Satellite Data and Geographic Information System for Rainfall Estimation
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 116, Issue 3
Abstract
Rainfall data constitute an important parameter for studying water resources‐related problems. Currently, little is known about the accuracy of the estimation of rainfall in a given area, primarily because of the wide variability of rainfall distribution in space and time and the lack of information concerning the optimization of the traditional raingage network design. Remote sensing techniques could provide a more rapid and comprehensive overview of the rainfall distribution in a given area. Thus, the half‐hourly visible and thermal infrared data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), in conjunction with the Scofield‐Oliver method and a geographic information system (GIS), were used to monitor rainfall in Florida. Eleven convective clouds that covered 26 raingage stations were analyzed. The cell size with raster format used in the GIS was The results showed that the satellite rainfall estimations were well correlated to raingage measurements with a coefficient of determination of 0.81. The satellite data appear to be useful for monitoring the rainfall at an area where no raingage is available.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 116 • Issue 3 • May 1990
Pages: 319 - 331
Copyright
Copyright © 1990 ASCE.
History
Published online: May 1, 1990
Published in print: May 1990
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