CEMADEN datasets
Updated: 2025-02-15
Introduction: What is CEMADEN?
CEMADEN (National Center for Monitoring and Alerts of Natural Disasters) is an institution linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) that works in the monitoring of risks and the issuance of alerts of natural disasters in Brazil. Its main mission is to preserve lives and reduce socioeconomic damage by anticipating extreme events, such as landslides, floods, flash floods, and droughts.
CEMADEN collects environmental data from various sources and sensors spread throughout the national territory, through the Observational Network, which comprises meteorological, hydrological, rainfall, geotechnical stations, among others.
How to access the data: PED Platform
The observational data collected by CEMADEN are available to the public through the Data Delivery Platform (PED) [2]. In it, anyone can make data requests, respecting some rules:
Limit of requests:
External users: up to 12 requests per minute.
Institutional partners: up to 180 requests per minute.
Scheduled requests (histories) are available for download for 30 days .
Accounts that have been inactive for more than one year are automatically removed.
Note
It is mandatory to cite the source of the data when using them: DATA FROM THE CEMADEN/MCTIC OBSERVATIONAL NETWORK.
Data structure
The data made available in the PED [2] follow a clear organization, both in format and classification:
Each station file can contain data in two categories:
Daily (e.g., accumulated rainfall per day);
Non-daily (e.g. hourly, real-time data).
The stations also have different types:
“C” → Acqua
“U” → Agrometeorological
“G” → Geotechnical
“H” → Hydrological
“A” → Rainfall
“B” → Rainfall B
“T” → Test
Types of sensors
Each type of station monitored by CEMADEN presents data according to some sensors. These sensors monitor different environmental variables.
See the Sensor types table for the codes associated with the environmental variables monitored by each station type.
Code |
Description |
|---|---|
10 |
Rain |
20 |
Level |
60 |
Air temperature |
90 |
Relative humidity |
180 |
Wind speed |
190 |
Wind direction |
210 |
Solar radiation |
240 |
Precipitation Intensity |
260 |
Minimum Level |
270 |
Maximum Level |
280 |
Balance Radiation |
290 |
Soil Temperature Level 1 |
300 |
Soil Temperature Level 2 |
310 |
Soil Temperature Level 3 |
320 |
Soil Temperature Level 4 |
330 |
Soil Moisture Level 1 |
340 |
Soil Moisture Level 2 |
350 |
Soil Moisture Level 3 |
360 |
Soil Moisture Level 4 |
370 |
Maximum daily air temperature |
390 |
Maximum daily relative humidity |
400 |
Minimum daily relative humidity |
410 |
Maximum daily wind speed |
420 |
Wind direction at maximum daily speed |
430 |
Daily prevailing wind direction |
440 |
Soil Temperature Level 1 Maximum Daily |
450 |
Soil Temperature Level 1 Daily Minimum |
460 |
Soil Temperature Level 2 Maximum Daily |
470 |
Soil Temperature Level 2 Daily Minimum |
480 |
Soil Temperature Level 3 Maximum Daily |
490 |
Soil Temperature Level 3 Daily Minimum |
500 |
Soil Temperature Level 4 Maximum Daily |
510 |
Soil Temperature Level 4 Daily Minimum |
520 |
Soil Moisture Level 1 Maximum Daily |
530 |
Soil Moisture Level 1 Daily Minimum |
540 |
Soil Moisture Level 2 Maximum Daily |
550 |
Soil Moisture Level 2 Minimum Daily |
560 |
Soil Moisture Level 3 Maximum Daily |
570 |
Soil Moisture Level 3 Minimum Daily |
580 |
Soil Moisture Level 4 Maximum Daily |
590 |
Soil Moisture Level 4 Minimum Daily |
600 |
Daily Accumulated Precipitation |
610 |
Soil Moisture Level 5 |
620 |
Soil Moisture Level 6 |
630 |
Soil Moisture Level 5 Maximum Daily |
640 |
Soil Moisture Level 5 Minimum Daily |
650 |
Soil Moisture Level 6 Maximum Daily |
660 |
Soil Moisture Level 6 Minimum Daily |
Note
Important: Not all station types have data for the Daily or Non-Daily categories and neither do the same sensors. Each type can provide different data, depending on its specific sensors.
Processing Script
The data made available via PED are later processed into a structure that combines information from several stations, however, maintaining the separation by Type of station, Category (Daily / Non-daily), Type of sensor and Year, covering the period from 2013 to 2024. The period covered includes information from 2013 onwards, as this is the year of registration of the first station registered in the CEMADEN system.
After processing, the data files are segmented according to the structure defined above, being organized into directories according to the subdivisions by type, category, sensor and year.
For rainfall stations, hourly data are accumulated to form daily series, which allows the analysis of the volume of accumulated daily rainfall, calculation of indicators such as SPI and SPEI and comparison with other precipitation data, such as those made available by the National Water Agency (ANA).
