Development and evaluation of reports on seasonal conditions for Queensland
Final report
Front cover for seasonal conditions for Queensland report
Project sponsored by, and conducted on behalf of, Rural Risk Strategies Unit, Department of Primary Industries Queensland
February 2001
Ken A. Day, Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland
and
Colin J. Paull, Department of Primary Industries, Queensland
Executive summary
(full report available at the bottom of this page)
Introduction
Over the last decade, a monthly Drought Report was prepared by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QDPI) at the end of each month, from field reports, and distributed widely by mail. For most of this time, the latest coloured NOAA satellite image of Queensland (A4-sized) was included in the report as an aid to assessing seasonal conditions.
In 1997, the Climate Impacts and Natural Resources group, in the Queensland Department of Natural Resources, commenced the production of a coloured monthly report entitled 'Summary of Seasonal Conditions in Queensland' which was mailed to clients early each month. This report subsequently replaced the NOAA satellite image in the QDPI Drought Report, and complemented the information in that report.
It became obvious that it might be more effective and efficient for the two Departments to produce a single monthly report on seasonal conditions in Queensland, combining the information from field reports, seasonal climate forecasts, satellite imagery, and spatial mapping products from running pasture-growth and crop models. While this seemed like a good idea, a number of questions arose which needed to be considered, for example:
- Who are the clients for such information?
- What information products are valuable to particular groups of clients in running their businesses?
- How do clients want particular types of information presented?
- What are the most suitable methods for delivering such information to clients?
- What priorities do QDPI and QDNR place on the production of such information?
- Who should pay the costs of producing and delivering such a report - QDPI, QDNR or clients?
Subsequently, Rural Risk Strategies (QDPI) funded the CINRS Group to produce a prototype product. An important part of the project was to evaluate the current products and the prototype report, and to provide objective input into consideration of the above questions.
This publication documents feedback from clients on the QDPI report, the QDNR report and the combined prototype report. Conclusions from this feedback are also discussed.
Department of Primary Industries Queensland
QO01006
ISSN 0727-6281
Agdex 020/940
February 2001
- Final Report (also contains appendices 4 and 5) (PDF, 3.9M, last updated 01:38PM, 5 December 2008)*
- Appendix 1: Example of QDNR Seasonal Conditions Report (Referred to in the Final Report as Report A) (PDF, 2.8M, last updated 01:38PM, 5 December 2008)*
- Appendix 2: Example of QDPI Seasonal Conditions Report (Referred to in the Final Report as Report B) (PDF, 1.1M, last updated 01:38PM, 5 December 2008)*
- Appendix 3: Proposed new Seasonal Conditions Report - Initial Prototype (Referred to in the Final Report as Report C) (PDF, 16M, last updated 01:38PM, 5 December 2008)*
- Appendix 4: Survey Letter (PDF, 79K, last updated 01:38PM, 5 December 2008)*
- Appendix 5: Survey Form (PDF, 118K, last updated 01:38PM, 5 December 2008)*
- Appendix 6: Proposed new Seasonal Conditions Report - Final Prototype (PDF, 9.8M, last updated 01:38PM, 5 December 2008)*
* Requires Adobe Reader
Last updated: 15 June 2009