Name of Tool

(Sector)

What it does

Inputs Used for the Tool

Type of Decisions Made by the Tool

Link

National Agricultural Monitoring System (NAMS)

(Agriculture)

Website that contains maps, graphs and reports to demonstrate the production situation for major agricultural systems.

Rainfall Stations, Rainfall Percentiles, Rainfall Averages, Temperature Averages

To keep drought managers aware of drought conditions so that drought management strategies can be prepared & deployed to lessen drought impacts

View

VegDRI (Vegetation Drought Response Index)

(Agriculture)

Used to map and monitor general patterns of drought severity at a regional to national scale in the U.S.

Precipitation and Temperature

By keeping aware of drought conditions, drought management strategies can be prepared/deployed to lessen the drought's impacts

1. VegDRI Description: View

2. VegDRI data: View

Drought Impact Reporter

(Agriculture)

Collects, quantifies, and maps reported drought impacts for the United States

U.S. Drought Monitor overlays

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View

North American Drought Monitor (NADM)

(Agriculture)

Identifies and maps drought intensity areas across international borders and provides information on their impacts.

Precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, stream flow, snowpack, snow water equivalency, groundwater, reservoir levels

By keeping aware of drought conditions, drought management strategies can be prepared/deployed to lessen the drought's impacts

view

United States Drought Monitor (USDM)

(Agriculture)

Identifies and map drought intensity areas for the United States and provides information on the major impact types.

Precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, stream flow, snowpack, snow water equivalency, groundwater, reservoir levels

By keeping aware of drought conditions, drought management strategies can be prepared/deployed to lessen the drought's impacts

view

Agrometeorological Forecast of the Winter Crops Condition in Spring

Calculates vegetation condition through the winter

Soil moistening, air and soil temperature, height of snow cover, depth of frozen soil

Determines when to provide more seeds to make up for crop loss in the winter and when to provide seeds for spring sowing

View (To link soon)

IWD: Irrigation water demand model

(Water Management)

Determines supplementary irrigation requirements

Air temperature, 30 year average climate, daily precipitation Potential Evapotranspiration, Crop information, irrigation technique, soil type

When, where, and how to use supplemental irrigation water for crops

View

Water Sensitive Urban Development Models

(Water Management)

Determines water demand and the effect of rainfall on available water

Point rainfall and temperature, household water use, other social information e.g. population, housing

Determine how to use current water supplies

1. Abstract: View

2. paper: view

Rainfall Intensity-Frequency-Duration data

(Engineering)

Risk assessment of dams and bridges, roof design, and storm drainage systems. Manages flood plains. Soil conservation studies.

Point rainfall data, Temporal patterns, hydrological model

Determines updates to bridges, damns, roofs, drainage systems. Maintains awareness of floodplains for fast action in case of flooding

1. Free IFD Data: View

RORB – runoff routing and URBS – continuous/event rainfall runoff routing model

(Engineering)

General runoff and stream flow routing program used to calculate flood hydrographs from rainfall and other channel inputs.

Rainfall and stream discharge data

Forecasts flooding for operations and determines how successful bridges, dams, culverts, etc. will hold up in a flooding situation

1. RORB: View

2. URBS: View

Current and Forecast Icing Products (CIP and FIP)

(Transport)

Produces a 4D depiction of expected icing severity and probability.

Location of clouds in 3D, precipitation rate and type, vertical temperature and humidity structure, reports of icing

Tool allows transport planning to avoid hazardous icing areas and efficient operations.

1. NCAR Site: View

2. FHWA Site: View