60-min to 1-min rainfall rate conversion using east Malaysia data

Wireless communication systems operating at above 10 GHz are exposed to rain attenuation. Therefore, countries with high precipitation rate such as Malaysia, require careful planning before establishing a reliable wireless link. Signal attenuation due to rain can be measured or estimated, but it requires the knowledge of local 1-minute rainfall rate statistic. But for most part of the world, the rainfall data usually comes with higher integration time, such as 60-minute. As a result, the method to convert rainfall rate with higher integration time to 1-minute rainfall rate distribution is essential. In this study, hydrological data from five areas in East Malaysia is translated to 1-min and 60-min rainfall rate distribution. Then, five conversion models were used to convert 60-min rainfall rate to 1-min rainfall rate. From observation and conversion error analysis, this study found that Segal method performed the best when it is compared to other four conversion methods.