Preparing User Communities for the Next Generation of LEO and GEO Environmental Satellites

History suggests that unless the users of new satellite systems understand new data and products, even the best-run systems may go underutilized. Thus, education and training plays a critical role and should commence prior to launch of new satellites and the distribution of products. This shortfall is particularly significant early in the operational life of new systems. This presentation will survey various satellite training programs and web portals which provide training. We will discuss training for both geostationary and polar programs and synergy between the two. We will touch on training programs outside of the United States. Finally, we will mention new trends in training to meet emerging challenges of satellite meteorology in the 21st Century.

We will review satellite training materials which are being developed and provided by a number of different partners. These include the COMET program, the Virtual Institute for Satellite Information Training (VISIT), and the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT), the CIMSS Satellite Blog, and the Naval Research Laboratory's Next Generation Weather Satellite Demonstration Project (NexSat). In several cases the training is closely linked to a “Satellite Proving Ground” for user exposure products which are not yet operationally available to operational users.