The COMET Program and satellite meteorology education resources: Preparing for the next generation meteorological satellites

The COMET® Program (www.comet.ucar.edu) receives funding from NESDIS and the NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO), with additional contributions from the GOES-R Program Office, EUMETSAT, and the Meteorological Service of Canada to directly support education and training efforts in the area of satellite meteorology. This partnership enables COMET to create educational materials of global interest on the products and operational applications from geostationary and polar-orbiting remote sensing platforms. By working closely with experts from the Naval Research Laboratory, NOAA-NESDIS, EUMETSAT, and various user communities, COMET is able to stimulate greater utilization of both current and future satellite data observations and products. Over the last several years, COMET's satellite education programs have included a significant focus on the capabilities and applications of the U.S.'s next generation polar-orbiting and GOES-R satellite system and their relevance to operational forecasters and other user communities. The body of Internet-based modules that addresses user preparedness for these future systems will continue to grow as launch dates approach and more resources that help demonstrate operational capabilities become available. In addition, COMET has broadened the scope of its online training to include materials on the EUMETSAT Polar-orbiting System (EPS) and Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) geostationary satellites. EPS represents an important contribution to the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS) and Joint Transition Activities (JTA) agreements between NOAA and EUMETSAT, while Meteosat imaging capabilities provide an important proving ground for the next generation GOES-R imager. COMET's activities have also recently expanded to support updating and modernization of older modules to better serve the learning community. The goals of this effort are; 1) to ensure they provide information on the most current satellite capabilities, operations, and data products; and 2) enhance the learning experience by leveraging today's modernized methods and technologies for presenting multimedia. This presentation provides an overview of COMET's recent satellite education efforts and publications, highlighting new materials relevant to both polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites. In addition to being freely available to everyone via the MetEd Web site (www.meted.ucar.edu/topics_satellite.php), all of COMET's satellite modules can also be found amongst a growing body of satellite information and training resources within the Environmental Satellite Resource Center (ESRC) Web site (www.meted.ucar.edu/esrc). The ESRC, developed and supported by COMET since 2008, provides search capabilities and free access to all low Earth orbiting and geostationary satellite information and education. It is intended as an international “one stop shop” for accessing complete lessons and information, as well as mini-learning objects from multiple trusted sources. The ESRC site is a community-driven resource where everyone is invited to submit resources and is sponsored by the NPOESS IPO, NOAA, and NESDIS.