Precipitation professionals gathered in Korea to verify data received from a new weather satellite launched into orbit last year.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) hosted the seventh International Workshop for Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ground Validation in Seoul from May 12 to May 14.




The GPM satellite was jointly launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, in February 2014 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Its goal is to measure precipitation at a global level. The ground validation process involves comparing precipitation information from the satellite with data gathered from the ground and from other weather radars.

Over 100 validation specialists from 29 nations, including key officials from NASA and the JAXA, took part in the workshop. Each participant made a presentation on the validation of precipitation information obtained from the GPM satellite and discussed validation technologies and how to increase international exchanges related to the issue.

The KMA and NASA started joint research into the ground validation of satellite precipitation data in 2009. The KMA took part in the fourth workshop, the first for the weather agency, and continues to present technological development and statistical validation.



"The workshop is expected to help develop technology to compute precipitation information obtained from satellites and to validate the data," said a KMA researcher. "We will reduce blind spots for weather forecast by using satellites and obtain accurate precipitation observations. This will help produce early alarms for typhoons and floods."

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos courtesy of the KMA
jun2@korea.kr