Climate Engine has launched a new website aimed at enhancing drought and vegetation monitoring across the contiguous United States. This platform is the result of a collaboration between researchers from the Desert Research Institute (DRI), University of California Merced, Google, NOAA, BLM, and other federal partners. The tool provides users with access to satellite and climate data in an accessible format to aid in water conservation, wildfire risk management, agricultural productivity monitoring, and ecological restoration.
Eric Jensen, a geospatial data scientist at DRI, explained that the platform aims “to lower the barrier to using timely drought and satellite-based vegetation datasets for resource managers.” The site offers comprehensive reports that combine scalable drought summaries with near real-time vegetation conditions. These resources are intended to support planning and decision-making processes for lands managed by BLM.
The website features both drought and site characterization reports assessing indicators such as satellite-based vegetation cover over time. These reports use data from as far back as 1986 based on Landsat satellite archives. Paula Cutillo from BLM emphasized the importance of having these data available: “Having these data not only readily available but in a usable form will directly contribute to our mission of responsibly managing environmental, cultural, and historical resources across the country.”
In partnership with NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), Climate Engine provides detailed drought indicators at higher spatial resolutions than those offered by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Users can access long-term (up to five years) and short-term (up to nine months) drought information through various indices presented on decision-relevant scales.
Steve Ansari from NOAA stated that NIDIS has been promoting Climate Engine since 2018: “These drought reports provide a nearly real-time snapshot of drought conditions at each land unit.” Future updates are expected to include expanded vegetation production reports along with additional drought indicators.
For more details about using these tools or accessing tutorials, users can visit Support.ClimateEngine.org.
