introduction and overview of ceos precipitation constellation (pc) erich franz stocker

Erich Franz Stocker - CEOS PC-CEOS WGISS Workshop Sep 23, 2008

Introduction and Overview of CEOSPrecipitation Constellation (PC)

Erich Franz Stocker


Stocker’s Precipitation Constellation Maxim

A single swallow does not make a spring


Topics

• Background

• Purpose

• Concept

• Status

• Data Interactions


Background

• Constellation concept for precipitation measurement precedes the CEOS involvement with constellations

• Groups have been creating precipitation measurements from radiometers on multiple satellites since the 1990s.

• With the launch and success of the joint NASA/JAXA Tropical Measurement Mission in 1997 a new avenue was opened for combining precipitation measurements from multiple instruments

– TRMM especially the JAXA precipitation radar could be used to help intercalibrate the radiometers

– Merged products from multiple radiometers (and radiometer calibrated IR) were from the start of the mission considered part of the standard product list

• Current the standard TRMM 3b42 merged product is produced• Effective April 2008 JAXA operational started producing their own merged product

GSMaP.

• NASA and JAXA have taken a leading role advocating an extended and enhanced approach to constellations via the international Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission.

– GPM is called out in the GEOSS implementation plan– The core satellite used for calibration and intercalibration is a joint NASA/JAXA effort– The organized approach to the GPM constellation is a joint NASA/JAXA led activity

• As a result of these activities NASA/JAXA were requested to work closely together on the CEOS Precipitation Constellation (PC)


CEOS PC Participation

• Study Lead agencies:– Japan - JAXA Dr. Riko Oki & USA - NASA Steven Neeck

• Space agency participants:– France - CNES: Didier Renaut– Brazil - INPE: Carlos Frederico Angelis– Europe - ESA: Einar-Arland Herland– USA - NOAA: Ralph Ferraro,– USA - Naval Research Laboratory: Joe Turk– Europe - EUMETSAT: Johannes Schmetz– Germany - DLR: Martin Hagen, Canada - Canadian Space Agency: David Kendall

• User Community Representatives:– CGMS-IPWG: Ralph Ferraro– GEWEX: Chris Kummerow– WCRP/IGWCO: Rick Lawford– GCOS: Paul Mason– ECMWF Peter Bauer– Phil Arkin

• In addition contacts have been made with China and ISRO although no representatives have been established yet.


CEOS PC Purpose

• Establish an international team of participants in the implementation of the CEOS PC

• Support the continuation and speedy implementation of the GPM mission

• Develop the plans for the implementation of an international constellation using the GPM mission as the initial instantiation of a CEOS PC

• Develop the long range plans for continued existence of a precipitation constellation even after the end of the GPM mission

– Establish and advocate the need for follow-on missions– Establish and advocate the need for new or improved precipitation instruments

• Plan for and support the implementation of CEOS PC data production, distribution global precipitation data via easily accessible systems and formats

• Establish the annual PC work plans with contributions from international team participants. (i.e. CEOS PC while lead by NASA/JAXA is an international effort)


Operational Concept of GPM PC


Existing ad-hoc PC

• CEOS PC fortunate that it already has working operational experience at merging data from a constellation of instruments

• DMSP satellites F13, F14 (recorder dead), F15 (problematic for precip data use), F16, F17 (large calibration issues

• TRMM TMI, PR

• EOS AMSR-E

• WindSat

• Plans are underway to incorporate CloudSat data

• Sounders– NOAA AMSU– EumetSat- MHS– Particularly useful for land retrievals

• Some work done by NASA to show that scatterometer can give useful precipitation information

• Currently multiple groups created merged products– NASA, TRMM– JAXA EOC– NOAA– NRL


Single Satellite 3 hr precipitation


Merged radiometer 3hr precipitation


NASA GPM Status

• TRMM funding continued through FY2009 so current PC constellation prototype calibrator still available

• 3rd International GPM Ground Validation workshop held in Buzios Brazil March 2008.

• GPM Level1 and Level 2 science algorithm developer team meeting held May 2008

• Early version of Precipitation Processing System (PPS) assumed processing of TRMM data, both research and realtime products in June 2008

• Precipitation Measurement mission PMM science team meeting held in Ft. Collins, CO August 2008

• Ball/RSS GMI calibration CDR scheduled for October 2008 in Santa Rosa

• GPM Mission PDR scheduled for Veteran’s Day week 2008


NASA Status (contd)

• Routine near realtime delivery of global merged product distributed in GIS compatible format by PPS

– Worked with DOD affiliated/Univ of Hawaii affilitated Pacific disaster warning center on Maui for the format

• TIFF files – scaled rain rates and accumulations• World files for metadata

– 3hourly rainrates– 1 day and 7 day accumulations

• Support for specific GIS version products to investigators at the U.N. and Universities (ad-hoc to be made routine)

• Global flood and landslide potential information available as best effort: trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov

• Substantial progress made by intercalibration working group on radiometer intercalibration issues and report at August PMM science team meeting.

