Characteristics¶
Table Spatial and temporal resolution of satellite precipitation products shows for each family and product the spatial and temporal resolutions, as well as the starting time and timestamp. To get an idea of the spatial resolution in kilometers (at the equator), multiply the spatial resolution by 110.
Timestamp describes how a precipitation interval is labeled: for example a three-hourly precipitation at 31.12.2000 12:00 with centered timestamp corresponds to a precipitation interval from 31.12.2000 10:30 to 31.12.2000 13:30. Satellite-based precipitation products usually have centered timestamps, while time series from ground data are typically registered with either right or left timestamps.
| Family/Product | Spatial | Temporal | Since | Timestamp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARC2 | ||||
| Africa bin | 0.10 deg | daily | 01.01.1983 | center |
| Africa geotif | 0.10 deg | daily | 01.01.1983 | center |
| RFE2 | ||||
| Africa bin | 0.10 deg | daily | 01.01.2001 | center |
| Africa geotif | 0.10 deg | daily | 01.01.2001 | center |
| Asia bin | 0.10 deg | daily | 01.05.2001 | center |
| CHIRPS | ||||
| 2.0 0.05deg daily | 0.05 deg | daily | 01.01.1981 | center |
| 2.0 0.25deg daily | 0.25 deg | daily | 01.01.1981 | center |
| CMORPH | ||||
| V0x 8km 30 min. | 0.07 deg | 0.5 hour | 01.08.2011 | center |
| V0x 0.25deg 3-hourly. | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | 01.06.2014 | center |
| V0x 0.25deg daily. | 0.25 deg | daily | 01.06.2014 | center |
| V1 8km 30 min. | 0.07 deg | 0.5 hour | 01.01.1998 | center |
| V1 0.25deg 3-hourly. | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | 01.01.1998 | center |
| V1 0.25deg daily. | 0.25 deg | daily | 01.01.1998 | center |
| GMP Imerg 3B | ||||
| half-hourly V03 | 0.10 deg | 0.5 hour | 12.03.2014 | center |
| half-hourly V03 GIS | 0.10 deg | 0.5 hour | 12.03.2014 | center |
| daily V03 GIS | 0.10 deg | daily | center | |
| monthly V03 | 0.10 deg | monthly | 12.03.2014 | center |
| monthly V03 GIS | 0.10 deg | monthly | center | |
| half-hourly V03 RT early | 0.10 deg | 0.5 hour | 31.03.2015 | center |
| half-hourly V03 RT late | 0.10 deg | 0.5 hour | 07.03.2015 | center |
| half-hourly V04 | 0.10 deg | 0.5 hour | center | |
| half-hourly V04 GIS | 0.10 deg | 0.5 hour | center | |
| daily V04 GIS | 0.10 deg | daily | center | |
| monthly V04 | 0.10 deg | monthly | center | |
| monthly V04 GIS | 0.10 deg | monthly | center | |
| TRMM Nascom | ||||
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | center | |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | center | |
| 3B42 v7 daily | 0.25 deg | daily | center | |
| TRMMOpen | ||||
| 3B40RT v7 3-hourly | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | center | |
| 3B41RT v7 3-hourly | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | center | |
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | center | |
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly GIS | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | center | |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | center | |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly GIS | 0.25 deg | 3 hours | center | |
Table _satprechostdir shows the host and directory name from the product server. The download procedure will mirror the directory structure.
