Satellite Training Activities VISIT, SHyMet,

and WMO VLab Focus Group

Bernadette Connell

Cooperative Institute for Research in the AtmosphereColorado State University

Fort Collins, Colorado

NOAA Satellite Direct Readout Conference, 4-8 April 2011

Virtual Institute for

Satellite Integration Training

Launched in 1998

Mission: To accelerate the transfer of research results from atmospheric remote sensing into NWS operations

Method: Distance education techniques

http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/visit/

Focus on stand-alone sessions

• Satellite Meteorology• Severe Weather• Winter Weather• Tropical• Lightning• Climate• Numerical Weather Prediction• Fire Weather• Other

Recent VISIT sessions - 2011

• Synthetic Imagery from the NSSL 4-km WRF-ARW model in forecasting Severe Thunderstorms

• Synthetic Imagery in Forecasting Orographic Cirrus

• Objective Satellite-Based Overshooting Top and Enhanced-V Anvil Thermal Couplet Signature Detection

• Volcanoes and Volcanic Ash Part 2for various Coastal Effects

VISIT “statistics”

For the period:

April 1999 – March 2011

94 Training topics

1564 Teletraining sessions delivered

23,481 Participants

5496 Web-based registrations via LMS (since 2005)

CIRA: Dan Bikos, Jeff BraunCIMSS: Scott Bachmeier,

Scott Lindstrom

Satellite Hydrology and Meteorology

http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/training/shymet/

COURSES dedicated to operational satellite meteorology

Currently available releasedSevere Thunderstorm March 2011Tropical August 2010Forecasters January 2010Interns April 2006

On the horizon:AviationHydrology

GOES-R Proving Ground Activities

Opportunities• Incorporate GOES-R information

and products • Whole modules or applicable

examples• Blog (CIRA and CIMSS)• Encourage dialogue and feedback

between developers and users.

http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes_r/proving-ground.html

WMO Regional Focus Group Americas and the Caribbean

Organizers: CIRA, US NWS Training Branch, CIMSS, the International Desk at NCEP, RTC in Costa Rica and Barbados

Participants: Antigua, Argentina, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Netherland Antilles, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Paraguay, Trinidad, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

largest session: 40 users logged into VISITview, 30 users logged into Yahoo Messenger

http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/training/rmtc/focusgroup.asp

VISITview browser mode

Yahoo Messenger

Bi-lingual: English and Spanish

KEYS TO SUCCESSMotivationDistribute the workload Cooperation and CollaborationInput – experts and usersNative LanguageBuild capacity

.. also true for VISIT and SHyMet activities

Vlab Focus Group

Number of Countries Participating in Focus Group Sessions

Notes on participation

Participation when coordinated with “events”• Face to Face training• Significant weather eventPersistent participation • Students, Intern forecasters• Trainers• Enthusiasts Recurring intermittent participants • Trainers, seasoned observers, experts

What imagery/tool/approach is needed for training and for forecasting?

• Depends on the audience, their availability, and perspectives.

• Some are “ageless”• Simple is good.