Visualization of Rainfall Using Participatory Mobile Sensing for Crop Cultivation Support

In drylands, farmers practicing rain-dependent agriculture sow their seeds in accordance with the onset of the rainy season. Thus, the onset of the rainy season is extremely important, but inexperienced farmers cannot determine when it begins. To support farmers in determining the optimal sowing date, we propose a method that combines GSMaP estimates with actual measurements from a mobile application to present rainfall data and evaluate its usefulness. In the proposed method, GSMaP is used to visualize estimated rainfall data, but satellite-based estimates can differ from ground-based actual measurements. If farmers own smartphones, they can use a mobile application to record actual rainfall measurements. This allows farmers to selectively incorporate both estimated and actual rainfall data into their cultivation plans.