(Update for December 2017)NOAA and NASA launched the JPSS-1 (now NOAA-20) satellite on November 18, 2017. NOAA-20 with its ATMS microwave sounder is a welcome addition to the GPM Constellation, the space segment backbone of the P-VC. ATMS "first light" was achieved and commissioning activities continued with operational readiness scheduled for February 2018. The X-Cal Working Group continued its regular telecons and held a face to face meeting in San Diego, California on the sidelines of the Precipitation Measurement Mission Science Team meeting. The emphasis of the meeting was threefold: 1) Quantifying uncertainties, 2) Constellation changes, and 3) New and/or improved techniques.(Update for October 2017 CEOS Plenary)A P-VC Planning Meeting was held on the sidelines of the EUMETSAT Meteorological Satellite Conference 2017 in Rome on October 2-3. Aside from discussing overall progress and future plans, the meeting specifically addressed the P-VC's role in the CEOS Water Strategy, including its participation in the upcoming water coordination planning workshop (as discussed at the September SIT Technical Workshop, see action SITTWS-2017-13); P-VC review of the Analysis Ready Data framework per 2017 SIT Technical Workshop action SITTWS-2017-14; P-VC support to the review of the Space Agency Response to the GCOS IP (see action SITTWS-2017-10); and P-VC support for the PMWI workshop discussed at the September SIT Technical Workshop and referenced in action SITTWS-2017-21.(Update for September 2017 SIT Technical Workshop)The GPM satellite constellation has been stable in its observational capabilities. The GPM Core Observatory completed the NASA End of Prime Mission (EOPM) review and the mission formally entered extended operations on June 21st. During extended operations the merged constellation algorithms will be extended pole to pole (from 60 degrees N/S latitude) and the DPR Ka band swath increased to the full Ku band swath (i.e. 120 km to 245 km). The next planned constellation additions are JPSS-1 with its launch now scheduled for November 10, 2017 and Metop-C with its launch scheduled for October 1, 2018. GOES-16 (formerly GOES-R) was formally handed over from NASA to NOAA on June 23rd. The enhanced spatial and radiometric performance of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and the Global Lightning Mapper (GLM) are being put to good use in the so far active Atlantic hurricane season, having demonstrated their capabilities in precipitation-related observations of Tropical Storm Cindy in June. (Deliverable #1)The X-Cal Working Group continued its regular telecons and began preparations for its next face to face meeting on October 16 in San Diego, California on the sidelines of the upcoming Precipitation Measurement Mission Science Team meeting. The group has finalized the intercalibration tables for the TRMM-era constellation satellites and have provided them for use in the reprocessing of all TRMM data from 1998 to V05 standard for consistency with GPM. (Deliverables #2, #3, #4, and #5)The NASA Precipitation Processing System (PPS)/JAXA Mission Operation System (MOS) continued to produce and distribute all GPM Standard Data Products and specialized NRT products (IMERG-Early, GSMaP_NRT) to public users. The V05 retrospective reprocessing of TRMM data using GPM as a calibrator is planned for early 2018. (Deliverables #2, #3, #4, and #5).The GPM Ground Validation (GV) team continued preparation for its participation (KMA is lead) in the International Collaborative Experiment PyeongChang Olympics Paralympics (ICE-POP) Snow Experiment 2018. (Deliverable #2) (Update from June 2017 SIT Chair Tag Up)The GPM satellite constellation has been stable in its observational capabilities with the GPM Core Observatory having completed its three year prime mission and beginning its extended mission in late June following the completion of the JAXA DPR and NASA End of Prime Mission (EOPM) reviews. Its extended operations objectives include expanding the merged constellation algorithms pole to pole (currently 60 degrees N/S latitude) and extending the DPR Ka band swath to the full Ku band swath (i.e. 120 km to 245 km). The next planned additions are JPSS-1 with its launch scheduled for September 2017 and Metop-C with its launch scheduled for October 2018. GOES-16 (formerly GOES-R) has completed its post launch testing and will be handed over from NASA to NOAA in late June. The enhanced spatial and radiometric performance of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and the Global Lightning Mapper (GLM) will provide useful precipitation-related data. (Deliverable #1)JAXA?s study of AMSR2's successor sensor as a hosted instrument on the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite-3 (GOSAT-3) was initiated as stipulated in Japan?s Roadmap for the Basic Plan on Space Policy of December 2016. The GCOM-W1 mission completed its Nominal Operation Period and Extended Operation was authorized in May. (Deliverable #1)NASA GSFC/JPL and JAXA initiated study activities on a Cloud and Precipitation Processes Mission (CaPPM) concept and conducted a kick off meeting at JPL in April and a coordination telecon in June. (Deliverable #1)The X-Cal WG held a face to face meeting on March 28-29 in Orlando, Florida. Principal topics of discussion were finalization of the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) antenna emissivity and geolocation corrections as well as the TMI-GMI intercalibration table to be used in the V08 reprocessing of +17 years of TMI data in preparation for reprocessing all TRMM data from 1998 to V05 standard for consistency with GPM. In addition, the group has also been focusing on finalizing the intercalibration tables for the TRMM-era constellation satellites to also be used in the reprocessing. (Deliverables #2, #3, #4, and #5)The NASA PPS/JAXA MOS continued to produce and distribute all GPM Standard Data Products and specialized NRT products (IMERG-Early, GSMaP_NRT) to public users. Reprocessing of GPM Standard Data Products to V05 was completed in May and the V05 retrospective reprocessing of TRMM data using GPM as a calibrator is planned for early 2018. Current data latencies are GMI (1 hr rqmnt, avg 17 min) PR (3 hr, avg 76 