3-Remote Sensing Applications in Drought Monitoring.

Abstract

Objective monitoring of drought conditions in India require the use of remote sensing techniques to complement conventional ground observations. Remote sensing of meteorological, hydrological and agricultural indicators of drought are in various stages of operational status. The socio-economic indicators of drought are not amenable to satellite observations and hence need to be obtained only through ground mechanism. Even those parameters susceptible to satellite monitoring require the use of data from a mix of satellites. The drought monitoring methodology, to be immediately useable, need to be structured around operational capabilities and integrating them with the details provided by the ground mechanism. These may include qualitative satellite estimation of rainfall to fill spatial-and-temporal gaps in ground coverage, and monitoring vegetation extent and condition through vegetation indexes. A remote sensing based National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System for countrywide monitoring in India has been developed and used for operational monitoring through the kharif season of 19S9. An integrated National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System has been proposed beyond 1989 to combine the large area repetetive objective view of satellite with the detailed ground observations.