Southern Africa Daily Rainfall Estimates from Satellite Fusion, 1993-2001

1993-2001 daily mean rain rates at 0.1-degree resolution over southern Africa, derived from a fusion of passive microwave and infrared satellite data. The Microwave InfraRed Algorithm (MIRA) combines observations from DMSP and Meteosat satellites to produce calibrated rainfall imagery. This dataset was produced by NASA and consists of annual compressed binary files containing daily image arrays.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term rainfall trends and anomalies across southern Africa using daily rain rate values.
• Calibrating or validating other precipitation models or ground-based measurements with high-resolution satellite-derived data.
• Studying the spatial distribution of rainfall within the region defined by longitude 10 to 50 degrees and latitude 0 to -34 degrees.
• Investigating the relationship between infrared brightness temperature and rain rates using the probability matching method applied in MIRA.

Strengths

• Covers a continuous 9-year time series from 1993 to 2001, providing a multi-year climatological record.
• Utilizes a synergistic algorithm (MIRA) that combines the strengths of two satellite data types (microwave and infrared) to improve rainfall estimation.
• Offers high spatial resolution (0.1 degree) for the region, with each daily image containing a 341 x 401 pixel array.

Limitations

• Data format is flat binary (BSQ) without headers, requiring specialized knowledge for correct interpretation and processing.
• Conflicting metadata exists: one platform lists a last updated date of 2026-03-12, while another indicates the data period ended in 2001.
• Specific license terms are unclear, only listed as 'other-license-specified'.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing using the Microwave InfraRed Algorithm (MIRA), which fuses passive microwave data from DMSP F10/F14 SSM/I and infrared data from Meteosat 4-7.

Time Range

1993 to 2001.

Freshness

2026-03 12 22:17:45.614246

Geography

Southern Africa, covering longitudes 10 to 50 degrees and latitudes 0 to -34 degrees.