Quality index scheme for quantitative uncertainty characterization of radar-based precipitation

✍ Scribed by Jan Szturc; Katarzyna Ośródka; Anna Jurczyk

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 571 KB
• Volume: 18
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1350-4827
• DOI: 10.1002/met.230

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

A quality index scheme is proposed which is designed to evaluate the quality of different radar‐derived rainfall products including processed radar data and precipitation accumulations. The idea of the quality index scheme is based on selection of quality factors, determination of their quality indices and computation of one final quality index. The factors were selected depending on the particular kind of precipitation field. In the proposed scheme the quality index for each quality factor is determined using regression relationships between quality factors and data errors calculated from rain gauge—radar observation differences. Finally, all the individual quality indices are summarized to a final quality index applying appropriate weights. The quality index is computed for each pixel of radar‐derived precipitation field independently. The quality information field obtained in this way is attached to the radar‐based precipitation product and can be used to generate the precipitation field as percentiles of probability density functions. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society