A review of technical and social methods for observing and monitoring extreme rainfall events

Abstract

Recent extreme weather events driven by climatic variation and change have severely impacted infrastructure, human life, and ecosystems globally, increasing the urgency for Early Warning Systems (EWS) and hybrid methods to observe extreme rainfall events. This article reviews existing studies on technical and social methods for monitoring extreme rainfall to explore the integration of these approaches in rainfall observation. Given the limitations of technical and social methods when used in isolation, it has become evident that hybrid approaches that integrate social and technical methods could enhance preparedness for catastrophic rainfall events. Therefore, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method was employed to identify and analyse studies on rainfall observation. A total of 3786 articles were identified from different databases, and after applying various filters, 144 studies were selected and analysed to improve our understanding of rainfall monitoring approaches. The key findings of this review indicate four main trends: (1) technical methods dominate over social methods because of their perceived reliability and precision; (2) in the Global North, only technical methods are used, with no recorded studies incorporating social approaches; (3) social methods, along with integrated approaches, are more prevalent in the Global South; and (4) integrated methods remain limited despite their potential to enhance rainfall monitoring. This review provides insights into the benefits of combining technical and social methods, highlighting their complementary strengths. By bridging the gap between high-tech solutions and community-based monitoring, integrating these approaches could improve EWS and strengthen climate resilience.
Contribution: This review addresses the gap in integrating technical and social methods for rainfall monitoring, emphasising their complementary strengths. It highlights the limited use of integrated approaches, particularly in the Global North, despite their potential to enhance EWS. This research advocates for inclusive and effective climate risk management by bridging high-tech solutions with community-based monitoring.