Climate services are means through which environmental data is made available and accessible to stakeholders. In doing so, climate services provide stakeholders with information on climate processes and risks for a particular area. Stakeholders can use this information to support decision-making with regards to the implementation of climate adaptation measures. 

From flood risks to levels of heat stress, climate services can make all kinds of data accessible to stakeholders. They are especially useful for decision-making when the data they provide is local, accurate, and up-to-date. For example, when water professionals can access precise information with regards to flood prone areas within the catchment they are responsible for, they can subsequently focus adaptation efforts on these particular areas. 

Much of the information necessary to support decision-making for climate adaptation already exists. This data is acquired through satalites as well as on-the-ground measurements. However, accessing this data is difficult for most stakeholders. Accessibility goes beyond availability, and also refers to the usability of this data. Climate services can make existing data accessible by presenting and structuring this data in a manner that is useful for the goals of each stakeholder. The challenge of developing new climate services therefore does not lie in the acquirement of data, but rather in finding the best manner through which data is made accessible to stakeholders. 

When it comes to new climate services, the experiences and needs of stakeholders should be considered at the very start of the development process. The Horizon Horizon2020 EIFFEL project aims to unlock the full potential of existing satelite data through the development and uptake of new climate services in 5 pilot areas. One of these pilot area is the cross-border Aa/Weerijs catchment in the Netherlands and Belgium; nature-based solutions are implemented in this area as part of Co-adapt. In the EIFFEL project, the experiences and needs of stakeholders in the various pilot areas are used as a starting point for the development of the climate services.