What is EUPORIAS and why it is relevant to HEPEX

Contributed by Carlo Buontempo

EUPORIAS is a four-year project funded by the European Commission through its 7th framework programme.

Its aim is to make seasonal and decadal information in Europe more relevant to decision making. Within the usual constraints of a project of limited duration EUPORIAS is trying to be as user driven as possible. The main outcome of the project is a set of fully working prototypes of climate services addressing the needs of specific users rather than producing yet another generic climate portal.

We believe that we can learn a lot on both the underpinning scientific challenges and the user-interaction by targeting specific end-users and working with them by co-designing services they will end up using. The lessons learnt through this process will be shared widely so others could follow our recipes, developing their own services.

Collaboration with end users has been central to the selection of the case studies and prototypes. This means that key sectors weren’t defined when the project started but emerged from the stakeholder board which now has a membership of over 70 organisations.

One of the sectors that is best represented among partners and stakeholders is the water sector. While at this stage we don’t yet know which of the proposed prototypes will be selected, it is probable that at least one will be related to water.

If you want to learn more and follow the project as it develops, visit our webpage: www.euporias.eu