GPM Constellation
The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission unites data from ten U.S. and international satellites that measure rainfall and snowfall. The partnership, co-led by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is anchored by the GPM Core Observatory, launched on February 27, 2014. Carrying two advanced precipitation instruments, the GPM Microwave Imager and Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar, the Core Observatory measures the full range of precipitation types from heavy rainfall to, for the first time, light rain and snowfall. With an orbit that cuts across the path of the other satellites it is also used as a reference standard so that data from all the partner satellites can be meaningfully compared. The combined data from all ten satellites allows scientists to collect precipitation data from all parts of the world in under three hours.
This animation shows rain data collected by the GPM Core Observatory and the partner satellites currently in orbit on March 17, 2014. The end of the animation focuses in on a storm system that moved over the eastern United States, showing GPM Microwave Imager data of rain and snow rates. This is the first time a single satellite has collected simultaneous data on rain and snow for a single storm.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
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Animators
- Alex Kekesi (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
- Horace Mitchell (NASA/GSFC)
- Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
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Writer
- Ellen T. Gray (NASA/HQ)
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Scientists
- Dalia B Kirschbaum (NASA/GSFC)
- Gail Skofronick Jackson (NASA/GSFC)
- George Huffman (NASA/GSFC)
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Producers
- Rani Gran (NASA/GSFC)
- Ryan Fitzgibbons (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Project support
- Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
- Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Datasets used in this visualization
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SHIZUKU (GCOM-W1) rain rates (precipitation rates)
ID: 836Credit: AMSR2 data courtesy of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
See all pages that use this dataset -
GPM Rain Rates (Surface Precipitation)
ID: 822Credit: Data provided by the joint NASA/JAXA GPM mission.
See all pages that use this dataset -
TRMM Monthly Average Precipitation
ID: 516This dataset can be found at: http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/datapool/TRMM/01_Data_Products/index.html
See all pages that use this dataset -
DMSP F16 Rain Rates (Precipitation)
ID: 837 -
DMSP F17 Rain Rates (Precipitation)
ID: 838 -
DMSP F18 Rain Rates (Precipitation)
ID: 839
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.