The term "Upstream" has a few different meanings, depending on the context:In the oil and gas industry, "upstream" refers to the exploration, extraction, and production of crude oil and natural gas. This is the first stage of the oil and gas value chain, which also includes the midstream (transportation and storage) and downstream (refining and marketing) stages.In supply chain management, "upstream" refers to the earlier stages of the supply chain, such as raw material suppliers and manufacturers. These stages are "upstream" of the later stages, such as distributors and retailers.In software development, "upstream" refers to the original source of a code change or software development effort. For example, a software project that is "upstream" of another project refers to a project that provides code changes or features that are used in the other project.In each of these contexts, the term "upstream" refers to the earlier or higher level stages of a process or value chain.