To provide a spatial surface of the total economic impacts of global drought hazard.

To provide a means of assessing global drought mortality risks and distribution.

To identify spatial variations in the amount of NPP consumption relative to local production in a way that highlight humanity's growing impact on the biosphere.

To assist in understanding human impacts on the environment, and especially impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

To be utilized in conjunction with a data set of human appropriation of net primary productivity (HANPP) in order to understand global energy flows and localized impacts on the environment.