Version 07 is the current version of the data set. Older versions are no longer available and have been superseded by Version 07.

This product contains the calibrated received power from the Ka-band of the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) aboard the core satellite of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission.

One of the reasons for adding the Ka-band frequency (35.5 GHz) channel to the DPR is to provide information on the drop-size distribution that can be obtained from non-Rayleigh scattering effects at the higher frequency. Another reason for the new Ka-band channel is to provide more accurate estimates of the phase-transition height in precipitating systems. This information is very important not only in increasing the accuracy of rain rate estimation by the DPR itself, but in improving rain estimation by passive microwave radiometers.

The Ka-band Radar has a more complex scanning geometry, defined by two modes: Matched (MS) and High-sensitivity (HS). In the first type of scan (MS), the Ka Radar beams are matched to the central 25 beams of the Ku Radar, providing a swath of 120 km (within the 245km swath of the Ku Radar). In the second type of scan (HS), the Ka is operated in the high-sensitivity mode to detect light rain and snow. In this case, its beams are interlaced within the matched scan pattern, resulting in 49 cross-track beams which, however, still cover the 120-km swath.