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Data DescriptionNESDIS Blended Hydrometeorological Products - This blended hydrometeorological product suite contains four primary outputs: 1) blended Rain Rate (RR), 2) Total Precipitable Water (TPW), 3) Percentage of TPW normal (PCT), or TPW anomaly, and (4) blended Instantaneous Rainfall Estimates. The PCT shows the percentage departure of TPW from the NASA Water Vapor Project (NVAP) climatology (1988-1999). The blended products were merged from polar-orbiting and geostationary satellite sensors including: AMSU/MHS onboard the NOAA and MetOp satellite series; SSMIS onboard the DMSP satellite series; ATMS onboard S-NPP and NOAA-20; Sounder onboard the GOES satellite series; and GPS Met onboard Orbview-1. The blended Instantaneous Rainfall Estimates algorithm inputs include Level-1b IR observations from the ABI, AHI, and FCI instruments onboard the GOES, Himawari, and MTG satellites and ancillary MW rainfall rates from the NESDIS Blended Rain Rate product. Individual biases of the data sources have been mitigated to produce a more meteorologically significant product. The blended methodology provides seamless global coverage without gaps to allow for the analysis of atmospheric moisture over land and ocean. The products are on a Mercator projection with 16 km resolution at the equator. The map is centered at the equator and 160 degrees W. It has 1437 lines and 2500 elements, which covers the earth from about 71 degrees N to 71 degrees S. The products are hourly in HDF-EOS file format. Also, included are PNG images of the products generated per hour over the globe and 14 local regions. These operational products were produced by the NOAA/NESDIS Office of Satellite and Product Operations (OSPO). The TPW/PCT products have been operational since 2009, and the RR products since 2011. However, the archive period of record begins in 2013. The instantaneous rainfall estimates began archiving in 2025. See the Details Section below for more information.
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