Comparative study of four kinds of drought monitoring methods in Yunnan Province

The winter in 2009 to the spring in 2010 is hundred years encounter drought period of Yunnan Province. MODIS remote sensing data was used in 2010 and 2012 to compare the four methods which one is suitable in Yunnan Province. Then monitoring drought situation in Yunnan Province by four methods: Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), The Temperature Vegetation Index (TVDI), Cloud Parameters Method, and the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI), contrasting the result. The results showed that: TVDI, VCI can better respond to real time and spatial distribution of drought, Results are lighter than others by VCI method. It well tell the degree of drought conditions in Yunnan province that the cloud parameters dose. A number of factors should be considered when monitoring drought in Yunnan Province by SPI or cloud parameters method to make the monitoring result more suitable.