List of stations
CEMADEN provides the list of stations registered via PED through a Web request service, returning data that can be structured in table format. These data correspond to the records of stations registered in the CEMADEN system, and which have descriptive and geolocation information.
When carrying out the analysis, all stations registered until 12/31/2023 were considered, so that, in 2024, there may be stations with at least 1 year of registered data. Among the 3873 stations registered by the deadline.
The list of stations made available by CEMADEN has a structure similar to the one shown below:
cidade |
codestacao |
codibge |
data_instalacao |
id_estacao |
latitude |
longitude |
nome |
rede_sigla |
tipoestacao_descricao |
uf |
|
0 |
BRASÍLIA |
530010805A |
5300108 |
2015-02-09 19:09:43.717 |
7878 |
-15.876800 |
-47.962700 |
Nucleo Bandeirante |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
DF |
1 |
BRASÍLIA |
530010804A |
5300108 |
2015-02-09 17:23:13.357 |
7877 |
-15.623700 |
-47.846900 |
Sobradinho |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
DF |
2 |
BRASÍLIA |
530010803A |
5300108 |
2015-02-09 17:15:08.558 |
7876 |
-15.781966 |
-47.998073 |
Cidade Estrutural |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
DF |
3 |
BRASÍLIA |
530010802A |
5300108 |
2015-02-09 17:05:58.246 |
7875 |
-15.818400 |
-48.153300 |
Ceilandia |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
DF |
4 |
BRASÍLIA |
530010801A |
5300108 |
2014-12-29 17:39:06.077 |
7635 |
-15.827000 |
-48.023000 |
Águas Claras |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
DF |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
3868 |
JORDÃO |
120032801A |
1200328 |
2018-08-14 21:36:09.819 |
9674 |
-9.190133 |
-71.950808 |
Centro |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
AC |
3869 |
BRASILÉIA |
120010401A |
1200104 |
2018-08-14 20:39:49.214 |
9673 |
-11.012469 |
-68.740939 |
Centro |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
AC |
3870 |
PORTO VELHO |
110020502A |
1100205 |
2013-12-13 14:23:10.344 |
3014 |
-8.762160 |
-63.907421 |
Porto Velho |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
RO |
3871 |
PORTO VELHO |
110020501A |
1100205 |
2013-12-12 18:04:09.767 |
3151 |
-8.742165 |
-63.904242 |
AC São Sebastião |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
RO |
3872 |
PIMENTA BUENO |
110018901A |
1100189 |
2018-08-18 15:58:30.208 |
9740 |
-11.683234 |
-61.182871 |
Apidia |
CEMADEN |
Pluviométrica |
RO |
The dictionary with all the variables available on CEMADEN’s station registration form is available in Station registration variables below:
Variable |
Description |
Type |
|---|---|---|
altitude |
Station altitude in meters |
float64 |
cidade |
Name of the city where the station is located |
object |
codestacao |
Station code according to CEMADEN |
object |
codibge |
IBGE code of the municipality (7 digits) |
int64 |
cota_alerta |
River level alert quota (confirm) |
float64 |
cota_atencao |
River level attention quota (confirm) |
float64 |
cota_transbordamento |
River overflow quota (confirm) |
float64 |
data_instalacao |
Station installation date and time |
object |
dh_cadastro |
Date and time of registration of the station |
object |
dh_inicio_inativo |
Date and time of the start of the inactive status |
object |
dh_ultima_remessa |
Date and time of last data shipment |
object |
id_estacao |
Unique station identifier |
int64 |
id_rede |
Observational network identifier |
int64 |
id_tipoestacao |
Station type identifier |
int64 |
latitude |
Latitude of the station in decimal degrees |
float64 |
longitude |
Longitude of the station in decimal degrees |
float64 |
nome |
Station name |
object |
offset |
Distance (in meters) between the river bottom and the sensor |
float64 |
rede_sigla |
Station network acronym (e.g. CEMADEN) |
object |
tipoestacao_descricao |
Description of the type of station (e.g. Rainfall) |
object |
uf |
Federative Unit (UF) of the station |
object |
The data regarding the list of stations were obtained through the python code developed to make requests to the CEMADEN system via PED. However, to make these requests, it is necessary to register with the PED, with login and password, so that a temporary access token is generated, necessary to make data requests.
Note
You can download the complete list of registered stations here: CEMADEN registered stations
Geographical coverage by type of stations
The stations of the CEMADEN Observational Network are distributed in the Brazilian national territory, with their highest concentration near the coast (east). Each station is categorized according to different types.
The Table of station frequencies by type presents the frequencies and percentages of CEMADEN stations registered as of 12/31/2025, according to their respective types.
