Case Study on Precise Rainfall Observation Technology Based on FMCW Radar for Urban Rainfall Analysis

In this paper, we proposed a methodology for real-time rainfall observation and interpretation in com plex urban areas using an ultra-small FMCW radar to minimize urban flood damage caused by extreme rainfall and to better interpret urban rainfall characteristics. We analyzed and verified the performance of the proposed method by comparing it with ground-based rain gauge and weather radar data for actua l rainfall cases observed by the proposed method. Results of our case study showed that the proposed method had the respective advantages of weather radar and ground-based rain gauge and could be high ly utilized in urban areas. By utilizing the proposed technology, it is expected that easy installation and operation in complex urban areas will be possible by minimizing spatial and physical constraints, and continuous, immediate, and accurate rainfall observation will be possible accordingly.