Effect of satellite based rainfall products on river basin responses of runoff simulation on flood event

Physically-based distributed hydrological modelling, Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation (RRI) model is used to evaluate runoff accuracy by using six satellite based rainfall products such as GPM, GSMaP, TRMM 3B42V7, CMORPH, and PERSIANN. These products input to drive the model on the Nan River basin, Thailand that is the watershed of 13,000 km2. The performance of the precipitation products, rainfall depth and runoff, was evaluated from storm event on 2014 by using statistical approach, Volume bias, Peak bias, RMSE, Correlation, and Mean bias, to compare with observation data. Overall of the satellite based products, the CMORPH and GPM performed the best that was provided by the statistical values, comparing with average observed rainfall data. For the runoff estimated from GPM closed to the observed data and was better than other five products, satellite and rain gauge, to provide the high correlation and small RMSE value. This study presents the uncertainty of satellites that have a potential for runoff estimation to apply for water resources management. © 2016, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.