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On September 17, the Mongolian Drought Remote Sensing Monitoring System, known as DroughtWatch-Mongolia, was officially handed over to the Mongolian National Remote Sensing Center. This significant milestone took place during a regional seminar in Ulaanbaatar, where Wu Bingfang from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Gomboluudev Purevjav, Director of the Mongolian Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Environment, signed the transfer agreement on behalf of their respective institutions.
The system was developed under the coordination of the UN-ESCAP Regional Drought Mechanism, with support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Center for Space Disaster Reduction and the Asian Space Disaster Reduction Scientific Cooperation Research Project. The team conducted in-depth research and adaptability analysis of drought remote sensing indices, ultimately creating a multi-index, comprehensive monitoring model tailored for Mongolia's continental climate. This innovation addressed previous challenges in accurately capturing drought conditions using single-index systems and enabled more precise spatial monitoring.
Since 2014, Wu Bingfang’s team has collaborated closely with Mongolia, conducting multiple joint field experiments. After four years of validation, the system met all operational requirements, enabling accurate drought monitoring that aligns with Mongolia’s unique environmental conditions. Additionally, the team focused on localizing the system, offering continuous technical support, training, and capacity-building initiatives to the Mongolian National Remote Sensing Center. As a result, the center now independently conducts drought monitoring and analysis, publishing the National Drought Monitoring Report to provide real-time data for disaster management agencies.
This initiative has significantly enhanced Mongolia’s ability to manage drought risks, supporting ministries such as the Ministry of Light Industry and the Ministry of Nature, Environment, and Tourism. The success of DroughtWatch-Mongolia has also paved the way for similar systems in other countries, including Cambodia and Sri Lanka, through cooperative research and system adaptation.
The Global Drought Monitoring System (DroughtWatch), developed by the Aerospace Information Research Institute, has been continuously improving for over two decades. It has evolved into a multi-satellite, multi-scale system, becoming a key tool for drought monitoring and early warning across the Asia-Pacific region. Its successful implementation in Mongolia and other countries has led to the creation of a standardized operation manual, making it a core component of the UN-ESCAP drought mechanism.