GPCP Version 2.2 Combined Precipitation Data Set
d728002
<p> <font color="red"> <b>NOTE:</b> This dataset has been superseded by GPCP Version 2.3, which is available in RDA dataset <a href="https://rda.ucar.edu/datasets/ds728.6/">ds728.6</a>. Users are advised to transition to this updated dataset. </font> </p> <p> This dataset contains Version 2.2 of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) combined satellite-gauge precipitation estimate and combined satellite-gauge error estimate. The data are monthly analyses defined on a global 2.5 degree by 2.5 degree longitude/latitude grid and cover the period January 1979 to (delayed) present. A monthly climatology (1979-2011) is also available. </p> <p> Please note that the original binary data were written using the big endian representation of unformatted binary words. Users reading this data on little endian platforms, therefore, will need to byte swap the data. </p> <p> The GPCP was established by the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) and subsequently attached to the Global Energy and Water Exchange program (GEWEX) to address the problem of quantifying the distribution of precipitation around the globe over many years. The general approach is to combine the precipitation information available from each of several sources into a final merged product, taking advantage of the strengths of each data type. The passive microwave estimates are based on Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) data from the series of Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP, United States) satellites that fly in sun-synchronous low-earth orbits at 6am / 6pm. The infrared precipitation estimates are computed primarily from geostationary satellites (United States, Europe, Japan), and secondarily from NOAA series polar-orbiting satellites (United States). Additional low-Earth orbit estimates include Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) data from the NASA Aqua, and Television Infrared Observation Satellite Program (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) and Outgoing Longwave Radiation Precipitation Index (OPI) data from the NOAA series satellites. The precipitation gauge data are assembled and analyzed by the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) of the Deutscher Wetterdienst. </p> <p> The Version 2.2 Data Set contains data from the following contributing centers: <ul> <li>GPCP Polar Satellite Precipitation Data Centre - Emission (SSM/I and SSMIS emission estimates)</li> <li>GPCP Polar Satellite Precipitation Data Centre - Scattering (SSM/I and SSMIS scattering estimates)</li> <li> GPCP Geostationary Satellite Precipitation Data Centre (GPI and OPI estimates)</li> <li> NASA/GSFC Sounder Research Team (TOVS and AIRS estimates)</li> <li> GPCP Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (precipitation gauge analyses)</li> </ul> </p> <p> <b><i>Request to users from the data authors:</i></b> The GPCP datasets are developed and maintained with international cooperation and are used by the worldwide scientific community. To better understand the evolving requirements across the GPCP user community and to increase the utility of the GPCP product suite, the dataset authors request that a citation be provided for each publication that uses the GPCP products. Please email the citation to george.j.huffman@nasa.gov or david.t.bolvin@nasa.gov. Your help and cooperation will provide valuable information for making future enhancements to the GPCP product suite. </p>
dataset
https://gdex.ucar.edu/datasets/d728002/
protocol: https
name: Dataset Description
description: Related Link
function: information
https://gdex.ucar.edu/datasets/d728002/dataaccess/
protocol: https
name: Data Access
description: Related Link
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climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
dataset
revision
2021-03-30
TIROS > Television Infrared Observation Satellite
DMSP > Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
GOES > NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
NOAA POES > NOAA Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites
GMS > Japan Geostationary Meteorological Satellite
METEOSAT > Meteosat Operational Programme
Aqua > Earth Observing System, Aqua
revision
2025-10-03
SSMIS > Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder
TOVS > TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder
AIRS > Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
SSM/I > Special Sensor Microwave/Imager
AVHRR > Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
revision
2025-10-03
GPCC > Global Precipitation Climatology Centre
GPCP > Global Precipitation Climatology Project
revision
2025-10-03
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > PRECIPITATION > PRECIPITATION RATE
revision
2025-10-03
1979-01-01T0000+00
2015-11-01T0000+00
publication
2015-12-02
irregular
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
None
pointOfContact
NSF NCAR Geoscience Data Exchange
name: NSF NCAR Geoscience Data Exchange
description: The Geoscience Data Exchange (GDEX), managed by the Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) at NSF NCAR, contains a large collection of meteorological, atmospheric composition, and oceanographic observations, and operational and reanalysis model outputs, integrated with NSF NCAR High Performance Compute services to support atmospheric and geosciences research.
function: download
pointOfContact
2025-10-09T01:37:24Z