High-Resolution, Low-Latency Multi-Satellite Precipitation Merging by Correcting with Weather Radar Network Data

Satellite-based precipitation products (SPPs) have become a crucial source of quantitative global precipitation data. Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites provide high spatiotemporal resolution but tend to have lower accuracy, while Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites provide more precise precipitation...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Seungwoo Baek, Soorok Ryu, Choeng-Lyong Lee, Francisco J. Tapiador, Gyuwon Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/10/1702
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850126027073781760
author Seungwoo Baek
Soorok Ryu
Choeng-Lyong Lee
Francisco J. Tapiador
Gyuwon Lee
author_facet Seungwoo Baek
Soorok Ryu
Choeng-Lyong Lee
Francisco J. Tapiador
Gyuwon Lee
author_sort Seungwoo Baek
collection DOAJ
description Satellite-based precipitation products (SPPs) have become a crucial source of quantitative global precipitation data. Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites provide high spatiotemporal resolution but tend to have lower accuracy, while Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites provide more precise precipitation estimates but suffer from lower temporal resolution due to their limited observation frequency. This study proposes an efficient algorithm for integrating and enhancing precipitation estimates from multiple satellite observations. The target domain includes the Full Disk (FD) and the extended East Asia (EA) regions, both of which are observable by GEO satellites, such as Himawari-8, serving as the GEO platform in this study. The algorithm involves four steps: pre-data preparation, LEO morphing, adjustment, and final merging. It produces Early and Late composite products with 10-min temporal and up to 2 km spatial resolution and significantly reduces latency compared to IMERG. Specifically, the Early and Late products can be generated with approximate latencies of 90 min and 270 min, respectively—much faster than Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG)’s Early (4-h) and Late (14-h) products. A key feature of the proposed method is the use of accuracy-based weighting derived from radar-based validation, enabling dynamic merging that reflects the reliability of each satellite observation. Statistical validation using Global Telecommunication System (GTS) precipitation data confirmed the positive impact of the proposed bias correction and merging method. In particular, the Late product achieved accuracy comparable to or higher than that of IMERG Early and IMERG Late, despite its significantly shorter latency. However, its accuracy was still lower than that of IMERG Final, which benefits from additional gauge-based correction but is released with a delay of several months.
format Article
id doaj-art-06e429a443fb40f1afdbe02e9f9cbdf9
institution OA Journals
issn 2072-4292
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Remote Sensing
spelling doaj-art-06e429a443fb40f1afdbe02e9f9cbdf92025-08-20T02:34:01ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-05-011710170210.3390/rs17101702High-Resolution, Low-Latency Multi-Satellite Precipitation Merging by Correcting with Weather Radar Network DataSeungwoo Baek0Soorok Ryu1Choeng-Lyong Lee2Francisco J. Tapiador3Gyuwon Lee4BK21 Weather Extremes Education & Research Team, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Center for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (CARE), Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaBK21 Weather Extremes Education & Research Team, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Center for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (CARE), Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaBK21 Weather Extremes Education & Research Team, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Center for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (CARE), Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Institute of Environmental Sciences (ICAM), Earth and Space Science (ESS) Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 45071 Toledo, SpainBK21 Weather Extremes Education & Research Team, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Center for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (CARE), Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaSatellite-based precipitation products (SPPs) have become a crucial source of quantitative global precipitation data. Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites provide high spatiotemporal resolution but tend to have lower accuracy, while Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites provide more precise precipitation estimates but suffer from lower temporal resolution due to their limited observation frequency. This study proposes an efficient algorithm for integrating and enhancing precipitation estimates from multiple satellite observations. The target domain includes the Full Disk (FD) and the extended East Asia (EA) regions, both of which are observable by GEO satellites, such as Himawari-8, serving as the GEO platform in this study. The algorithm involves four steps: pre-data preparation, LEO morphing, adjustment, and final merging. It produces Early and Late composite products with 10-min temporal and up to 2 km spatial resolution and significantly reduces latency compared to IMERG. Specifically, the Early and Late products can be generated with approximate latencies of 90 min and 270 min, respectively—much faster than Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG)’s Early (4-h) and Late (14-h) products. A key feature of the proposed method is the use of accuracy-based weighting derived from radar-based validation, enabling dynamic merging that reflects the reliability of each satellite observation. Statistical validation using Global Telecommunication System (GTS) precipitation data confirmed the positive impact of the proposed bias correction and merging method. In particular, the Late product achieved accuracy comparable to or higher than that of IMERG Early and IMERG Late, despite its significantly shorter latency. However, its accuracy was still lower than that of IMERG Final, which benefits from additional gauge-based correction but is released with a delay of several months.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/10/1702Geostationary Orbit (GEO)Low Earth Orbit (LEO)GPMIMERGsatellite precipitation
spellingShingle Seungwoo Baek
Soorok Ryu
Choeng-Lyong Lee
Francisco J. Tapiador
Gyuwon Lee
High-Resolution, Low-Latency Multi-Satellite Precipitation Merging by Correcting with Weather Radar Network Data
Remote Sensing
Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
GPM
IMERG
satellite precipitation
title High-Resolution, Low-Latency Multi-Satellite Precipitation Merging by Correcting with Weather Radar Network Data
title_full High-Resolution, Low-Latency Multi-Satellite Precipitation Merging by Correcting with Weather Radar Network Data
title_fullStr High-Resolution, Low-Latency Multi-Satellite Precipitation Merging by Correcting with Weather Radar Network Data
title_full_unstemmed High-Resolution, Low-Latency Multi-Satellite Precipitation Merging by Correcting with Weather Radar Network Data
title_short High-Resolution, Low-Latency Multi-Satellite Precipitation Merging by Correcting with Weather Radar Network Data
title_sort high resolution low latency multi satellite precipitation merging by correcting with weather radar network data
topic Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
GPM
IMERG
satellite precipitation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/10/1702
work_keys_str_mv AT seungwoobaek highresolutionlowlatencymultisatelliteprecipitationmergingbycorrectingwithweatherradarnetworkdata
AT soorokryu highresolutionlowlatencymultisatelliteprecipitationmergingbycorrectingwithweatherradarnetworkdata
AT choenglyonglee highresolutionlowlatencymultisatelliteprecipitationmergingbycorrectingwithweatherradarnetworkdata
AT franciscojtapiador highresolutionlowlatencymultisatelliteprecipitationmergingbycorrectingwithweatherradarnetworkdata
AT gyuwonlee highresolutionlowlatencymultisatelliteprecipitationmergingbycorrectingwithweatherradarnetworkdata