# Precipitation Products' Inter-Comparison over East and Southern Africa 1983-2017
## 6 Conclusions  
Analogies and differences among TAMSAT3, CHIRPS and MSWEP data sets were evaluated in EA and SA during the period 1983-2017 in terms of precipitation detection and estimation at the daily scale, as well as precipitation monthly climatology and seasonality. Unlike the numerous validation studies available in the literature, in this work we opted for direct pairwise comparisons between the three satellite products, without a rain gauge-based product as reference. The reasons that led to this choice are based on the scarce and uneven spatial coverage of gauge networks in the analyzed regions, in particular East Africa, and the difficulty of obtaining reliable rain gauge data independent from those already used in the generation of the satellite products themselves. The analysis consisted of several stages. First, applying the k-means clustering method, the study regions were divided into homogeneous sub-areas with respect to the precipitation annual cycle, in order to evaluate the spatial variability of precipitation seasonality and the differences in monthly climatology among the products. Secondly, the spatial distributions of dichotomous parameters (i.e., HK, POD, FAR and BIAS) and their temporal evolution were investigated to evaluate the rain/no rain discrimination capacity of the three satellite products. Finally, the quantitative precipitation estimates were intercompared at the daily scale by means of CC, ME and MAE indices, again with the twofold purpose of evaluating their spatial patterns and temporal variability. The results discussed in the previous section offer a broad picture of the mutual behavior of the three precipitation products in EA and SA. A completing element of this analysis will be the evaluation of the precipitation extremes as perceived by satellite-based products in terms of annual maxima, or high return level events analyzed according to the method exposed in [55; 56; 57; 58]. This kind of research will support the projections of extremes in the vulnerable continent of Africa, providing insights relevant for risk management. Water resources are a key factor for the development of the African continent and its sociopolitical and economic stability. Their inadequate management and limited access make the survival of local populations closely dependent on precipitation, and its spatial and temporal variations can result in devastating impacts on the territory. Paying attention to these changes and monitoring extreme event trends through high quality satellite-based precipitation products is thus a primary element allowing for resilient development capable of adapting to the evolving environment. The following are available online at [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs13214419/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs13214419/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs13214419/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs13214419/s1)), Figure S1: SA precipitation annual cycles from different zones composing cluster 5: eastern coast of Madagascar (**a**), coastal Mozambique (**b**), and central RSA (**c**). Conceptualization, E.C. and V.L. ; methodology, E.C., A.M. and V.L. ; software, E.C. and A.M.; formal analysis, O.F. and E.C. ; investigation, O.F. and E.C. ; data curation, E.C. and O.F; writing--original draft preparation, E.C. ; writing--review and editing, all; visualization, O.F., A.M. and E.C. ; supervision, E.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This research received no external funding. The following are available online at [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs13214419/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs13214419/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs13214419/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs13214419/s1)), Figure S1: SA precipitation annual cycles from different zones composing cluster 5: eastern coast of Madagascar (**a**), coastal Mozambique (**b**), and central RSA (**c**). Conceptualization, E.C. and V.L. ; methodology, E.C., A.M. and V.L. ; software, E.C.