Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia

Mesay Tolossa Wakete; Tsige Berhanu Fana

doi:doi:10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15

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Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia

Mesay Tolossa Wakete^*

, Tsige Berhanu Fana

Published in Science Futures (Volume 2, Issue 1)

Received: 12 November 2025 Accepted: 21 November 2025 Published: 26 December 2025

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Abstract

Rainfall data is vital for agricultural planning, water resource management, and climate research in areas like Oromia, Ethiopia, where agriculture supports a large part of the population. However, ground-based observations are often limited and inconsistent. This study assesses how well satellite-derived rainfall estimates match ground observations in Oromia. In the analysis of the ENACT, CHIRPS, and TAMSAT satellite products against ground-based rainfall data, all three exhibited a consistent value sequence but did not accurately reflect the observed declining rainfall trend from 1470 mm to 30 mm. While they showed correlation in pattern, each product indicated an increasing trend that contradicted ground measurements, suggesting issues in remote precipitation sensing due to varied algorithms and data sources. CHIRPS demonstrated a perfect Probability of Detection (POD) and the correlation value (CORR, 0.717), making it preferable despite a higher Mean Absolute Error (MAE, 55.678) compared to ENACT (48.195), which had a smaller Root Mean Square Error (RMSE, 88.753). ENACT (CORR, 0.736) displayed the strongest correlation with ground truth observations in Oromia, proving its reliability for temporal and geographical rainfall patterns, highlighting the need for ongoing validation against ground truth for improved precipitation estimates crucial for hydrological and agricultural purposes. These results imply that satellite products can be reliable alternatives in areas like Oromia, where data is limited, although regional differences in topography and rainfall patterns affect accuracy.

Published in	Science Futures (Volume 2, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15
Page(s)	59-66
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Satellite, Rainfall, Performance, JJAS, Oromia

References

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[5]	T. Regasa, “DETERMINANTS OF SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION PARTICIPATION AND ITS IMPACT ON HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY: THE CASE OF GOBA DISTRICT, BALE ZONE, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA,” 2023.
[6]	H. Messer and O. Sendik, “A new approach to precipitation monitoring: A critical survey of existing technologies and challenges,” IEEE Signal Process. Mag., vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 110-122, 2015, https://doi.org/10.1109/MSP.2014.2309705
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[10]	Z. Shen et al., “Recent global performance of the Climate Hazards group Infrared Precipitation (CHIRP) with Stations (CHIRPS),” J. Hydrol., vol. 591, p. 125284, 2020.
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[14]	G. Balsamo et al., “Satellite and in situ observations for advancing global Earth surface modelling: A review,” Remote Sens., vol. 10, no. 12, p. 2038, 2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-11-201-2020
[15]	M. van Ginkel and C. Biradar, “Drought early warning in agri-food systems,” Climate, vol. 9, no. 9, p. 134, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9090134
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Wakete, M. T., Fana, T. B. (2025). Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Science Futures, 2(1), 59-66. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15

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ACS Style

Wakete, M. T.; Fana, T. B. Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Sci. Futures 2025, 2(1), 59-66. doi: 10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15

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AMA Style

Wakete MT, Fana TB. Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Sci Futures. 2025;2(1):59-66. doi: 10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15

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@article{10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15,
  author = {Mesay Tolossa Wakete and Tsige Berhanu Fana},
  title = {Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia},
  journal = {Science Futures},
  volume = {2},
  number = {1},
  pages = {59-66},
  doi = {10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.scif.20260201.15},
  abstract = {Rainfall data is vital for agricultural planning, water resource management, and climate research in areas like Oromia, Ethiopia, where agriculture supports a large part of the population. However, ground-based observations are often limited and inconsistent. This study assesses how well satellite-derived rainfall estimates match ground observations in Oromia. In the analysis of the ENACT, CHIRPS, and TAMSAT satellite products against ground-based rainfall data, all three exhibited a consistent value sequence but did not accurately reflect the observed declining rainfall trend from 1470 mm to 30 mm. While they showed correlation in pattern, each product indicated an increasing trend that contradicted ground measurements, suggesting issues in remote precipitation sensing due to varied algorithms and data sources. CHIRPS demonstrated a perfect Probability of Detection (POD) and the correlation value (CORR, 0.717), making it preferable despite a higher Mean Absolute Error (MAE, 55.678) compared to ENACT (48.195), which had a smaller Root Mean Square Error (RMSE, 88.753). ENACT (CORR, 0.736) displayed the strongest correlation with ground truth observations in Oromia, proving its reliability for temporal and geographical rainfall patterns, highlighting the need for ongoing validation against ground truth for improved precipitation estimates crucial for hydrological and agricultural purposes. These results imply that satellite products can be reliable alternatives in areas like Oromia, where data is limited, although regional differences in topography and rainfall patterns affect accuracy.},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia
AU  - Mesay Tolossa Wakete
AU  - Tsige Berhanu Fana
Y1  - 2025/12/26
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15
T2  - Science Futures
JF  - Science Futures
JO  - Science Futures
SP  - 59
EP  - 66
PB  - Science Publishing Group
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15
AB  - Rainfall data is vital for agricultural planning, water resource management, and climate research in areas like Oromia, Ethiopia, where agriculture supports a large part of the population. However, ground-based observations are often limited and inconsistent. This study assesses how well satellite-derived rainfall estimates match ground observations in Oromia. In the analysis of the ENACT, CHIRPS, and TAMSAT satellite products against ground-based rainfall data, all three exhibited a consistent value sequence but did not accurately reflect the observed declining rainfall trend from 1470 mm to 30 mm. While they showed correlation in pattern, each product indicated an increasing trend that contradicted ground measurements, suggesting issues in remote precipitation sensing due to varied algorithms and data sources. CHIRPS demonstrated a perfect Probability of Detection (POD) and the correlation value (CORR, 0.717), making it preferable despite a higher Mean Absolute Error (MAE, 55.678) compared to ENACT (48.195), which had a smaller Root Mean Square Error (RMSE, 88.753). ENACT (CORR, 0.736) displayed the strongest correlation with ground truth observations in Oromia, proving its reliability for temporal and geographical rainfall patterns, highlighting the need for ongoing validation against ground truth for improved precipitation estimates crucial for hydrological and agricultural purposes. These results imply that satellite products can be reliable alternatives in areas like Oromia, where data is limited, although regional differences in topography and rainfall patterns affect accuracy.
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Mesay Tolossa Wakete

