HydroSOS strives to build an operational system capable of assessing the current status ofsurface and groundwater hydrological systems, and predicting how they will change in thecoming weeks and months, in comparison to normal situations. This information can be criticalfor water management and mitigating negative effects of floods and droughts, as well as toreduce risks of conflicts in water sharing. Once operational, the worldwide operational system willregularly provide information on:➊Current global hydrological status, including groundwater, river flow, large lakes, reservoirsand soil moisture;➋Appraisal of where the current status is significantly different from ‘normal’, for exampleindicating potential drought and flood situations; and➌Assessment of trends i.e. likelihood of improvement or worsening over coming weeks andmonths.