Much of the Midwest is experiencing drought due to very dry weather in the late summer and early fall.
Much of the Midwest is experiencing drought due to very dry weather in the late summer and early fall. Half of the state of Illinois is in a severe drought, and portions of Central Illinois are in an extreme drought, affecting farmers’ yields, particularly for soybeans. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign information sciences professor Dong Wang developed an artificial intelligence-driven drought estimation framework, called SIDE or Socially Informed Drought Estimation. The tool examines societal implications of drought beyond water availability or agricultural losses and how human behavior and environmental conditions influence one another. He talked with News Bureau arts and humanities editor Jodi Heckel.
What are some of the social implications of drought beyond water shortages?
When people hear the word “drought,” they usually think about dry fields and empty reservoirs. However, drought affects much more than water — it touches nearly every part of daily life. It can hurt local economies, disrupt food production, harm mental health and even change how communities relate to one another.
Read more at: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign information sciences professor Dong Wang and his research team developed SIDE, or Socially Informed Drought Estimation, to examine the societal implications of drought. Examining the human side of environmental crises can help communities and policymakers better understand and respond to them, Wang says. (Photo Credit: L. Brian Stauffer)
