LOCAL OBSERVERS FILL IN THE DETAILS ON DROUGHT IMPACT REPORTER MAPS

Authors

Kelly Helm Smith, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Mark D. Svoboda, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Michael J. Hayes, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Henry Reges, Colorado State University
Nolan Doesken, Colorado State University
Kirsten Lackstrom, University of South Carolina
Kirstin Dow, University of South Carolina
Amanda Brennan, University of South Carolina

Date of this Version

2014

Citation

"Local Observers Fill in the Details on Drought Impact Reporter Maps," by Kelly Helm Smith, Mark Svoboda, Michael Hayes, Henry Reges, Nolan Doesken, Kirsten Lackstrom, Kristin Dow, and Amanda Brennan. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 95: 11, Nov. 2014, 1659-1662.

Comments

Copyright 2014 The Authors.

Abstract

We all know that talking politics and religion in social settings-with friends, family, or strangers- can be a firestarter. By contrast, talking about the weather is a reliably safe conversational opener.

But there's another reason that the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) wants people to talk about weather. Individuals can provide a rich source of weather-related anecdotes and observations that prove critical to evaluating droughts and enabling appropriate responses.

The mechanism for this valuable conversation with the public is the Drought Impact Reporter (DIR). Lately, the NDMC has been working to refine the way this online service encourages citizen observers and incorporates information directly from them.