Our Users

A variety of groups use climate information and data products, each with distinct needs and technical capabilities. These categories of users, called “User Personas” derived from a series of workshops and user engagement conversations led by the Cal-Adapt engagement team. Cal-Adapt’s tools, functionalities, and applications meet the unique needs of the User Personas.

These User Personas include:

User Persona	Description
Technical User	A non-academic technical user who works hands-on with climate tools and data to conduct detailed analyses and meet specific technical and decision-making needs.
Semi-Technical User	A semi-technical user operates between technical users and decision-makers, and seeks broader examinations of climate data and analytics, sufficient to communicate high-level information to decision-makers.
Policy User	A policy user is a decision-maker who seeks high-level climate information, and has authority to influence behavior and outcomes within the energy sector.
Academic / Researcher	An academic or researcher is engaged in accessing and examining climate data for scholarly or research purposes.
Public Consumer / Learner	A public consumer or learner is an individual interested in climate change, seeking to gain a better understanding of climate-related and related issues.

Some users deploy Cal-Adapt tools and data for discrete, detailed analyses, while others only require broader knowledge on climate related issues. A user’s technical capacity and climate information needs may evolve over time and with use of climate data. Cal-Adapt seeks to be a valuable resource for climate data across these user groups. While the Analytics Engine caters specifically to technical, semi-technical, or research users in the energy sector, the Climate Explorer caters to policy users, educators, and public consumers of climate information.