Internet GIS Application Is Key to Early Disaster Warning

Global Effort Provides Local Relief Workers with Advance Notice

In 1985, the world was caught off guard by the devastating famine in Ethiopia. To head off a repeat of this kind of crisis, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) established the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS). With FEWS, USAID is helping to lower the incidence of famine by providing timely and accurate information about potential famine conditions to appropriate decision makers.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)/Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center (EDC) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, works with USAID, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Chemonics International, Inc., to provide the data, information, and analyses needed for the project, redesigned and renamed in 2000 to be the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET). The international program at EDC is particularly involved with supplying support to FEWS NET with remote sensing and GIS technologies as well as providing specialized processing, analyses, and long-term data archive and distribution services.

Because excess precipitation and flooding can adversely affect food availability via reduced crop production and disrupted transportation and market systems, FEWS NET has recently begun work on trying to find new ways to identify and predict excess rainfall and flooding. Part of EROS' work with FEWS NET has involved analyzing the spatial and temporal patterns of precipitation. Scientists at the EDC have been working on developing a hydrological model to provide a continuous simulation of stream flow on a daily basis for the Limpopo River basin in Mozambique.

The disastrous floods during February and March 2000, coupled with the fact that most of the heavy rains fell in upstream areas outside the country, underscored the importance of developing dynamic models of these catchments.

The current model, which was launched in December 2000, was designed for the special needs of the slow Internet connections in Africa. Chris Rusanowski, a senior programmer at EROS, designed the very lightweight ArcIMS interface to make the maps usable to people in Mozambique.

"The FEWS NET office in Mozambique is very concerned about more heavy rains and a repeat flood, so they wanted us to produce maps that would show areas of risk," says Paulson. "What we have on the Web (edcnts11.cr.usgs.gov/mozflooding/sfm/sfmmap/default.asp) is an ArcIMS implementation that shows individual subbasins and the flooding risks associated with them."

For more information contact Jean Paulson at the USGS EDC (e-mail: paulson@usgs.gov).

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