Inter- and transdisciplinary mountain data in the Caucasus: Identifying user requirements and access preferences
On the 30th of September 2021, a virtual workshop took place aiming to identify the needs of diverse users of data and information pertaining to the Caucasus region. It is hoped that through time, it will be possible to meet these needs by making relevant data freely discoverable, accessible, and usable.
The workshop welcomed a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, local government representatives, and NGOs from the region. Drawing upon the insights of regional experts and fully acknowledging the previous and ongoing efforts, this workshop, which was jointly convened by the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), GEO Mountains, the University of Geneva, UNEP/GRID-Geneva, Sustainable Caucasus, and the Scientific Network for the Caucasus Mountain Region, sought to better understand the current interdisciplinary “data landscape” across the Caucasian region. In line with the scope of the Adaptation at Altitude program, specific emphasis was placed on data related to climate change drivers, processes, impacts, and adaptation.
The discoverability, accessibility, and usability of a wide range of environmental and socio-economic data are crucial prerequisites to both the advancement of science and a range of more practical applications related to sustainable development, higher quality tourism, climate change adaptation and natural hazards mitigation.
Participants discussed the major gaps in terms of the data discoverability, accessibility, usability currently experienced by data users according to discipline and sub-region, outlined which disciplines/sub-regions currently benefit from good coverage and availability of data, which institutions are major providers of relevant data in the region, and what specific requirements data users have of inventories or portals through which mountain data is made searchable and downloadable.
To expand data and resource inventories and identify the opportunities of collaborations and exchanges organizers introduced an online survey and encouraged experts from the region to make their contributions and fill the survey and help to capture information more systematically.
https://form.jotformeu.com/212231804934349
These discussions will lay as a groundwork for future possibilities to strengthen crucial data-dependent applications and identify priorities upon which GEO mountains in collaboration with global and local partner organizations can focus to help improve the situation.
Similar consultations will be conducted by GEO Mountains across the world’s mountains (Andes, Central Asia, Hindu Kish Himalaya, East Africa, European Alps, and North America).
The event was held in terms of the project “Strengthening the Climate Adaptation Capacities in the South Caucasus” (SCAC) and the Adaptation Altitude Program funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