Ethiopia Meteorological Institute (EMI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0009-5005-7930
Tsige Berhanu Fana

Ethiopia Meteorological Institute (EMI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0008-4496-422X

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APA Style

Wakete, M. T., Fana, T. B. (2025). Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Science Futures, 2(1), 59-66. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15

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ACS Style

Wakete, M. T.; Fana, T. B. Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Sci. Futures 2025, 2(1), 59-66. doi: 10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15

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AMA Style

Wakete MT, Fana TB. Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Sci Futures. 2025;2(1):59-66. doi: 10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15,
  author = {Mesay Tolossa Wakete and Tsige Berhanu Fana},
  title = {Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia},
  journal = {Science Futures},
  volume = {2},
  number = {1},
  pages = {59-66},
  doi = {10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.scif.20260201.15},
  abstract = {Rainfall data is vital for agricultural planning, water resource management, and climate research in areas like Oromia, Ethiopia, where agriculture supports a large part of the population. However, ground-based observations are often limited and inconsistent. This study assesses how well satellite-derived rainfall estimates match ground observations in Oromia. In the analysis of the ENACT, CHIRPS, and TAMSAT satellite products against ground-based rainfall data, all three exhibited a consistent value sequence but did not accurately reflect the observed declining rainfall trend from 1470 mm to 30 mm. While they showed correlation in pattern, each product indicated an increasing trend that contradicted ground measurements, suggesting issues in remote precipitation sensing due to varied algorithms and data sources. CHIRPS demonstrated a perfect Probability of Detection (POD) and the correlation value (CORR, 0.717), making it preferable despite a higher Mean Absolute Error (MAE, 55.678) compared to ENACT (48.195), which had a smaller Root Mean Square Error (RMSE, 88.753). ENACT (CORR, 0.736) displayed the strongest correlation with ground truth observations in Oromia, proving its reliability for temporal and geographical rainfall patterns, highlighting the need for ongoing validation against ground truth for improved precipitation estimates crucial for hydrological and agricultural purposes. These results imply that satellite products can be reliable alternatives in areas like Oromia, where data is limited, although regional differences in topography and rainfall patterns affect accuracy.},
 year = {2025}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Performance Assessment of Satellite-based Rainfall Product over the Oromia Region of Ethiopia
AU  - Mesay Tolossa Wakete
AU  - Tsige Berhanu Fana
Y1  - 2025/12/26
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15
T2  - Science Futures
JF  - Science Futures
JO  - Science Futures
SP  - 59
EP  - 66
PB  - Science Publishing Group
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260201.15
AB  - Rainfall data is vital for agricultural planning, water resource management, and climate research in areas like Oromia, Ethiopia, where agriculture supports a large part of the population. However, ground-based observations are often limited and inconsistent. This study assesses how well satellite-derived rainfall estimates match ground observations in Oromia. In the analysis of the ENACT, CHIRPS, and TAMSAT satellite products against ground-based rainfall data, all three exhibited a consistent value sequence but did not accurately reflect the observed declining rainfall trend from 1470 mm to 30 mm. While they showed correlation in pattern, each product indicated an increasing trend that contradicted ground measurements, suggesting issues in remote precipitation sensing due to varied algorithms and data sources. CHIRPS demonstrated a perfect Probability of Detection (POD) and the correlation value (CORR, 0.717), making it preferable despite a higher Mean Absolute Error (MAE, 55.678) compared to ENACT (48.195), which had a smaller Root Mean Square Error (RMSE, 88.753). ENACT (CORR, 0.736) displayed the strongest correlation with ground truth observations in Oromia, proving its reliability for temporal and geographical rainfall patterns, highlighting the need for ongoing validation against ground truth for improved precipitation estimates crucial for hydrological and agricultural purposes. These results imply that satellite products can be reliable alternatives in areas like Oromia, where data is limited, although regional differences in topography and rainfall patterns affect accuracy.
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
ER  -

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