TerraDrought

TerraDrought offers a global drought monitoring platform, providing near-real-time insights into drought conditions worldwide. It integrates forecasts, observations, and impact reports to help users anticipate risks and respond effectively to developing situations. The platform features interactive maps and historical data, allowing for comprehensive analysis of drought patterns and trends across different regions and timeframes.

Key functionalities include Drought Intensity mapping, which compares current water availability for plants against historical averages (1961-2010) to classify drought severity and return probabilities. This feature provides a crucial understanding of the hydrological stress on vegetation. Users can access 3-year histories and country-level averages for this data, offering valuable context for long-term planning and short-term response. Additionally, Drought Impacts are tracked by sourcing information from news, blog posts, and other public text content, showing the number of impact reports and categories over recent weeks, providing a socio-economic dimension to the drought assessment.

The platform highlights affected continents and provides forecasts, along with global impact categories and lists of most reported countries. This aggregated information assists in understanding the broad reach and specific consequences of drought events, supporting informed decision-making for various stakeholders in agriculture, water management, and disaster relief. The data is presented with both historical context and short-term predictions, making it a valuable resource for proactive management.