Historically, there has been little input from those affected by space weather to guide where more research is needed for both improvement and societal benefit. Researchers have also been reluctant to reach out to end users for guidance in their research questions. This has led to large improvements in our understanding of the Earth-space environment, with little understanding of which types of space weather will have the largest impact on our lives, our technology, and our economy.

The heliophysics field will greatly benefit from a more transdisciplinary approach. This paper describes the way informed and targeted research can facilitate advancement in the areas necessary to understand the space weather import to specific user groups.