Station Type |
Frequency |
Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
Rainfall |
3100 |
80.04 |
Acqua |
447 |
11.54 |
Hydrologic |
148 |
3.82 |
Geotechnical |
96 |
2.48 |
Agrometeorological |
82 |
2.12 |
The table with station frequencies by region presents the frequencies and percentages of CEMADEN stations registered as of 12/31/2025, according to the Brazilian regions.
Region |
Frequency |
Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
Southeast |
1694 |
43.7 |
Northeast |
1252 |
32.3 |
South |
647 |
16.7 |
North |
175 |
4.5 |
Midwest |
105 |
2.7 |
Among the Brazilian regions, the distribution of CEMADEN stations is as follows: Southeast Region with 1,694 stations (43.7%), Northeast Region with 1,252 (32.3%), South Region with 647 (16.7%), North Region with 175 (4.5%), and Midwest Region with 105 (2.7%).
The table with station frequencies by state presents the frequencies and percentages of CEMADEN stations registered as of 12/31/2025, according to the Brazilian states.
Federative Unit |
Number of Stations |
Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
São Paulo |
707 |
18.25 |
Minas Gerais |
436 |
11.26 |
Rio de Janeiro |
371 |
9.58 |
Pernambuco |
371 |
9.58 |
Santa Catarina |
364 |
9.40 |
Bahia |
303 |
7.82 |
Ceará |
188 |
4.85 |
Espírito Santo |
180 |
4.65 |
Rio Grande do Sul |
170 |
4.39 |
Paraná |
113 |
2.92 |
Maranhão |
99 |
2.56 |
Piauí |
76 |
1.96 |
Amazon |
72 |
1.86 |
Paraíba |
72 |
1.86 |
Rio Grande do Norte |
67 |
1.73 |
Pará |
65 |
1.68 |
Alagoas |
59 |
1.52 |
Goiás |
52 |
1.34 |
Mato Grosso |
25 |
0.65 |
Mato Grosso do Sul |
23 |
0.59 |
Tocantins |
17 |
0.44 |
Sergipe |
17 |
0.44 |
Acre |
6 |
0.15 |
Amapá |
6 |
0.15 |
Roraima |
6 |
0.15 |
Federal District |
5 |
0.13 |
Rondônia |
3 |
0.08 |
The ten states with the highest number of registered stations are: São Paulo with 707 stations (18.25%), Minas Gerais with 436 (11.26%), Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco both with 371 (9.58%), Santa Catarina with 364 (9.40%), Bahia with 303 (7.82%), Ceará with 188 (4.85%), Espírito Santo with 180 (4.65%), Rio Grande do Sul with 170 (4.39%), and Paraná with 113 (2.92%).
The table with Frequencies and percentages of CEMADEN station types by Brazilian region presents the frequencies and percentages (per row) of CEMADEN station types distributed across the Brazilian regions.
Region |
Acqua |
Agrometeorological |
Geotechnical |
Hydrologic |
Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southeast Region |
31 (1.83%) |
4 (0.24%) |
57 (3.36%) |
80 (4.72%) |
1522 (89.85%) |
Northeast Region |
416 (33.23%) |
78 (6.23%) |
28 (2.24%) |
29 (2.32%) |
701 (55.99%) |
South Region |
0 (0.0%) |
0 (0.0%) |
11 (1.7%) |
30 (4.64%) |
606 (93.66%) |
North Region |
0 (0.0%) |
0 (0.0%) |
0 (0.0%) |
5 (2.86%) |
170 (97.14%) |
Midwest Region |
0 (0.0%) |
0 (0.0%) |
0 (0.0%) |
4 (3.81%) |
101 (96.19%) |
The table shows the frequency and percentage (by row) of each CEMADEN station type across the five Brazilian regions.
Figure Spatial distribution of the 3.873 CEMADEN stations as of 12/31/2023. shows the spatial distribution of the 3.873 stations registered in CEMADEN as of 12/31/2023.
Spatial distribution of the 3.873 CEMADEN stations as of 12/31/2023.
The stations of the type ‘Pluviometric B’ are categorized as pluviometric in the cadastral list, while the ‘Test’ stations do not have a record in the registration form although they have data made available via PED.
Data availability
The data were downloaded through a request registered with the PED. After evaluation and approval steps, a link is generated containing files in csv format, one per station. However, the number of files made available differs from the number of stations registered in the CEADEN system and therefore an evaluation was carried out seeking to understand how many registered stations have data made available via PED and how many registered stations have data available for download, considering the date of 03/25/2025, when the station data were downloaded after approval of the request.
In all, of the 4027 stations with available data, 3867 have registration in the list of stations, while 160 stations have data, but are not included in the registration list.
Conclusion
CEMADEN is an essential pillar in the policy of prevention of natural disasters in Brazil. Through its robust data collection infrastructure and the PED platform, researchers, public managers, and society have access to valuable information to mitigate risks and plan response actions.
References
Contributors
|
|
|