The Satellite-Derived GOES Precipitation Index (GPI) daily, pentad and monthly mean rainfall products

GPCP Satellite-Derived (IR) Daily Rainfall Estimates

This data set is one of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) products. The GPI data are infrared-based daily rainfall estimates, which form an intermediate product of the GPCP. The data set contains the pentad-mean and monthly 2.5x2.5 degree and daily 1 x 1 degree gridded rainfall estimates based on infrared radiometer measurements. The primary source of information over the tropical oceans is infrared (IR) data from polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites. The estimates are generated using a simple cloud top temperature-thresholding algorithm. This method of using satellite-observed cloud top brightness temperatures to infer areas of deep convection was demonstrated by Arkin (1979) using data from the Global Atmosphere Research Program-Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) (See Hudlow and Patterson (1979)). The estimates are valid for the tropics and the warm season extratropics, and will overestimate rainfall in regions of persistent, thin, high cirrus.

Variables
precipitation (mm/day)
ZonalGlobal by 1.0 &2.5 deg
Meridional39.5S to 39.5N by varies
VerticalAccumulated surface precipitation (mm/day)  
Temporal Jan 1, 1997 to near present by 1 day; Jan 1986 to Feb 2004 by 5 days & 1 month(s)
Static?no
Volume42Mbyte/year, monthly: 3.7Mbytes; pentad mean: 22.3Mbytes
Server public:
Sourceftp://ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/precip/gpi 
Acquired Aug 12, 2002 (Daily updated once a month)
APDRC contact
Supplementshttp://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/precipitation/documentation/guide/arkin_gpcp_gpi.shtml