The RISA program was founded in 1995 as an experiment in the delivery of climate information to decision makers. This project applies organizational ethnographic methods to develop a comprehensive history of the program and a description of its structure and function. The 20-year anniversary of the RISA program is an excellent time to reflect upon how RISA was created, how it has developed, and what other boundary and climate service organizations can learn about how to structure their programs to optimize climate service delivery, collaborative knowledge development, and learning within the organizations.
Understanding how the broader RISA program was founded, how it has developed over the last 20 years, and how it currently functions can provide us with valuable insights into how to build and maintain other climate services or climate-focused boundary organizations.