Users' interaction protocol to identify specific climate indicators and end-user needs for the development of a decision support system (DSS)

Providing tailor-made climate information to end-users and developing appropriate tools to clearly communicate this information are challenging and require the involvement of end-users in the development process from the beginning. In the project called “Land surface processes as a determinant of climate change in Africa – scenarios, high-resolution modeling and development of a stakeholder data portal (LANDSURF)”, a decision support system (DSS) that delivers climate information relevant to priority sectors (mainly agriculture), is being designed and developed for and with end-users. The different actions carried out to involve end-users in this process are described in the following interaction protocol. This protocol can be used, with some modifications, for other projects where end-user participation is needed/desired. It also gives examples of online tools that have been used in this project, which were helpful in overcoming barriers posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The WASCAL WRAP 2.0 LANDSURF project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Grant 01LG2080B.