The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) (http://drought.unl.edu) has been working with the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) (http://drought.gov), World Meteorological Organization, Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) (http://www.droughtmanagement.info) and other partners with a goal of developing tools and other information resources aimed at enhancing drought risk management and early warning activities in the U.S. and around the world. The NDMC is a national/international center founded in 1995 and located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The NDMC has been working on the development of “hybrid”, or composite, drought indicators for nearly two decades. Just as there isn’t one definition of drought, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all indicator that addresses all types of drought. This presentation will highlight efforts over time by tracing the evolution and application of combining indicators and indices to play off the strengths of various indicators in order to customize drought indicators for particular regions, seasons or sectors.
In addition, a newly launched “living” Handbook of Drought Indicators and Indices (http://www.droughtmanagement.info/literature/GWP_Handbook_of_Drought_Indicators_and_Indices_2016.pdf) will be discussed. The Handbook is an initiative of the IDMP supported through the efforts of the World Meteorological Organization and the Global Water Partnership. Developed with practitioners (e.g., resource managers, decision makers and policy makers) in mind, the interactive Handbook allows practitioners and other users to enrich the Handbook through the contribution of their experiences with the various indicators as a means of helping guide others through the maze of choosing an appropriate indicator.
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