Guide to Adaptation Tools
From WikiADAPT
Contents |
Underlying Premise
- Self-organization key – with guidance and control at various levels.
- A unified presentation of the tools available can provide a common reference point for groups working across the world on adaptation, reduce the likelihood of overlapping and redundant activities, and allow tool developers and users to take advantage of an economy of scale for exchanging and sharing information.
New section on the value of information
- Engaging in collaborative communities means ceding control, sharing responsibility, embracing transparency, managing conflict and accepting successful projects will take on lives of their own.
Background
The Institute for Development Studies (IDS), together with the World Bank and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has convened a series of meetings "to assess progress and fill crucial gaps around adaptation tools for development".
On 11-12 April 2007, in Geneva 40 participants met for a two day workshop to discuss and share adaptation tools for international development entitled: Sharing Climate Adaptation Tools: Improving decision-making for development.
The objective of the meeting was to take stock of the tools and methods available to improve decision-making with regards to climate variability and change. The workshop coupled hands-on demonstrations of tools along with informal presentations. A summary report was produced, which organized the tools according to: the intended audience, level of screening provided, spatial scale, training time, application time, main data type and whether economic analysis was included. These categories, which are summarized in detail in the meeting report, include:
- Broad information providers weADAPT, PRECIS, ILRI-et al
- Computer-based decision tools - targeting project design (CRiSTAL, UNDP, ADAPT, USAID Guidebook)
- Screening approaches to evaluate portfolios and justify design changes (ORCHID).
We (weADAPT) presented the platform, noting features such as open source/access, the use of existing climate information, pulling in climate envelopes, and developing the platform from prototypes. Following the meeting, SEI, ENDA, AWhere Inc and UNITAR met to review plans, in particular how the platform collaboration will support our existing projects including the CIRCE project. We are also in the process of preparing a guide to adaptation tools on the knowledge sharing platform known as wikiadapt.
On 28-29 April, 2008 in Paris a second workshop was convened which built on findings of an initial workshop in Geneva in 2007 on Sharing Climate Adaptation Tools. The objectives of the workshop were to:
- Compare, contrast and improve technical aspects of tools
- Improve collaboration and the ability of tools to match user needs
- Take stock and improve understanding of the demand for adaptation tools
- Compare, contrast and improve technical aspects of tools
- Improve collaboration and the ability of tools to match user needs
- Take stock and improve understanding of the demand for adaptation tools
A summary of these meetings was subsequently presented at a side event at the recent UN Climate Change negotiations in Bonn, chaired by Thomas Tanner from IDS. The side event aimed to showcase tools available, and encourage user-developer dialogues.
Objectives of this Guide
- To introduce the tools currently available for Adaptation
- To establish a collaborative space to organize, share and disseminate user-developer interaction and user-feedback
- to provide a space for users to share experience on the application of these tools as a means of identifying the utility of the tools for different communities that could facilitate the process of tool selection.
Background
Given the consensus that:
- the selection of the most appropriate methods and tools for a given context is a formidable and recurrent challenge
- there is a need for more guidance on the proper use of methods and tools available
- there is utility in sharing user and developer experience
Progress so far
- Sharing Climate Adaptation Tools: Improving decision-making for development Geneva Workshop, 11-12 April 2007 - IDS, World Bank and IISD report [[1]]
- Tools Meeting 2
The Need
Identification of User Needs across levels of analysis
- Screening
- ???
- Robust decision making
User Survey
could include here a series of targetted questions for users to identify needs, etc.
For Developers
Current Tools Available
All tool descriptions presented here were extracted from model authors and corresponding websites. These have not been individually evaluated.
- CRiSTAL - (Community-based Risk Screening Tool- Adaptation and Livelihoods)is a tool designed to assist project planner and managers with integrating risk reduction and climate change adaptation into community-level projects. Developed by IISD in partnership with the World Conservation Union–IUCN, Stockholm Environment Institute–United States and Intercooperation, the tool (a) helps users to systematically understand the links between local livelihoods; (b) enables users to assess a project's impact on community level adaptive capacity; and (c ) assists users in making adjustments to improve a project's impact on adaptive capacity.
- ORCHID
- Climate Wizard (UKCIP)
- The Climate Change Explorer Tool - aims to facilitate the gathering of climatological information and its application to adaptation strategies and actions. The CCE packages data access routines with guidance and customized analytical and visualization procedures. It is designed to simplify the tasks associated with the extraction, query and analysis of climate information, thereby enabling users to address issues of uncertainty when devising policies and strategies, and also when implementing actions. Development is a collaborative effort between the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Climate Systems Analysis Group at the University of Cape Town, and AWhere Inc.
- Servir
- ADAPT portal
The introduction of the tool can include any materials desired, but it would be useful to include a discussion on the following items:
Target audience Purpose of the Tool Where we are at in terms of the development cycle Challenges and Gaps Preliminary User Feedback/Lessons learned Ideas for Integration
