radiometer wind speed, rain, and cloud liquid water data collocated to ISS-RapidScat Level 2B wind vector cell locations. The collocated radiometer sources include DMSP SSM/I, SSMIS, WindSat, AMSR2, and GMI, providing multi-sourced observations for the same geophysical points. Data coverage is restricted to latitudes between approximately 61 degrees North and 61 degrees South due to the International Space Station's orbit.

Use Cases

• Validating scatterometer-derived wind vectors using collocated radiometer wind speed measurements.
• Studying the relationship between ocean surface winds, rain rates, and cloud liquid water in tropical and mid-latitude regions.
• Analyzing multi-instrument satellite data fusion for improved geophysical parameter retrieval.
• Investigating atmospheric conditions coincident with specific wind vector observations from the RapidScat mission.

Strengths

• Integrates data from five distinct satellite radiometer sources (DMSP F15/F16/F17, WindSat, AMSR2, GMI), providing a multi-sensor perspective.
• Produced by the specialized Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) with direct funding from the JPL RapidScat project, indicating authoritative processing.
• Data is provided in a standardized, self-describing netCDF-4 format, facilitating scientific analysis.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all platforms.
• The last update date conflicts between sources (2026 on Data.gov vs. 2016 on NASA Earthdata), casting doubt on data maintenance.
• Spatial coverage is limited to ±61 degrees latitude, excluding polar regions, due to the ISS orbit's low inclination.

Provenance

Source

Remote Sensing Systems (RSS), funded by the JPL RapidScat project.

Collection Method

Collocation of multi-sourced microwave radiometer data to RapidScat Level 2B wind vector cell locations.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-04-09 23:03:16.431425

Geography

Global coverage from approximately 61 degrees North to 61 degrees South latitude.