Martinique ORSTOM-DIREN Rainfall Dataset

Description: The Martinique ORSTOM-DIREN Rainfall Dataset is a compiled record of historical rainfall data in Martinique (French West Indies). Spanning from 1956 to 2004, this dataset encapsulates 237,000+ daily rainfall measurements from 27 stations managed by the ORSTOM (now IRD, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, France) and the DIREN (Direction Régionale de l'Environnement, now DEAL), Martinique. It was rescued from the depths of the internet, specifically from the now-defunct DIREN Martinique website, using a snapshot from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine dated December 3rd, 2008. Given its original public service provision, we believe in the importance of preserving and sharing this data freely under an open license.
Data Sources: The dataset is derived solely from the DIREN Martinique website as archived by the Internet Archive on December 3rd, 2008. This source provides an invaluable historical record of Martinique's climate data.
Dataset Preparation Methods: The original Excel files were retrieved and extensively reformatted. Days with imputed values were omitted to ensure the dataset reflects observed values only. This curation process was aimed at maintaining the integrity and reliability of the data for accurate climatological analysis.
Discussion: The Martinique ORSTOM-DIREN dataset is a crucial resource for understanding historical rainfall patterns in Martinique. However, users should note that all imputed values have been removed for data purity, which may result in some gaps in the record. Despite this, the dataset remains a rich source of historical climatological data.
Description of files:

ORSTOM_DIREN_rainfall.csv: primary dataset file ; it includes comprehensive rainfall data with fields such as station code, station name, year, date, and recorded rainfall in mm.
ORSTOM_DIREN_stations.csv: detailed descriptions of the rainfall stations ; includes station codes, names, coordinates reprojected in WGS84, and altitude.
salvaged_data.zip: This archive contains all the original data files as they were salvaged. It includes a link to the Wayback Machine snapshot used for data retrieval and a screenshot of the snapshot at the time of data retrieval. Additionally, the archive contains original geopackages in ESRI and MAPINFO formats, providing valuable geographic information system (GIS) data.
Access to Dataset: True to the dataset's heritage of open access, the Martinique ORSTOM-DIREN dataset is freely available to all. This open license allows researchers, meteorologists, and interested individuals to explore and utilize this data for various climatological and environmental studies, enriching our understanding of Martinique's environmental history.
Authors Contributions:

Original data collection: ORSTOM (now IRD, Institut de recherche pour le développement) and DIREN (Direction Régionale de l'Environnement), Martinique.
Data curation: Jérémy Lavarenne
Funding: This project was undertaken without specific funding.
Changelog:

v1.0.0: Initial compilation of the dataset.