The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint U.S.-Japan satellite mission to monitor tropical and subtropical (40 S - 40 N)precipitation and to estimate its associated latent heating. The TRMM satellite provides the first detailed and comprehensive dataset on the four dimensional distribution of rainfall and latent heating over vastly undersampled tropical and subtropical oceans and continents. The TRMM satellite was launched on November 27, 1997. TRMM data products are archived at and distributed by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Distributed Active Archive Center (GES DAAC).

TRMM Online Visualization and Analysis System (TOVAS), developed by the hydrology data support team at the GES DAAC, provides a fast and easy way for a wide variety of users to obtain precipitation information via the Internet. TOVAS allow users to plot, subset and output TRMM Level 3 data products that range from 3-hourly near-real-time to monthly. Simple functions, such as, area averaging and accumulating, allow users to quickly obtain precipitation characteristics in areas of their interests. Time series allows users to understand 3-hourly, daily, seasonal to interannual variations. An ASCII output capability allows users to use subsetting data for their own research and applications.

TOVAS also serves a key component in supporting several earth science applications. For example, TOVAS has been providing customized precipitation and other derived products to the United Nations World Food Programme for decision making. The presentation will present other potential applications with TOVAS.