Upstream literally means "upstream". In geography, upstream indicates the source of a stream or river against the normal direction of water flow. The expression used in other different areas such as oil industry, biology, computer science, etc.
In the oil industry, upstream designates the part of the production chain that precedes refining. It covers exploration, development, production and transportation for processing activities.
Oil industry operations are divided into three main parts: upstream, midstream and downstream. Upstream it encompasses the activities of searching, identifying and locating oil sources and transporting this extracted oil to refineries. Midstream it is the stage in which raw materials are transformed into ready-to-use products. Downstream it is the logistical part, that is, the transport of products from the refinery to the places of consumption.
In other areas such as molecular biology, upstream determines the relative positions in the DNA; in computer networking, the term designates the direction in which data transfer is made between client and server.
"Upstream" is the title of an American comedy film directed by John Ford and released in 1927.