There are several sources for downloading and viewing data which allow you to subset the data to only include specific parameters and/or geographic locations. These include the GES DISC, Giovanni and STORM. In Giovanni you can obtain data for a specific country, U.S. state, or watershed by using the "Show Shapes" option in the "Select Region" pane.
Data
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Precipitation data from the GPM and TRMM missions are made available free to the public in a variety of formats from several sources at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This section outlines the different types of data available, the levels of processing, the sources to download the data, and some helpful tips for utilizing precipitation data in your research.
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How do I get precipitation data for my specific location?
What happened to the TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA / 3B4x) data products?
The TRMM satellilte has been decommissioned and stopped collecting data in April 2015. The transition from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data products to the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission products has completed as of August 2019. The GPM IMERG dataset now includes TRMM-era data from June 2000 to the present, and other TRMM-era data has been reprocessed with GPM-era algorithms and is now available on the GPM FTP servers. TMPA data production ended as of December 31st, 2019 and the TRMMOpen FTP server has been shut down. Historical TMPA data is still available to download from the NASA GES DISC at: https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/datasets?keywords=TMPA&page=1
Click here for more details on the transition from TMPA to IMERG.
Am I allowed to use GPM data for my research?
Yes, in line with NASA's general data policy. Please refer to the GPM Data Policy for further details.
How do I give credit for using GPM data?
Where can I find detailed documentation on the precipitation algorithms?
Browse our directory of GPM & TRMM data products to locate your desired algorithm, then click on the links in the algorithm description under "Documentation". All documentation is also available at the Precipitation Processing System website.
What is the spatial and temporal resolution of GPM data?
The resolution of Level 0, 1, and 2 data is determined by the footprint size and observation interval of the sensors involved. Level 3 products are given a grid spacing that is driven by the typical footprint size of the input data sets.
For our popular multi-satellite GPM IMERG data products, the spatial resolution is 0.1° x 0.1° (or roughly 10km x 10km) with a 30 minute temporal resolution.
Visit the directory of GPM & TRMM data products for details on the resolution of each specific products.
Can I use images or videos from this site or other NASA websites?
For questions about permission for using NASA images and videos, please refer to NASA's official Media Usage Guidelines. For any additional questions please contact bert.ulrich@nasa.gov
Is it possible to subset GPM data?
There are several sources for downloading and viewing data which allow you to subset the data to only include specific parameters and/or geographic locations. These include the GES DISC, Giovanni and STORM. In Giovanni you can obtain data for a specific country, U.S. state, or watershed by using the "Show Shapes" option in the "Select Region" pane.
What is the difference between "Near Real-time" (NRT) and "Production" / "Research" data?
GPM data products can be divided into two groups (near real-time and production) depending on how soon they are created after the satellite collects the observations. For applications such as weather, flood, and crop forecasting that need precipitation estimates as soon as possible, near real-time data products are most appropriate. GPM near real-time (GMI & DPR) products are generally available within a few hours of observation. For all other applications, production data products are generally the best data sets to use because additional or improved inputs are used to increase accuracy. These other inputs are only made available several days, or in some cases, several months, after the satellite observations are taken, and the production data sets are computed after all data have arrived, making possible a more careful analysis.
For the GPM IMERG dataset, IMERG Early and Late Runs are the near real-time products, while IMERG Final Run is the research / production product. Click here to learn more about the differences between IMERG Early, Late and Final.
On Dec. 5 2023, the DPR was successfully returned to science mode at 16:30 UTC, then GMI was successfully brought online at 19:30 UTC. The spacecraft final configuration was completed at 20:30 UTC, returning the GPM Core Observatory to full science mode and resuming science data production.
On Dec. 1, 2023, at 7:43 p.m. ET (Dec. 2 at 00:43 GMT) the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory (GPM-CO) satellite transitioned to Sun Point Mode (SPM) via onboard fault management response due to excessive attitude errors. Reaction Wheel #5 showed anomalous behavior and was taken out of the control loop during the reconfiguration. It is unclear currently whether this was the cause, or a result, of the attitude error. Subsequently, a solar array pointing error required additional recovery work. This condition has stopped the collection of science data from both the GMI and DPR...
The GPM Mission Operations have successfully executed Orbit Raise Burn #2 for the GPM Core Observatory (GPM-CO). The maneuver performance was NOMINAL. Burn Start: 17:22:42 UTC* Burn End: 17:32:32 UTC* Duration: 590 seconds *slightly earlier than the planned time stated yesterday – adjusted to optimize altitude-raise performance and subsequent operational events. This completes the GPM-CO altitude-raising process; subsequent work will focus on returning the data products to regular production with as little difference from pre-boost behavior as possible. Note that DPR data will be held pending...
The GPM Mission Operations have successfully executed Orbit Raise Burn #1 for the GPM Core Observatory. The maneuver performance was NOMINAL. Burn #1 Start: 14:19:53 UTC 7 November Burn #1 End: 14:29:43 UTC 7 November Duration: 590 seconds Post-maneuver orbit determination and burn reconstruction have begun. Burn efficiency will be presented at the CAM tomorrow morning and used in the prediction for Orbit Raise Burn #2 (and final), for which the timing is: Planned Burn #2 Start: 17:23:16 UTC 8 November Planned Burn #2 End: 17:33:06 UTC 8 November Planned Duration: 590 seconds Note that DPR...
As of Aug. 30, 2023, the entire available record of archived TRMM, GPM Core Observatory, partner satellite, and ancillary data has been retrospectively processed for the IMERG V07 Final Run dataset, covering June 2000 - April 2023. Initial processing (i.e., with newly arrived data) will extend the Final Run record as additional months of data are received, typically 3.5 months after the near real-time products, which users can determine by checking the IMERG Final Run data listings on the PPS or GES DISC GPM data sources (a full listing of GPM data downloads and sources can be found in the GPM...