Global Drought Monitoring Service through the GEOSS Architecture ...

Architectural Implementation Pilot, Phase 3 Version: 2.0
Global Drought Monitoring and European Drought
Observatory-Water SBA Engineering Report
Date: 11/Feb/2011
5. Advanced Search and Discovery Capability within the European Drought
Observatory
A set of tools have been developed for deployment within the European Drought
Observatory, also serving as a contribution to GEO. These technologies provide capability to
integrate water information for the Water (and drought) Societal Benefit Area, including possible
deployment within the Global Drought Monitoring Service. This report captures the user
requirements for who would be using this system (EDO), what data types would be required, and
the type of functionality users would expect. These user requirements are embodied within a
“scenario,” with the development of a system architecture providing the associated enabling
framework. The GEO Architectural Implementation Pilot (AIP) develops components for the
GEOSS Architecture through component deployment and subsequent testing, interoperability
testing, followed by Societal Benefit Area (SBA) demonstrations, i.e., demonstrations of a
decision support service, such as the global drought monitoring service for the Water SBA. GEO
AIP projects are run by framing a “scenario” which expresses and embodies the user
requirements, such as GEO tasks.
5.1 Components of the European Drought Observatory
The European Drought Observatory is based upon a loosely-coupled system having as
components: 1) drought indicators; 2) drought climatologies; 3) drought observing systems; 4)
water usage observing system; 5) internet-based and web-based services which make
interoperability and exchange of data and maps possible; 6) common formats among the system;
7) user network to verify nowcasts and forecasts; and 8) hardware infrastructure and technical
support staff.
The European Community has identified drought, biodiversity, and forestry as targets for
GEOSS activity. This AIP effort has included development of the EuroGEOSS search
capability. As has been mentioned above (Section 2.1.1), common registration of datasets permit
maps and data to be shared and exchanged among the EDO, the national drought monitors, such
as MARM and SIA, and the river basin authorities, such as Confidercion Hidrografica del Ebro.
In short, joint registration supports interoperability. At the same time, some of the data retrieval
capabilities of EDO were time series of soil moisture, soil moisture anomalies, and Standardized
Precipitation Index over different time periods. The longer the period of observation for
precipitation falling upon a landscape, the longer the period of time over which water works its
way through the soil and drains down into groundwater.
5.1.1 European Drought Observatory user access 37
The EDO map server is separated from the index page. 38
37 http://edo.jrc.ec.europa.eu/php/index.php?action=view&id=36
38 http://edo.jrc.ec.europa.eu/php/index.php?action=view&id=201
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