Home Help Guidance to search function
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Guidance to search function

The Climate-ADAPT Database (DB) content can be searched through multiple (not mutually exclusive) options: keywords, questions and filters. The system allows a sequential search to filter the information according to the interests of the users.

First look at the search page

When you reach the search page here, you are presented with two options:

  • Search with a question or keyword (described below)

  • Search by ‘Types’ or ‘Countries’. This option provides a statistical overview of the database with access to the main content categories. Also, you can narrow your interest to a specific country (via the ‘Countries’ tab). The item number refers to the number of entries in the database for that specific category.

Search with a question or keyword

The search by keywords lets you specify any particular term you want to find.
The search by question lets you formulate any specific question you might have in a natural language. We do not generate answers, instead we direct you to an answer based on the documents that match that question. Find some ideas on how you can obtain the best results in theSearch tips section below.

Search by FILTERS

Using the filters you may be selective (set specific constraints) about what DB items should be returned as search results. You can select the features displayed under the search input field of the of the Climate-ADAPT search page, namely: ‘Climate Impacts’, ‘Adaptation Elements’, ‘Transnational regions’, ‘Key Type Measure’, ‘Funding Programme’, ‘Adaptation Sectors’, ‘Type of Item, ‘Item from third parties’ and ‘Countries’. You can select one or multiple filters and one or multiple filter criteria simultaneously (by ticking the relevant box(es)). You get the DB items that match ALL the criteria that you have chosen.

  • The ‘Type of Item’ filter allows you to search for one or multiple types of DB items. (Example – If you want to retrieve only indicators, you can tick the box titled: ‘Indicators’ in the ‘Type of Item’ filter and the search results will contain only indicators).

  • The ‘Adaptation Sectors’ / ‘Climate Impacts’ / ‘Adaptation Elements’ filters allow you to retrieve only the DB items relevant to one or multiple ‘Adaptation Sectors’/‘Climate Impacts’/‘Adaptation Elements’ and related selected (one or multiple) filter criteria.

  • The ‘Funding Programme’ retrieves items relevant to a specific programme.

  • ‘Item from third parties’ filters content from external sources.

  • The ‘Countries’ / ‘Transnational regions’ filters can be used to select only the items related to one/more countries / transnational regions.

  • The ‘Key Type Measure’ filter narrows your search down to specific KTM.

  • Each of the filter sets above can be sorted alphabetically or ‘by count’, in ascending or descending order.

Search tips

You are free to use either just one of the above described search options or combine both of them, depending on the objectives of the search you are doing. In principle:

  • if you want to explore the content related to a specific ‘Type of Data’ / ‘Adaptation Sectors’ / ‘Climate Impacts’ / ‘Adaptation Elements’ / ‘Countries’ / ‘Transnational regions’ / ‘Key Type Measure’, it is advisable using the Search by FILTERS first, so as to narrow down the available options and screen some of the results, and then refining the search results using the KEYWORD(S);

  • if you want to explore the content related to a keyword, it’s best starting with the Search by KEYWORD, observing the types of results retrieved by the system, then directing the focus to the relevant parts of those results (e.g. a certain type of DB item), or narrowing down the results using the FILTERS. In general, since the keywords system doesn’t recognize synonyms or more advanced logics, it is advisable to explore several keywords when trying to find specific DB item(s).

  • if you have a specific question you can write it directly in the search bar.
    When possible, we show direct answers to your queries if our system automatically detects them within the top search results. The highlighted answers are generated only from content available on our websites. We do not provide answers from other sources or generate new content. You can navigate the highlighted answers via the left-right arrows at the top.
    Our algorithm aims to provide you the most relevant and up-to-date results. In some cases, however, the algorithm could display results which are not the most relevant or up-to-date content we have available. We would be grateful if you could let us know. Your feedback can help us improve the algorithm, and hence the search results.

Display of search results

Regardless of the choice done to perform the search, the DB search results are displayed by default in a list of 10 items per page, sorted by relevance, with the most relevant displayed first. By default the results include documents published in the last 5 years.

You can manually sort the results in other orders: alphabetically by their title (Title a-z or Title z-a) or by date (Newest or Oldest), by clicking in the corresponding text. You can also choose to include archived content in the search.

If you run into any problems, or have questions not addressed in this help file or the FAQ for users, don’t hesitate to contact us with your question: climate.adapt@eea.europa.eu