Satellite International Training Working Group Summary of 2019 Events: Lessons Learned and Continuing Education Plans

The Satellite International Training Working Group (SITWG), formerly known as the GOES-R International Working Group, was created to prepare users for NOAA’s new generation environmental satellites, identify and coordinate international user training needs focused throughout the Americas, with special attention on National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) in the Caribbean and Central & South America. Membership includes representatives from NESDIS, NWS, and NOAA Cooperative Institutes with NESDIS serving as the lead through the GOES-R Product Readiness and Operations (PRO) team. The SITWG meets regularly to evaluate the opportunities for GOES-R, JPSS and GEONETCast Americas (GNC-A) training involving the international community. The groups collects individual training requests, identifies the appropriate subject matter experts and training specialists to create and present materials, and determines venues where training might best be conducted. Using knowledge from various offices, the needs of international users can be better understood, resulting in more effective planning for training efforts and events. This presentation will highlight the extensive training work of the SITWG in 2019, summaries and lessons learned from the targeted trainings offered in Canada, NOAA/NASA Satellite Meteorology Summer Workshop in Fort Collins Colorado; and the WMO RA-III and RA-IV events in Barbados and Peru. In conclusion, the SITWG is making plans for 2020 user engagement and seeks input from the user community to help us establish priorities going forward.