Building a Drought Planning Platform

Drought is one of the most costly weather and climate disasters in the United States and poses a significant threat to the economic and social wellbeing of communities across the Nation. Planning for future droughts can support better informed decisions, leading to reduced impacts and costs. 

Through the regional Drought Early Warning Systems (DEWS), drought-prone communities and water providers have expressed a need for timely and relevant drought information, forecasts, and assessments to strengthen their drought planning actions. In response to this growing demand, NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, is building a Drought Planning Platform on Drought.gov. This public-facing drought information resource hub will coordinate federal data and research to provide state of the art technical assistance to be utilized for drought planning and response.

Key characteristics of the Drought Planning Platform will include the following:

• Tailored for the user. The platform will provide information to better identify and measure locally appropriate drought indicators, impacts, and vulnerability based on user needs.
• Modernized drought planning and preparedness. The platform will use artificial intelligence, big data, and analytics to better quantify and predict drought’s impacts on water supply and drought-vulnerable sectors that drive the U.S. economy.
• Comprehensive information. The platform will bring together data, tools, and drought planning approaches from across Federal, tribal, state, and local governments and the private sector in one place.
• Value for multiple applications. The platform will support a broad range of planning processes, including drought, water, land use, and multi-hazard plans.
• Publicly accessible for all. The platform will serve all communities, regardless of size and capacity, to reduce risks and impacts of drought.
• Best management practices. The platform will provide approaches and case studies for creating drought plans, tailored to specific locations and needs.

The Platform design and content will be based on a needs assessment of drought and water planners. Identification of user needs and data requirements will be completed in 2025. Prototype development will begin in 2026 with an initial focus on the Western U.S. User feedback will be incorporated throughout the development process, to ensure the Platform is meeting the needs of drought planners. 

Outcomes from this effort will allow communities and organizations to develop strategies and actions that improve their ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from drought.

For additional information, please contact Meredith Muth (meredith.f.muth@noaa.gov)