NIDIS National Integrated Drought Information System

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NIDIS National
Integrated Drought Information System
Brian Fuchs, Climatologist National Drought
Mitigation Center School of Natural
Resources University of Nebraska
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The Financial Impact of Drought

• FEMA has estimated that drought costs the United
  States 68 billion annually (FEMA, 1995).
  Warrick et al. (1975) noted that drought losses
  average 200 million to 1.24 billion annually in
  the Great Plains. This range is based on crop
  losses and other direct and indirect losses, as
  well as many self-admitted rough estimates and
  crude approximations.

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Drought differs from other natural hazards

• Slow-onset, creeping phenomena (early warning
  systems, impact assessment, response)
• Absence of universal definition (leads to
  confusion and inaction)
• Severity is best described through multiple
  indicators and indices (early warning systems)
• Impacts are non-structural and spread over large
  areas (makes assessment and response difficult
  mitigation actions less obvious)
• RESULT, progress on drought preparedness has been
  slow

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Characteristics of Crisis Management
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Since 1988, the U.S. Congress has appropriated
48 billion in drought relief. Has this
expenditure reduced or increased vulnerability to
drought?
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The Cycle of Disaster Management
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WGA (2004), NIDIS Bill (2006), USGEO
(2006)Preceded by Western States Water Policy
Commission (1998), NDMC, National Drought Bill
efforts (2000)
Federal, State, Local, Tribal, Regional/Watersheds
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NIDIS VISION and GOALS

• A dynamic and accessible drought information
  system that provides
• users with the ability to determine the
  potential impacts of drought and
• the associated risks they bring, and the
  decision support tools needed
• to better prepare for and mitigate the effects
  of drought.
• Implementation requires
• Coordinate a national drought monitoring and
  forecasting system
• Creating a drought early warning system
• Providing an interactive drought information
  delivery system for products and
  servicesincluding an internet portal and
  standardized products (databases, forecasts,
  Geographic Information Systems (GIS), maps, etc)
• Designing mechanisms for improved interaction
  with public (education materials, for a, etc)

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NIDIS Data information and assimilation and
model U.S. Drought Portal
The USDP will provide county, regional and
national drought-related products (analysis,
forecasts, and research) to a variety of users,
ranging from individuals whose livelihood is
impacted by drought to large corporations, water
managers and the research community through a
dynamic, Internet-based drought portal.
What is a Portal? Sites on the World Wide Web
that typically provide personalized capabilities
for their visitors.
U.S. Drought Portal
US GEO Context
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Portal Home
Key Clearinghouse Functions Credibility,
Legitimacy, Accessibility, Reliability
(timeliness etc.) to answer Where are drought
conditions now? Does this event look like other
events? How is the drought affecting me? Will the
drought continue? Where can I go for help?
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Drought Monitoring Page
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Drought Forecasting
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Drought Impact Reporter
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Drought Planning
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Drought Education
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Drought Research
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Making NIDIS Operational

• The NIDIS Project Office Structure,
  implementation teams and governance (incl.Exec.
  Council)
• National
• Engaging the preparedness communities
• Monitoring and forecasting gaps and capacity
• Education and Outreach
• Integrated research for generating drought risk
  scenarios
• The Drought Portal
• Climate Test-Bed
• Regional/State DEWS Pilots Goals, Design,
  Implementation, Evaluation, Transferability
• Partnerships Federal, State, Tribal, Local,
  Watersheds

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NIDIS Pilots (Project implementation Team)
Montana
Chesapeake Bay
Colorado River Basin
Missouri/Oklahoma
Mississippi
Timeline? Funding? Transferability?
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The U.S. Drought Monitor
Since 1999, NOAA (CPC and NCDC), USDA, and the
NDMC have produced a weekly composite drought map
-- the U.S. Drought Monitor -- with input from
numerous federal and non-federal partners
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To subscribe to the USDM Listserve Email
DroughtMonitor_at_unl.edu
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Moving toward state-level trend analysis
capabilities (left) and providing more
county-level drought assessment information
(right).
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ARCHIVE EXAMPLE???
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The goal of the atlas is to provide usable tools
and products for users at all levels by giving
them the ability to visualize and assess their
drought risk through a variety of web-based
options. The example above shows how producers
and other decision makers can assess drought at a
variety of time scales and at user-defined
spatial levels.
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Initial Data Criteria

• ACIS query
• Current station (open) (use of WSSRD)
• 80 of data valid for Period of Record
• At least 15 years of data present
• 4055 stations for the contiguous 48 states
• 3602 with greater than 30 years of data
• 2308 with greater than 60 years of data
• 1652 with greater than 80 years of data

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Thousand Oaks California 2007
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Future DroughtMonitoring ChallengesThe Big
Three

• Soil moisture (in situ especially)
• Hydrology (surface and groundwater)
• Ecological/Environmental (range/pasture)

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Future Drought Monitoring Challenges

• No County Left Behind (customer vs. comfort)
• Support, maintain and expand on the momentum of
  the current Resolution Revolution
• ACIS
• NOAA/COOP/Modernization/gridded suite
• Satellite vegetation/SM
• Radar hybrids
• USGS (more real-time groundwater)
• NRCS/ AgACIS (SCAN/SNOTEL)
• RCC/State Mesonets and others..

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Any Questions?
Any Questions ?
Thank you ! Brian Fuchs National Drought
Mitigation Center 402-472-6775 bfuchs2_at_unl.edu