SAFARI 2000 Satellite Precipitation Data for Southern Africa

SAFARI 2000 SSM/I GPROF 6.0 Precipitation Data provides 5-day averaged and smoothed precipitation totals derived from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I). NASA's Goddard Profiling Algorithm (GPROF) generates this gridded dataset, which covers a specific subset of years from 1999 to 2001 for the SAFARI 2000 campaign. The underlying methodology is documented in peer-reviewed publications by Kummerow et al. (1996) and Olson et al. (1999).

Use Cases

• Validating regional climate models for southern Africa using 0.5-degree gridded precipitation estimates.
• Analyzing seasonal and interannual precipitation variability from 1999 to 2001.
• Studying the application of the GPROF 6.0 retrieval algorithm for satellite-based rainfall measurement.
• Investigating data smoothing techniques applied to pentad (5-day) averages.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a well-documented algorithm (GPROF 6.0) with peer-reviewed citations.
• Provides a consistent, gridded time series focused on the SAFARI 2000 campaign period.
• Applies a specific temporal smoothing (1-2 3-2-1 weighting) to pentad averages to improve signal.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Conflicting temporal coverage: one source states data covers July 1987 to present, while the dataset title and description specify 1999-2001 for SAFARI.
• Conflicting last-updated dates: Data.gov lists 2026 (likely a metadata error), while NASA Earthdata lists 2001.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via SSM/I instruments, processed with the Goddard Profiling Algorithm (GPROF 6.0).

Time Range

1999 to 2001 (for the prepared SAFARI subset). Underlying algorithm data reportedly spans from July 1987 onward.

Freshness

2001-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Global, with specific preparation for the SAFARI 2000 campaign in southern Africa.