BOARD00047 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 9/20/2006
• Description: IWM & D Section - Western Governors Association - The National Integrated Drought Information System - Creating a Drought Early Warning System for the 21st Century
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Significant research efforts should focus on the development of improved
drought monitoring and forecasting at the regional and local levels where decisions
are made. Research to better understand drought decision processes and the oppor- .
tunities for the use of drought information in new applications also should be
undertaken. Every improvement in the ability to predict drought frequency. duration
and severity will result in increased elTecliveness in planning and preparation to
minimize its impacts, including planning for new or expanded water storage facili.
ties. The drought indices and program triggers should be subject to refinement and
revision in response to the needs of decision-makers and to advances in scientific
understanding.
Drought tools and producls must always be presented in a way thai highlights
the inherent uncertainties they contain. The value of coupling physically ba5Cd
droughl models to impact or adaptive managemenl models also should be investi-
gated. Belter documentation of all parameters of past droughts can improve history's
usefulness in developing plausible "If, then.... scenarios. Parameters include the
relationships among the extent, severity and longevity of droughts on humans and
the environment, plus impacts.

InformatiQlLDisseminatiQn_and~edback

Many people are aware of the need for water conservation and other measures
during drought. But once drought is over, old habits tend to dominate. The benefits
of sustained public awareness will be realized through NIDIS.
NIDIS will allow active user interaction in identifying and resolving problems
with the use of scientific information. Documentation and outreach is essential to
inform the user community while also building confidence in the system's integrity.
User feedback on system functionality and ease of use will be an essenlial part of
an adaptive management approach to system maintenance and improvement.
The drought monitoring and prediction information produced by federal and
nonfederal partners currently poses a problem for many users. The information is
onen technical, complex and typically is not presented in a standardized format.
Many potential users do not even know some drought resources exist. NIDIS will
provide drought infonnation through the Internet in an interactive environment.
NIDIS on the Internet also will provide access to related research thal is not always
disseminated in a timely way or through easily accessible modes. Opportunities
should be utilized to integrate NIDIS with existing systems (e.g., state 1100d warning
systems) used by decision-makers responding to other natural disasters.
Gaining and keeping the trust and confidence of users is essential for the proposed
system to have credibility and long-term support. Achieving this goal will require a
continual focus on education, out-
reach, product development, verifica-
tion and rel1nement. Panels for initial
testing of the system should be crealed
that include users representing a
wide range of education levels and
sectors of the economy, as well as
federal. state and local government
entities. Their input will help guide
line-tuning of the system.

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