GPM Ground Validation UND Citation Navigation Data GCPEx
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Cessna Citation II Research
aircraft, owned and operated by the University of North Dakota (UND),
participated in the GPM Cold-season Precipitation Experiment (GCPEx) by
serving as an in situ microphysics sampling platform. The GCPEx
navigation data set, which was collected in Ontario, consists of final
processed files containing records that include flight time, aircraft
location (latitude, longitude, altitude), air temperature, wind speed,
and other relevant parameters.
Campaign
The GPM Cold-season Precipitation
Experiment (GCPEx) occurred in Ontario, Canada during the winter season
of 2011-2012. GCPEx addressed shortcomings in the GPM snowfall retrieval
algorithm by collecting microphysical properties, associated remote
sensing observations, and coordinated model simulations of precipitating
snow. These data sets were collected to aid in the achievement of the
over arching goal of GCPEx which is to characterize the ability of
multi-frequency active and passive microwave sensors to detect and
estimate falling snow.
For GCPEx, the UND Citation flew in
close coordination with NASA's DC-8. The UND Citation data served as a
reference microphysics data set for assessing the scattering of snow and
ice viewed within the swath of the DC-8's instruments.
Further details on GCPEx are available at http://gpm.nsstc.nasa.gov/gcpex. Information on the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is available at http://pmm.nasa.gov/GPM.
Instrument Description
The Cessna Citation II Research Aircraft
is owned and operated by the University of North Dakota (UND). The
Citation II is a twin-engine fanjet with an operating ceiling of 43,000
feet (13.1 km). The turbofan engines provide sufficient power to cruise
at speeds of up to 340 knots (175 m/s) or climb at 3300 feet per minute
(16.8 m/s). These high performance capabilities are accompanied by
relatively low fuel consumption at all altitudes which gives the
Citation an on-station time of 3-5 hours depending on the mission type.
Long wings allow the Citation to be operated out of relatively short
airstrips and to be flown at lower speeds (140 kts or 72 m/s) necessary
for many types of measurements. The Citation is certified for flight
into known icing conditions. Further details on the UND Cessna Citation
II are available at http://cumulus.atmos.und.edu/.
Investigators
Michael Poellot
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND 58202
Andrew Heymsfield
NCAR
Boulder, CO 80307
David Delene
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND 58202
File Naming Convention
The UND Citation Navigation data files are ASCII text files and are named with the following convention:
nav_[YYYY]_[MM]_[DD]_[HH]_[MM]_[SS].gcpex
where,
nav = navigation file
YYYY = year
MM = month
DD = day
HH = hours
MM = minutes
SS = seconds
gcpex = GPM Cold-season Precipitation Experiment (GCPEx)
A PDF document is also included in the data files and is named with the following convention:
GCPEx_Flight-Time_Details-cit.pdf
The PDF document outlines the flight date, flight start and stop times, and the type of precipitation event observed.
Data Format
The GPM Ground Validation UND Citation
Navigation Data GCPEx data set consists of ASCII (.txt) files. The .txt
files from UND contain a header followed by rows of data. Additional
details on the data format of the files can be found at http://cumulus.atmos.und.edu/fileheader.php.
Citation
Our data sets are
provided through the NASA Earth Science Data and Information System
(ESDIS) Project and the Global Hydrology Resource Center (GHRC)
Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC). GHRC DAAC is one of NASA's
Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) data
centers that are part of the ESDIS project. ESDIS data are not
copyrighted; however, in the event that you publish our data or
results derived by using our data, we request that you include an
acknowledgment within the text of the article and a citation on your
reference list. Examples for general acknowledgments, data set
citation in a reference listing, and crediting online web images and
information can be found at: http://ghrc.nsstc.nasa.gov/uso/citation.html
References
Delene, D. J., Aircraft Data Processing and Analysis Software Package, Earth Science Informatics, 1-16, 2010, DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12145-010-0061-4, DOI: 10.1007/s12145-010-0061-4.
Contact Information
To order these data or for further information, please contact:
Global Hydrology Resource Center
User Services
320 Sparkman Drive
Huntsville, AL 35805
Phone: 256-961-7932
E-mail: support-ghrc@earthdata.nasa.gov
Web: http://ghrc.nsstc.nasa.gov/
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