Global Drought Observatory (JRC)

Screenshot of GDO
Data provided by:Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Data accessibility:export map, statistical data (e.g. graphs), visualization of data (e.g. web GIS or real time monitoring)
Link to the data:
File type:png, png, wms
Data type:hazard specific data
Hazard:Drought
Disaster cycle phase:Disaster Risk Management
Space-based Information:The Global Drought Observatory provides drought-relevant information such as maps of indicators derived from different data sources (e.g. precipitation measurements, satellite measurements, modeled soil moisture content). It uses the Combined Drought Indicator (CDI) for agricultural/ecosystem drought, which is based on three indicators: Precipitation Anomalies (SPI), Soil Moisture Anomalies and Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fAPAR).

Exposure layers used by GDO are gridded population data (based on the Global Human Settlement Layer at 1 km resolution for 2015); agricultural lands (based on the Global Agricultural Lands in the Year 2000 dataset, a result of a combination of MODIS and SPOT-VEGETATION data with agricultural inventories); gridded livestock of the world (at a spatial resolution of 3 min x 3 min latitude-longitude for 2005); and baseline water stress (a indicator of relative water demand for 2010).

The Risk of Drought Impacts for Agriculture (RDrI-Agri) indicator is based on the combination of exposure and vulnerability (social, economic and infrastructural) factors and the real time evolution of the drought hazard. The location, extent and magnitude of the RDrIs is then further analyzed against the number of people and land use/land cover types affected in order to provide the decision bodies with information on the potential humanitarian and economic bearings in the affected regions The Global Drought Observatory therefore includes a dynamic assessment of the risk of impact for different sectors based on hazard, exposure and vulnerability.

The GDO is built on open web services and connects drought data providers and users from global to regional levels. In case of severe drought events, the GDO team also produces reports with a detailed description of the situation.
Satellites and Sensors:Terra
Spatial coverage:Global
Temporal coverage:Forecasted, Near-real time
Content dates:See documentation for different layers.
Technical Specifications:
Costs:free
Contact:Contacts
Tutorials on the use of data:MapViewer Help