Surface Water Data Collection and Processing

This chapter provides insight into collecting and properly processing hydrometeorological data and putting the raw data into a usable form. Rainfall is the major input of water to the earth’s hydrological cycle, and its measurement and analysis are critical for water resources investigation. The chapter considers various methods for measuring rainfall and common analyses for deriving useful information from the collected rainfall data. It also focuses on field measurements of rainfall and covers the use of remote sensing for rainfall measurement. To measure rainfall, the following instruments are used: standard rain gauge, syphon rain gauge, and tipping bucket rain gauge. Most analyses carried out on rainfall data are shared with streamflow analyses. The chapter further focuses on some analyses methods that are specific to streamflow.