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Mapping the Climate Applications Landscape

Final Report (pdf)

Investigators

Shardul Agrawala, Kenny Broad, and Tahl Kestin, Funded by HDGCR and ESD/Applications

Time Period

Year project began 2002

Significant advances made in seasonal climate forecasting since the 1980s have spurred a number of activities related to the application of such information for societal benefit. Applications research and projects, although initially supply driven by members of the climate forecasting community, have over time brought a small but growing group of researchers from other disciplines into their fold. It may be argued that there currently exist loose networks of researchers, practitioners, and users of climate forecast information who interact occasionally through meetings, projects, and a shared body of literature. However, these networks are often based on disciplinary or regional interests, with little interaction between them. To date there has been few systematic attempts to form a global picture of this ‘community’ of individuals and institutions, and the nature of their research outputs. Such a picture is necessary in order to improve the cohesion of the community and therefore to better steer its future direction. In this project, we aim to review and synthesize applications activities to date through the development of a database, construction of a typology, and a quantitative and qualitative analysis of activities.

Database

A considerable effort and a variety of search strategies have gone into collecting and distilling information on publications (journal articles, books, reports, and conference abstracts) on climate applications and related topics. Of the 1500 publications currently listed in the database, approx 400 are directly related to forecast applications; of these, approximately 200 are journal articles – representing a ‘critical mass’ of work on applications. The database is currently being designed to be searchable and updateable online, as a shared and ongoing resource for the community and other interested parties.

Typology

In close association with building the applications database, we have been developing a typology to identify and define the major themes of applications activities and to organize them within the broader framework of climate–society interactions. In addition to the typology based on activity types, we also developed typologies for region and sector. Each entry in the database was categorized according to these three typologies.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis

Based on the database and the typology, we have been analyzing various aspects of applications efforts to date, including activities undertaken, sectoral and regional focus, temporal trends in activities, and estimates of community size. We also plan to undertake a comprehensive literature review to identify common themes in the aims and conclusions of applications studies.