Tools To Support Decision Making

One of the goals of CRED is to provide resources that will be helpful to decision makers and to the public at large as they (and we all) navigate through the uncertainties caused by future climate variability and change. These resources include some very specific tools developed in collaboration with local stakeholders to foster group decision making in project countries. Although created for specific types of decisions, these tools can be adapted and used in other group decision frameworks and other geographic regions as well.

However, CRED also provides access to a broader set of information resources that are vital for the integration of scientific information within the various frameworks that individuals and communities use in decision making. Here the goal is to enable decision makers to understand what they and their constituencies know and, more specifically, how they think about alternative courses of action—or taking any action at all.

The way people process information influences their decision. Information processing tools help us researchers and decision makers understand how different presentation formats can lead to very different decisions.

CRED also tests existing tools, such as the "cone of probability" used to convey the probable extent of hurricane events. Information on these assessments can be found under Tool Assessments.

In addition to tools and information resources, CRED provides access to educational materials for students and project participants, such as farmers.

A further angle of CRED's work is aimed at the development of research tools, such as survey tools and data analysis tool.