GPM data is primarily used by operational forecasters, but the information also benefits numerical weather prediction models, climate prediction patterns, water resource management, crop monitoring, disaster response and preparation, and other research applications. In addition, scientists use GPM data to advance our understanding of precipitation and advance our understanding of Earth's water and energy cycle.
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GPM's predecessor the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) measured heavy to moderate rain over tropical and subtropical oceans. GPM provides advanced measurements, including coverage over medium to high latitudes, improved estimates of light rain and snowfall, advanced estimates over land and ocean, and coordination of radar and radiometer (passive and active microwave) retrievals to unify and refine precipitation estimates from a constellation of research and operational satellites. GPM also provides more frequent observations, every 3 hours.
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GPM measures precipitation globally; over the land and ocean, in both the tropics, mid-latitudes, and cold locations near the poles over a latitude band of 65ºN-65ºS. GPM measures both light, heavy, and frozen precipitation including the microphysical properties of precipitation particles. This wide range of locations and precipitation types presents a host of challenges not encountered by TRMM, which only measured moderate to heavy rainfall in the tropics.