• A Joint PMM Science Team (NASA/JAXA) officially configured – replaced the Joint TRMM Science Team– Held first meeting in August 2008


TRMM Combined VIRS/TMI/PR


Ike Track Study-Merge Product


Nargis Typhoon Flooding Potential-Merged


Text Flood Potential listing


PC Goals

• To establish an international framework to guide, facilitate, and coordinate the continued advancements of multi-satellite global precipitation missions

• 1) To provide a framework for implementation and monitoring of GEO taskAR-06-10

– Advocate and facilitate the timely implementation of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission and encourage more nations to contribute to the GPM constellation

• 2) To sustain and enhance an accurate and timely global precipitation data record including a Fundamental Climate Data Record essential for understanding the integrated weather/climate/ecological system, managing freshwater resources, and monitoring and predicting highimpact natural hazard events.

– This data record should be fit for the purpose specified by GCOS for the monitoring of Precipitation as an essential climate variable (ECV) (as defined in the recent GCOS document ‘Systematic ObservationRequirements for Satellite-based Products for Climate')


Means to Achievement of Goals

• Develop a consistent framework to produce inter-calibrated precipitation sensor measurements and retrieval products

• Identify key points of agreement for space agency co-operation in order to meet the needs of both the data producer and user communities

• Results-focused, identifying what steps are necessary by space agencies (and other groups responsible for product generation, in-situ observations etc) to develop the constellation data sets and information services. CEOS PC should also encourage the development and evaluation of precipitation products produced from the constellation data. This should include inter-comparisons and validation against high quality ground data.

• Recognize the Constellation member’s national plans for implementing their respective Earth observing programs (e.g. the U.S. Decadal Survey).

• Have strong collaboration with the CEOS Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV) and the CEOS Working Group on Information Systems and Services (WGISS)


CEOS PC Activities To Date

• Many telecons and email exchanges in preparation for workshops and documents

• Two face to face workshops– Washington D.C. June 2007– Tokyo, Japan June 2008– International team participants at each of the workshops

• Implementation of CEOS PC website for workshop reports and documents

– http://ceospc.gsfc.nasa.gov– All pertinent CEOS PC documents available from this site

• Key Documents– Multi-year CEOS PC Implementation plan– Annual CEOS PC work plans that describe the yearly activity within the

implementation plan– Annual final reports

• Documents are reviewed and accepted by the entire international PC study team


• The CEOS PC implementation approach is focused around the GPM mission since they share the same time schedules

• GPM is viewed as the first instantiation of the full CEOS PC concept

• CEOS PC is a phased Implementation– “GPM preparatory phase” during 2008-2012, before the launch of the GPM Core

satellite.

– “GPM operational phase” beginning with the launch and operation of the GPM Core satellite in 2013 – 2018?

– GPM follow-on phase, falls beyond the timeframe of the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan.

• During second phase the PC study team will query the community to ascertain what the follow-on phase should include

CEOS PC Implementation Approach


Graphic Version of Implementation Phases

post -GPM

phase

GPM phasepre - GPM phasestudy

phase

phase

2019201820172016201520142013201220112010200920082007year

post -GPM

phase

GPM phase-GPM preparatory phasestudy

phase

phase

2019201820172016201520142013201220112010200920082007year

GPM


Key Data Focused Objectives in the 1st Phase

• Develop guideline for data exchange and cross-evaluation. The CEOS PC will provide recommendations in the area of data and data products, focusing on items that enhance the sharing, use, and comparison of precipitation products. They should facilitate the inclusion of many precipitation data streams into constellation data products.

• Draft an agreement on general principles of data policy to enable the ‘required’ data exchange

• Prepare draft data policy concerning data which is exchanged among participating organizations, using examples from data policies of NASA and JAXA, and CEOS data exchange principles, and review the draft with participating organizations including user organizations.

• Establish a feasible data policy within the context of the CEOS PC.

• Make recommendations for technical issues for data sharing, including metadata, logical data formatting, geolocation information, data exchange format, algorithm codes, tools, file naming, GIS formats, and others. Details are described in appendix of the implementation plan

• Facilitate CEOS PC data distribution to user communities considering accessibility and user requirements.