Recent advances in drought monitoring

The partnership of the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) and National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) for monitoring droughts is discussed. The NDMC is also involved in projects for improving the spatial and temporal capabilities in monitoring drought. A collaborative team of scientists are developing a prototype monitoring system that integrates information from climate and satellite databases using data mining techniques. To improve the drought monitoring and prediction capability some concerns are to be addressed including, better impact assessment tools, enhancement of the soil moisture networks, and better utilization of remote sensing potential.