The prevailing element in the Earth’s water cycle is precipitation – both liquid and solid. This plays a crucial role in the hydrological budget. If we have a better understanding of the water cycle – it will have a positive impact in many different fields, such as: climatology, weather forecasting, agriculture, fishing and flooding early warning systems.

Despite its importance, precipitation is one of the most difficult geophysical parameter to be quantified, particularly in regions where ground measurements are sparce, or do not exist (such as in the ocean, remote locations or developing countries).

AI applied to data collected by meteorological satellites can provide a significant improvement to precipitation monitoring in these regions. These are characterized by frequent temporal sampling capabilities over large areas. Areas covered by networks of rain gauges or weather radars can also benefit from satellite precipitation estimation to compensate for the usual irregular spatial distribution of rain gauges or the orography problems that could affect weather radars.

Featured Educator

• Antonio Vocino