Establish the Project Context

Establishing context will help in many aspects of the project, such as redefining the scope as needed, identifying suitable approaches, finding a source of data and information, and mapping gaps and needs. It is also an important step for understanding project resources (e.g. finance, time, staff availability).

The context is established by reviewing and synthesizing existing information that is relevant to your project. Information sources include existing literature, expert opinion, talking to stakeholders through a workshop, or talking to your national meteorological agency.

For example, if your project’s objective is to develop national climate projections, you may need to:

• review existing conditions and gaps (e.g. What information is currently available? Is it reliable? Are the projections based on GCM or RCM outputs? Do the projections cover the whole range of climate modelling uncertainties? What is still missing? Is similar work already happening?)
• understand the needs of users/stakeholders (e.g. Do they need simple knowledge products such as maps or do they need facilities to retrieve projected data? Do they need information on a broad spatial scale or for a user-defined specific region? What is the time horizon that most matters to them?)
• conduct initial exploration of observed and/or modelled climate data availability and possible sources.