min)GMI+DPR (3 hr, avg 83 min) Multi-satellite IMERG (avg 5 hrs), GSMaP-NOW (avg 4 hrs) (Deliverables #2, #3, #4, and #5).AERIS/ICARE released the Megha-Tropiques TAPEER-BRAIN 2011-2016 one degree resolution multi-satellite daily cumulated surface rainfall product. Its principal improvement is to separately deal with rain detection and rain rates estimation enabling the use of microwave sounders for rainfall detection (Deliverables #2, #3, #4, and #5).The GPM Ground Validation (GV) team continued planning for participation (KMA is lead) in the International Collaborative Experiment ? PyeongChang Olympics Paralympics (ICE-POP) Snow Experiment 2018. In addition, the team is deploying a High-density snow gauge network near Marquette, Wisconsin in coordination with the local NOAA Weather Forecasting Office. (Deliverable #2)(Update from February 2017 SIT Chair Tag Up) The GPM satellite constellation has been stable in its observational capabilities, meeting or exceeding requirements, with the GPM Core Observatory observing its third year launch anniversary. GPM?s prime mission ends in May. The next scheduled additions are JPSS-1 with its launch scheduled for September 2017 and Metop-C with its launch scheduled for October 2018. GOES-16 (formerly GOES-R) was launched in November and is in the process of sensor validation. The high spatial and radiometric performance Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and Global Lightning Mapper (GLM) will provide useful precipitation-related data. (Deliverable #1)Japan's Roadmap for the Basic Plan on Space Policy was revised in December and "Research the hosted payload capability of AMSR2's successor sensor with the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite-3 (GOSAT-3)" was added for JFY2017. The GCOM-W1 mission completion review will be held in May 2017. At that review, mission extension will be considered. (Deliverable #1)Work continued on the NASA GSFC Cloud and Precipitation Processes Mission (CaPPM) concept with meetings planned with JAXA and JPL in the near term (Deliverable #1).The X-Cal WG continued to meet in monthly telecons. A face to face meeting was held on October 27 in Houston, Texas. In addition to monitoring S-NPP/ATMS scan subsystem degradation and DMSP F17 SSMIS 37 GHz channel degradation, the group has devoted itself to improving the TRMM TMI antenna emissivity correction and TRMM attitude information. This is being used in reprocessing +17 years of TMI data in preparation for reprocessing all TRMM data from 1998 to V05 standard for consistency with GPM (Deliverables #2, #3, #4, and #5)The NASA PPS/JAXA MOS continued to produce and distribute all GPM Standard Data Products and specialized NRT products (IMERG-Early, GSMaP_NOW) to public users. Reprocessing of GPM Standard Data Products to V05 is underway with completion planned by May. The V05 retrospective reprocessing of TRMM data using GPM as a calibrator will be available in early 2018 (Deliverables #2, #3, #4, and #5).The GPM Ground Validation (GV) team has begun planning for participation (KMA is lead) inthe International Collaborative Experiment ? PyeongChang Olympics Paralympics (ICE-POP) Snow Experiment 2018. It will involve a winter extreme weather forecast demonstration (research and real-time decision support) and precipitation process research. (Deliverable #2)The newly selected PMM Science Team held its first meeting in Houston, Texas on October 24-28, 2016. XCAL WG and P-VC planning meetings were held on its sidelines. (Deliverables #2, #3, and #4)(Update from July 2016 SIT Chair Tag Up) ? The GPM satellite constellation has been stable in its observational capabilities with the exception of the declared loss of DMSP F19.? The next scheduled additions are JPSS-1 and Metop-C in 2017. (Deliverable #1)P-VC members submitted several space based precipitation measurement-related white papers on challenges/questions in Earth System Science to the U.S. 2017 NRC Decadal Survey team in response to the recent RFI#2. (Deliverable #1) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?The X-Cal WG continued to meet in weekly videocons.? A face to face meeting was held on June 3-4 at CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado.? The focus remains on improving passive microwave radiometer intercalibration (Level 1C product generation).? Recent efforts have included improving antenna physical temperature determination (L. Jones et al.) and evaluating geolocation accuracy for the GMI instrument and its MW imagery which was found to be extremely well registered (F. Wentz). (Deliverables #2, #3, #4, and #5) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?PPS/MOS continued to produce and distribute all GPM Standard Data Products and specialized NRT products (IMERG, GSMaP) to public users.? Reprocessing of GPM Standard Data Products to V04 continues, GPROF GMI Level 2 and Level 3 data have been released, and planning for V05 has begun. (Deliverables #2, #3, #4, and #5) ?The GPM Ground Validation (GV) web portal is providing access to a wide range of ground validation data collected and managed by the MSFC Disdrometer and Radar Observations of Precipitation (DROP) facility and including various other US and international radar, disdrometer, gauge, and instrument data sets supporting GV activities.? (Deliverable #2)? ? ? ? The newly selected PMM Science Team is planning its first meeting in Houston, Texas on October 24-28, 2016.? XCAL and P-VC meetings are planned on its sidelines. (Deliverables #2, #3, and #4)================(Update from June 2015 SIT Chair TagUp)The TRMM satellite was decommissioned in mid-April and reentered the Earth?s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean on June 16 UTC. Its 17+ years of data substantially contributed to the P-VC and it served as the anchor for the ad hoc constellation prior to GPM?s launch in 2014. (Deliverable #1)X-Cal WG met in end of May at CSU, Fort Collins (USA) as well as weekly videocons. X-Cal WG analyzed and recommended the GMI calibration (
(september 2019): the five deliverables as indicated to myself as a new incoming co-chair have been completed. The previous progress report shows multiple deliverables that appear to be carry-overs from prior years.