Abstract
Abstract. Australia frequently experiences extended periods of severe droughts which have a significant negative impact on populations and economy. To improve preparedness for drought, decision-support tools which provide comprehensive information about current dry conditions are essential. In this paper, we present a conceptual design for a Drought Risk Analyser (DRA) – web-based information App for drought risk mapping developed using geographic information system (GIS). The developed DRA is based on combining Drought Hazard/Vulnerability/Exposure Indices (DHI, DVI and DEI respectively) into a final Drought Risk Index (DRI) for total of 542 Local Government Areas (LGA) in Australia. Drought indicators selected to compute drought hazard – the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI), the Vegetation Health Index (VHI) and Soil Moisture – were obtained through the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Space-based Weather and Climate Extremes Monitoring (SWCEM) international initiative. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) census data were used to develop the drought-related population vulnerability index – DVI. Australian national Digital Elevation Model and catchment scale land use data were used to calculate the DEI. Implemented functionality of the designed DRA is illustrated using a case study for the 2019 drought in Australia. The DRA App will be beneficial for Australian farmers and rural communities to assist with decision making, as well as for LGA planners to gain insights on current state of drought risk at both local and national levels. The developed methodology of using space-based observations for assessing drought hazard could be applied for developing similar web-based information tools in drought-prone areas of other countries.
Highlights
Australia frequently experiences extended periods of severe droughts which have significant negative impact on populations and economy
We present a conceptual design for a Drought Risk Analyser (DRA) – a web-based information App for drought risk mapping designed using geographic information system (GIS)
Following the approach of Aitkenhead et al (2020) to compute the Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI), the following indicators were selected as representative for Australia: agricultural occupation (% of total population in the labour force) and Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), which is an Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) product that ranks areas in Australia according to relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage
Summary
Australia frequently experiences extended periods of severe droughts which have significant negative impact on populations and economy. Coping with regular droughts became a challenging experience for Australia’s farmers and rural communities. As a consequence of climate change, droughts will likely be more frequent, longer in duration, and more severe. Droughts will affect a broader area, which means that farmers and communities who rarely experienced drought are likely to experience it more often. Analysis of drought risk is of key importance. To improve preparedness for drought, decision-support tools which provide comprehensive information about current dry conditions are essential. We present a conceptual design for a Drought Risk Analyser (DRA) – a web-based information App for drought risk mapping designed using geographic information system (GIS)
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