NIDIS Knowledge Assessment Workshop:
Contributions of Satellite Remote Sensing to Drought Monitoring

When: February 6-7, 2008

Where: David Skaggs Research Center, NOAA, Boulder, CO

Purpose: The purpose of the workshop is to develop a ready reference on available remote sensing data streams and products for the drought monitoring community of the United States.

Goals:
There are three goals of this workshop: 1) to assess and review a wide range of remote sensing technologies (e.g., optical, thermal infrared, passive microwave, radar, and gravimetric systems) including data streams and products; 2) to assess application of remote sensing technology to drought monitoring and early warning by sector; and 3) to provide recommendations for further improvement for use in cross-sector/agency early warning drought monitoring. Priority for discussion lies with operational systems, quasi-operational experimental systems, and research results that show promise for application in the near term.

Three broad application areas are targeted by the workshop:
• Vegetation (Crops, Rangeland, and Forests)
• Precipitation and Snow
• Soil Moisture and Evapotranspiration

Workshop Materials
Agenda
Extended Abstracts
Workshop Presentations
Extended Abstract Guidelines
Travel Logistic Information
Driving Directions
Participant Contact Information

Background Materials
NIDIS Implementation Plan

Sponsors
National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)
The Western Water Assessment (WWA)
USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science
National Drought Mitigation Center

Planning Team
Jim Verdin, USGS/NIDIS
Jesslyn Brown, SAIC/USGS EROS
Christina Alvord, WWA
Roger Pulwarty, NOAA/NIDIS