A seven-year research effort achieved a milestone last month when the Vegetation Drought Response Index expanded across the 48 states of the continental United States. VegDRI maps, produced every two weeks, combine satellite-based observations of vegetation conditions with climate and biosphysical information to map drought’s effect on vegetation at a one-kilometer resolution.

“VegDRI provides a regional overview of how rangeland and crops are doing,” said Brian Wardlow, the GIScience program area leader at the National Drought Mitigation Center, which is headquartered at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “For anyone monitoring agricultural conditions, particularly ranching, or with interests in natural resource management, this is an invaluable addition to their tool set.”

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