One-Minute Rain-Rate Contour Maps for Microwave-Communication-System Planning in a Tropical Country: Nigeria

Rain attenuation is the dominant propagation impairment for high-frequency microwave systems. System design therefore requires the knowledge of the one-minute integrated rain-rate cumulative distribution function over the coverage area in order to determine the appropriate transmitter and receiver characteristics. This paper presents a set of rain-rate contour maps, useful for link and network power sizing in Nigeria. They were developed using a combination of first-order rain-rate statistical methods: the Moupfouma-Martin model for rain-rate prediction in tropical regions, and the Rice-Holmberg model.