Thailand Uses G-WADI Real-Time Precipitation Product Operationally

In the 12th International Precipitation Conference, held on June 19-21, 2019 in Irvine, California, science and applications of G-WADI-associated precipitation and climate products (i.e., the PERSIANN family of products developed at the University of California, Irvine's Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing) were described in 13 presentations. Results from several western states of the United States, the North Pacific Ocean, the Tibetan Plateau, the Lake Kyoga basin of Uganda, and various global studies were presented.

Dr. Piyatida Ruangrassamee of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, who has hosted three G-WADI training coursesand workshops for Asian-Pacific scientists, presented on assessment and bias adjustment of PERSIANN-CCS (real-time precipitation at a scale of 0.04 x 0.04 degrees) over Thailand. She noted that compared to the Thai Meteorological Department rain gauge data (TMD), the product depicts spatial distribution well, even without spatial bias correction.  Bias adjustment further improved the false alarm rate, correlation coefficient and root mean squared error.

The adjusted products (such as those shown in the attached image from the Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute of Thailand) are currently input to the Thai national operational flood forecasting system and contribute to flood warning, especially in areas with limited rain gauge and radar coverage.