With the launch of the GPM Core Satellite scheduled for June 2013 and subsequent launch of the NASA Constellation Satellite in 2014, the GPM Mission is pursuing a vigorous international Ground Validation (GV) program to support pre-launch algorithm development and post-launch product verification. In view of your expertise in precipitation science and measurements, we cordially invite you to attend the Third GPM International GV Research Planning Workshop.

The Workshop theme is "Establishing a Framework for International Partnership in GPM Ground Validation. " The workshop goal is to motivate the development of internationally-coordinated research and observational programs designed around three major ground validation approaches:

1. National Networks: Contributions of calibrated ground observations from operational and research instruments, regional and continental scale precipitation and hydrological products with associated error models, the development of downscaling models, and other related activities on large regional or continental scales;
2. Process studies and field campaigns: Contributions of targeted ground and aircraft measurements of cloud microphysical properties, precipitation, radar reflectivity, and radiances; modeling activities related to atmospheric simulation and retrieval algorithm testing; other relevant observations on local to regional scales
3. Integrated hydrometeorology applications: Contributions related to assessment of satellite precipitation products at integrated hydrological sites using stream gauges and other hydrological measurements, formulation and application of downscaling methodologies, and analysis of the utility of satellite precipitation products for basin-scale water budget studies.

With these approaches in mind, one desired outcome of the workshop is to establish a framework for the implementation of joint science research plans between NASA GPM and investigators from other countries. This framework would include the identification of collaborating scientists, an overview of national GV capabilities/infrastructures and their relevance to one or more of the three GPM GV approaches, definition of research objectives, and joint implementation plans for accomplishing these research objectives. It is highly recommended that attendees consider possible areas of joint research plans capitalizing on particular strengths of national research programs and infrastructures prior to the meeting.

The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) of Brazil on behalf of the National Space Agency (AEB) and in coordination with NASA's Precipitation Measurement Missions (PMM) Program will host this workshop in Buzios (160 km north of Rio de Janeiro), Brazil, on March 4 - 6, 2008. Detailed meeting logistics and an agenda will be communicated at a later date.

March 4, 2008 (Tuesday)

Programmatic Overview (Session Chair: Carlos Angelis)
+ Welcome (Mussi/Kakar)
+ Meeting Logistics (Arai/Hwang)
+ Workshop Objectives (Angelis/Hou)
+ NASA Program Status (Ramesh Kakar) (use Day 1-01 file)
+ JAXA Program Status (Kenji Nakamura)
+ AEB-INPE Program Status (Mussi/Chamon)

GPM GV Status and Activities in the U.S. (Session Chair: Beth Ebert)
+ Framework for GPM GV Science and Implementation (Arthur Hou/NASA)
+ Report on U.S. GPM GV Science Activities (Walt Petersen/U. Alabama-Huntsville)
+ Report on U.S. GPM GV System Development (Mathew Schwaller/NASA)
+ Linking NOAA HMT & operational hydrological applications in the U.S. with GPM GV (Tim Schneider/NOAA)

GPM GV Activities in Japan (Session Chair: Kenji Nakamura)
+ GPM/DPR Ground Validation Plan in Japan (S. Shimizu/JAXA)
+ DPR hardware calibration (K. Nakagawa/NICT)

Joint Research Plans - I (Session Chair: Walt Petersen)
+ Finland (Heikki Pohjola /FMI/Vaisala)
+ Canada (David Hudak/EC)
+ France (RŽmy Roca/LMD, present by Nicolas Viltard/ETP-CNRS-UVSQ)

Joint Research Plans - II (Session Chair: Heikki Pohjola)
+ Brazil (Luiz Machado/INPE)
+ Australia (Beth Ebert/BMRC)
+ UK (Chris Kidd/U. Birmingham)
+ Germany (Alessandro Battaglia/U. Bonn)
+ La Plata Basin Experiment (E. Hugo Berbery, M. Assuncao Silva Dias)

March 5, 2008 (Wednesday):

Joint Research Opportunities - I (Session Chair: Remy Roca)
+ Italy (Luca Baldini /ISAC)
+ Netherlands (Iwan Holleman/OPERA)
+ Spain (Francisco Tapiador/ U. Castilla-La Mancha)
+ Catalunya in GPM GV (X. Llort/GRAHI, D. Sempere-Torres/GRAHI, D. Velasco/GRAHI, S. Paricio/METEOCAT, J.J. Pastor/ACA)
+ German GV activities (Ruetger Rollenbeck/U. Marburg)
+ German national network (Martin Hagen/German Weather Services, presented by Ruetger Rollenbeck/U. Marburg)

Joint Research Opportunities - II (Session Chair: Dave Hudak)
+ Iberoamericana Network for Monitoring and Forecast of Hydrometeorological Phenomena - PROHIMET (Angel Luis Aldana Valverde/CEDEX)
+ Ground validation network over complex terrain and coastal environments in Eastern Mediterranean (Emmanouil Anagnostou/Hellenic Center and U. Connecticut)
+ Cyprus (Silas Michaelides/Cyprus Met Service)

Joint Research Opportunities - III (Session Chair: Christa Peters-Lidard)
+ Proposed Megha-Tropiques related validation plan (Baby Simon/ISRO)
+ Terrain-influenced Monsoon Rainfall in the Taiwan area: An Introduction to SoWMEX/TiMREX (Ming-Dah Chou & Ben Jou/National Taiwan University)
+ Korea (Mi-Lim Ou/NIMR/KMA)
+ Israel (Eyal Amitai/George-Mason U.)
+ Integrated Hydrological Validation (Baldemar MŽndez Antonio/Universidad Nacional Aut—noma de MŽxico)
+ Integrated Hydrological Validation (Christa Peters-Lidard/NASA GSFC)

Discussion Session:
Building an integrated framework for international GPM GV activities and future opportunities (Session Chair: Arthur Hou)

This open session aims to refine the key elements for integrating international GV activities into a common scientific and operational framework to contribute effectively to the GPM Mission and to meet the needs of the participating nations, and also to identify future field campaign and programmatic opportunities in each of the following areas:

1. National-network validation
2. Physcial validation: paradigm
3. Physical process validation
4. Integrated hydrological/model validation

March 6, 2008 (Thursday):

Plenary Session (Co-Chairs: Arthur Hou and Carlos Angelis)
+ Summary of Hydrology
+ Summary of National Networks
+ Summary of Process Studies

Discussion: Next Steps and Action Items (Co-Chairs: Arthur Hou and Carlos Angelis)

Closing Remarks (Raimundo Mussi/Ramesh Kakar)

Photographs

+ View All Workshop Information