Abstract
In this study, we proposed a volume-to-point framework for quantitative
precipitation estimation (QPE) based on the QPESUMS (Quantitative
Precipitation Estimation and Segregation Using Multiple Sensor) Mosaic
Radar dataset. With a data volume consisting of the time series of
gridded radar reflectivities over the Taiwan area, we used machine
learning algorithms to establish a statistical model for QPE in weather
stations. The model extracts spatial and temporal features from the
input data volume and then associates these features with the
location-specific precipitations. In contrast to QPE methods based on
the Z-R relation, we leverage the machine learning algorithms to
automatically detect the evolution and movement of weather systems and
associate these patterns to a location with specific topographic
attributes. Specifically, we evaluated this framework with the hourly
precipitation data of 45 weather stations in Taipei during 2013
~ 2016. In comparison to the operational QPE scheme used
by the Central Weather Bureau (CWB), the volume-to-point framework
performed comparably well in general cases and excelled in detecting
heavy-rainfall events. By using the current results as the reference
benchmark, the proposed method can integrate the heterogeneous data
sources and potentially improve the QPF in extreme precipitation
scenarios.