The University of California Santa Barbara’s Climate Hazards Group released a near-real time rainfall data set this week to support early detection of droughts around the world.
The data set attempts to reconcile recent satellite-based rainfall observations with historical ground-based rainfall data, to create a more consistent picture of how rainfall in the atmosphere ends up affecting the terrestrial environment. The database is already being used to identify potential hot spots of food insecurity, including in drought-plagued East Africa, and send alerts to food security programs coordinated by the United States Agency for International Development.