The SPEI fulfills the requirements of a drought index since its multi-scalar character enables it to be used by different scientific disciplines to detect, monitor, and analyze droughts. Like the sc-PDSI and the SPI, the SPEI can measure drought severity according to its intensity and duration, and can identify the onset and end of drought episodes. The SPEI allows comparison of drought severity through time and space, since it can be calculated over a wide range of climates, as can the SPI. Statistical concept and methodology: The Global SPEI database, SPEIbase, offers long-time, robust information about drought conditions at the global scale, with a 0.5 degrees spatial resolution and a monthly time resolution. It has a multi-scale character, providing SPEI time-scales between 1 and 48 months.