| Family/Product | Host | Directory |
|---|---|---|
| ARC2 | ||
| Africa bin | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /fews/fewsdata/africa/arc2/bin |
| Africa geotif | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /fews/fewsdata/africa/arc2/geotiff |
| RFE2 | ||
| Africa bin | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /fews/fewsdata/africa/rfe2/bin |
| Africa geotif | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /fews/fewsdata/africa/rfe2/geotiff |
| Asia bin | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /fews/S.Asia/data |
| CHIRPS 2.0 | ||
| 0.05deg daily | ftp.chg.ucsb.edu | /pub/org/chg/products/CHIRPS-2.0/global_daily/tifs/p05/ |
| 0.25deg daily | ftp.chg.ucsb.edu | /pub/org/chg/products/CHIRPS-2.0/global_daily/tifs/p25 |
| CMORPH | ||
| V0x 8km 30 min. | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /precip/CMORPH_V0.x/RAW/8km-30min/ |
| V0x 0.25deg 3-hourly. | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /precip/CMORPH_V0.x/RAW/0.25deg-3HLY |
| V0x 0.25deg daily. | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /precip/CMORPH_V0.x/RAW/0.25deg-DLY_00Z |
| V1 8km 30 min. | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /precip/CMORPH_V1.0/RAW/8km-30min |
| V1 0.25deg 3-hourly. | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /precip/CMORPH_V1.0/RAW/0.25deg-3HLY |
| V1 0.25deg daily. | ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov | /precip/CMORPH_V1.0/RAW/0.25deg-DLY_00Z |
| GMP Imerg 3B | ||
| half-hourly V03 RT early | jsimpson.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /data/imerg/early |
| half-hourly V03 RT late | jsimpson.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /data/imerg/late |
| half-hourly V03 | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V03 |
| monthly V03 | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V03 |
| half-hourly V03 GIS | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V03 |
| daily V03 GIS | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V03 |
| monthly V03 GIS | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V03 |
| half-hourly V04 | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V04 |
| monthly V04 | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V04 |
| half-hourly V04 GIS | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V04 |
| daily V04 GIS | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V04 |
| monthly V04 GIS | arthurhou.pps.eosdis.nasa.gov | /gpmallversions/V04 |
| TRMM Nascom | ||
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly | disc2.nascom.nasa.gov | /data/opendap/TRMM_RT/TRMM_3B42RT.7 |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly | disc2.nascom.nasa.gov | /data/opendap/TRMM_L3/TRMM_3B42.7 |
| 3B42 v7 daily | disc2.nascom.nasa.gov | /data/opendap/TRMM_L3/TRMM_3B42.7 |
| TRMMOpen | ||
| 3B40RT v7 3-hourly | trmmopen.gsfc.nasa.gov | /pub/merged/combinedMicro/ |
| 3B41RT v7 3-hourly | trmmopen.gsfc.nasa.gov | /pub/merged/calibratedIR |
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly | trmmopen.gsfc.nasa.gov | /pub/merged/mergeIRMicro |
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly GIS | trmmopen.gsfc.nasa.gov | /pub/gis |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly | trmmopen.gsfc.nasa.gov | /pub/TMPA/TRMMstandard/3B42 |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly GIS | trmmopen.gsfc.nasa.gov | /trmmdata/GIS |
Table Registration, structure, and sub-directories shows whether registering is necessary, as well as the folder structure and products sub-directory. The folder structure means:
- [4]: YYYY
- [4, 2]: YYYY/mm
- [4, 2, 2]: YYYY/mm/dd
- [4, 3]: YYYY/DoY (day of year)
- [4, 6]: YYYY/YYYYmm
- [6]: YYYYmm
| Family/Product | Login | Structure | Sub-dir |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARC2 | |||
| Africa bin | no | ||
| Africa geotif | no | ||
| RFE2 | |||
| Africa bin | no | ||
| Africa geotif | no | ||
| Asia bin | no | ||
| CHIRPS 2.0 | |||
| 0.05deg daily | no | [4] | |
| 0.25deg daily | no | [4] | |
| CMORPH | |||
| V0x 8km 30 min. | no | [4, 6] | |
| V0x 0.25deg 3-hourly. | no | [4, 6] | |
| V0x 0.25deg daily. | no | [4, 6] | |
| V1 8km 30 min. | no | [4] | |
| V1 0.25deg 3-hourly. | no | [4, 6] | |
| V1 0.25deg daily. | no | [4, 6] | |
| GMP Imerg 3B | |||
| half-hourly V03 RT early | yes | [6] | imerg |
| half-hourly V03 RT late | yes | [6] | imerg |
| half-hourly V03 | yes | [4, 2, 2] | imerg |
| monthly V03 | yes | [4, 2, 2] | imerg |
| half-hourly V03 GIS | yes | [4, 2, 2] | gis |
| daily V03 GIS | yes | [4, 2, 2] | gis |
| monthly V03 GIS | yes | [4, 2, 2] | gis |
| half-hourly V04 | yes | [4, 2, 2] | imerg |
| monthly V04 | yes | [4, 2, 2] | gis |
| half-hourly V04 GIS | yes | [4, 2, 2] | gis |
| daily V04 GIS | yes | [4, 2, 2] | gis |
| monthly V04 GIS | yes | [4, 2, 2] | gis |
| TRMM Nascom | |||
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly | no | [4, 3] | |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly | no | [4, 3] | |
| 3B42 v7 daily | no | [4, 2] | |
| TRMMOpen | |||
| 3B40RT v7 3-hourly | no | [4, 2] | |
| 3B41RT v7 3-hourly | no | [4, 2] | |
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly | no | [4, 2] | |
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly GIS | no | [6] | |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly | no | [4, 2, 2] | |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly GIS | no | [4, 2, 2] | |
Table download and rasterization classes shows the satellite-based precipitation products for which download and rasterization classes are implemented. Chapter New products explains how to create classes for new products.
