The MED-GOLD dashboard is an easy-to-use visualisation tool that provides access to past climate information and future predictions at different time scales. Under the climate change context, which in the near future is likely to exacerbate extreme weather and climate events, such as droughts and heatwaves, this information becomes key for grape growers and wine producers.
To show the potential value of the dashboard for the wine sector, the MED-GOLD project organised an online workshop addressed to users from Sogrape, a wine company which is one of the end-users participating in the project.
During the workshop, that took place last April 16, 2021, the MED-GOLD dashboard was showcased to participants from different areas of the Sogrape company, who had the opportunity to have a preview of the tool, which has been co-developed with users to ensure that it addresses the needs and expectations of the wine sector.
The workshop was facilitated by partners from the University of Leeds and attended by 19 participants from different departments of Sogrape such as senior management, oenology, viticulture, R&D, production and logistics. The event was divided into two sessions. The first session was held in English and started with an introduction using a video of the tool and the tool’s online version, followed by descriptions of the three types of climate information that users can access, namely historical information, seasonal forecasts and long-term climate projections.
The second session was run in Portuguese and aimed to set the procedure for the assessment of the tool’s added value for decisions in the grape and wine sector. Hence, during this session the users were asked to provide examples of key decisions in their area of expertise that are influenced by climate conditions throughout the year. After the workshop, users are expected to engage with and test the tool for the next 6 weeks in order to understand the extent to which the dashboard could help their decision-making and to provide feedback on their weekly interactions with the dashboard. This testing period will be followed by semi-structured interviews that will help us further assess the added value of the tool in the wine sector and which will be conducted by the University of Leeds in June 2021.
The workshop was well-received by Sogrape participants, who were positive about the possibility of being involved in the 6-week exercise and happy to have a first-hand opportunity to try the MED-GOLD dashboard tool. Obtained results will allow the project to have a better understanding of the range of benefits that the tool can provide to the wine sector in facing the challenge of better adapting to a changing climate.
Explore the User Guide of the MED-GOLD Dashboard for wine sector users
Written by José L. Cánovas (Barcelona Supercomputing Center)
