The Drought Monitor was started in spring 1999 in response to a need for improved information about the status of drought across the United States. It serves as an example of interagency cooperation in a time of limited resources. The Drought Monitor process also illustrates the creative use of Internet technologies to disseminate authoritative information about drought and to receive regional and local input that is in turn incorporated into the product. This paper describes the Drought Monitor and the interactive process through which it is created.
National Drought Mitigation Center, Lincoln, Nebraska
Climate Prediction Center, Camp Springs, Maryland
National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, North Carolina
USDA/World Agriculture Outlook Board, Washington, D.C.
Illinois Climate Office, Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Illinois
Midwest Regional Climate Center, Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Illinois
Office of the State Climatologist, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