| Family/Product | Download class | Rasterize class |
|---|---|---|
| ARC2 | ||
| Africa bin | ARC2AfricaBinFTP | ARC2AfricaBinRasterize |
| Africa geotif | ARC2AfricaTifFTP | ARC2AfricaTifRasterize |
| RFE2 | ||
| Africa bin | RFE2AfricaBinFTP | RFE2AfricaBinRasterize |
| Africa geotif | RFE2AfricaTifFTP | RFE2AfricaTifRasterize |
| Asia bin | RFE2AsiaBinFTP | RFE2AsiaBinRasterize |
| CHIRPS 2.0 | ||
| 0.05deg daily | Chirps20GlobalDaily05TifFTP | Chirps20GlobalDaily05TifRasterize |
| 0.25deg daily | Chirps20GlobalDaily25TifFTP | Chirps20GlobalDaily25TifRasterize |
| CMORPH | ||
| V0x 8km 30 min. | CMorphV0x8km30minFTP | CMorphV0x8km30minRasterize |
| V0x 0.25deg 3-hourly. | CMorphV0x025deg3hlyFTP | CMorphV0x025deg3hlyRasterize |
| V0x 0.25deg daily. | CMorphV0x025degDailyFTP | CMorphV0x025degDailyRasterize |
| V1 8km 30 min. | CMorphV1x8km30minFTP | CMorphV1x8km30minRasterize |
| V1 0.25deg 3-hourly. | CMorphV1x025deg3hourlyFTP | CMorphV1x025deg3hlyRasterize |
| V1 0.25deg daily. | CMorphV1x025degDailyFTP | CMorphV1x025degDailyRasterize |
| GMP Imerg 3B | ||
| half-hourly V03 RT early | GPMImerg3BHHRearlyFTP | GPMImerg3BHHRearlyRasterize |
| half-hourly V03 RT late | GPMImerg3BHHRlateFTP | GPMImerg3BHHRlateRasterize |
| half-hourly V03 | GPMImerg3BHHRv03FTP | GPMImerg3BHHRv03Rasterize |
| monthly V03 | GPMImerg3BMOv03FTP | GPMImerg3BMOv03Rasterize |
| half-hourly V03 GIS | GPMImergGIS3BHHRv03FTP | GPMImergGIS3BHHRv03Rasterize |
| daily V03 GIS | GPMImergGIS3BDailyV03FTP | GPMImergGIS3BDailyV03Rasterize |
| monthly V03 GIS | GPMImergGIS3BMOv03FTP | GPMImergGIS3BMOv03Rasterize |
| half-hourly V04 | GPMImerg3BHHRv04FTP | GPMImerg3BHHRv04Rasterize |
| monthly V04 | GPMImerg3BMOv04FTP | GPMImerg3BMOv04Rasterize |
| half-hourly V04 GIS | GPMImergGIS3BHHRv04FTP | GPMImergGIS3BHHRv04Rasterize |
| daily V04 GIS | GPMImergGIS3BDailyV04FTP | GPMImergGIS3BDailyV04Rasterize |
| monthly V04 GIS | GPMImergGIS3BMOv04FTP | GPMImergGIS3BMOv04Rasterize |
| TRMM Nascom | ||
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly | TRMMnascom3B42DailyFTP | TRMMnascom3B42RTv7x3hRasterize |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly | TRMMnascom3B42RTv7x3hFTP | TRMMnascom3B42V7x3hRasterize |
| 3B42 v7 daily | TRMMnascom3B42V7x3hFTP | TRMMnascom3B42DailyRasterize |
| TRMMOpen | ||
| 3B40RT v7 3-hourly | TRMMopen3B40RTv7x3hFTP | |
| 3B41RT v7 3-hourly | TRMMopen3B41RTv7x3hFTP | |
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly | TRMMopen3B42RTv7x3hFTP | |
| 3B42RT v7 3-hourly GIS | TRMMopen3B42RTv7x3hGISFTP | |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly | TRMMopen3B42v7x3hFTP | |
| 3B42 v7 3-hourly GIS | TRMMopen3B42v7x3hGISFTP | |
Background information¶
The satellite instruments that generate images used for precipitation products are, among others:
- Precipitation Radar:
- TRMM Precipitation Radar (https://pmm.nasa.gov/TRMM/PR )
- GPM Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (https://pmm.nasa.gov/gpm/flight-project/dpr)
- Microwave Imager:
- TRMM Microwave Imager (https://pmm.nasa.gov/TRMM/TMI)
- GPM Microwave Imager (https://pmm.nasa.gov/GPM/flight-project/GMI)
- Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/AIRS/documentation/amsu_instrument_guide.shtml)
- Visible and infrared
- Visible and Infrared Scanner (https://pmm.nasa.gov/TRMM/VIRS)
- Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (http://eoedu.belspo.be/en/satellites/meteosat.htm)
Examples of algorithms used to combine different imageries:
- Morphing algorithm (CMORPH)
- Artificial neural networks (PERSIANN)
- Microwave merging algorithm (TRMM/GPM)
- Microwave calibrated infrared precipitation
- Algorithms to include ground data