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Cited by 68Precipitation Measurement and AnalysisHydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Monitoring and Data Management

Quality control of a global hourly rainfall dataset

Open access
Lewis, Elizabeth, Pritchard, David, Villalobos-Herrera, Roberto, Blenkinsop, Stephen, McClean, Fergus, Guerreiro, Selma, Schneider, Udo, Becker, Andreas +4 more·2021·Environmental Modelling & Software
DOI 10.1016/j.envsoft.2021.105169
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Abstract

Sub-daily rainfall observations are vital to help us understand, model and adapt to changing climate extremes. However, gauge records often have quality issues, for example due to equipment malfunctions and recording errors. This paper presents a new, open-source quality control algorithm (GSDR-QC) to identify these issues in hourly rainfall data, along with an application of the algorithm to the Global Sub-Daily Rainfall (GSDR) observational dataset. The algorithm is based on 25 quality checks, which are combined into a simple rule base to remove suspicious data. The quality checks and rule base are adaptable to help incorporate local or regional information. Comparison with manually quality-controlled gauge data shows that the procedure results in an overall improvement to the quality of the GSDR dataset. A UK case study further demonstrates the performance of the GSDR-QC procedure, while showing how region-specific data and understanding can be incorporated into the quality control process.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.envsoft.2021.105169

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  • The discrepancy between low PRE_1m_Max and high hourly precipitation is likely caused by data encoding or transmission errors.

    “This discrepancy is likely caused by data encoding or transmission errors [25,29];”

    From A Machine Learning-Based Quality Control Algorithm for Heavy Rainfall Using Multi-Source Data (2025) · cites this paper as [25]

  • Anomalously high minute-level precipitation values were likely induced by instrumental malfunctions, such as persistent false triggering of a reed switch in a tipping-bucket rain gauge due to metal fatigue or foreign object adhesion.

    “These anomalously high minute values were likely to be induced by instrumental malfunctions [14,21,25,29], such as the persistent false triggering of a reed switch in a tipping-bucket rain gauge due to metal fatigue or foreign object adhesion, leading to an abnormally high count within a single minute.”

    From A Machine Learning-Based Quality Control Algorithm for Heavy Rainfall Using Multi-Source Data (2025) · cites this paper as [25]

  • The occurrence of negative values in minute precipitation exposes errors in data encoding or transmission, such as improper sign bit handling or data type conversion errors.

    “Therefore, the occurrence of negative values exposes errors in the data encoding or transmission, such as improper sign bit handling or data type conversion errors [25,29].”

    From A Machine Learning-Based Quality Control Algorithm for Heavy Rainfall Using Multi-Source Data (2025) · cites this paper as [25]

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Authors
Lewis, E., Pritchard, D., Villalobos-Herrera, R., Blenkinsop, S., McClean, F., Guerreiro, S., Schneider, U., Becker, A., Finger, P., Meyer-Christoffer, A., Rustemeier, E., & Fowler, H. J.
Affiliations
  • Newcastle University (GB)
  • Deutscher Wetterdienst (DE)
Corresponding author
Lewis, Elizabeth
ORCID
Venue
Environmental Modelling & Software
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-10
Volume
144
Pages
105169
ISSN
1364-8152 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.envsoft.2021.105169
OpenAlex
W3196036586
Cited by
67
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 3
FWCI
3.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Environmental Modelling & Software (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity) (cc-by)
Funders
  • Royal Society (WM140025)
  • Wolfson Foundation (WM140025)
  • Natural Environment Research Council (NE/R01079X/1, NE/V00378X/1)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Precipitation Measurement and Analysis
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geology › Environmental Monitoring and Data Management
Keywords
hourly rainfall, equipment failure, climate extremes, open source software

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