RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced the release of a new interactive California Drought visualization website aimed at providing the public with atlas-like, statewide coverage of the drought as well as a timeline of its impacts on water resources, according to a press release.
The website was developed by USGS as part of the federal government’s Open Water Data Initiative, stated the release.
The drought visualization page features high-tech graphics illustrating the drought’s effects on region reservoir storage from 2011-2014, and for the visualization, drought data are integrated through time and space with plots and maps of reservoir storage, continued the release.
The release reported that California has been experiencing one of its most severe droughts in over a century, and 2013 was the driest calendar year in the 119-year recorded history of the state.
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a State of Emergency in January to help officials manage the drought, noted the release.
"Ultimately, the initiative will allow us to better communicate the nation's water resources status, trends and challenges based on the most recent monitoring information," said USGS Pacific Regional Director Mark Sogge. "By integrating a range of federal and state data to communicate the extreme circumstances of the water shortage in California and the Southwest, USGS is providing for public use a rich and interactive collection of drought related information."
Read the entire release here.
