The Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) has provided continuing distance-learning education to a wide spectrum of users in the atmospheric science community since 1990. Distance-learning approaches applied by COMET include CD-ROM based modules, Web-based training modules, teletraining offerings developed in conjunction with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s VISIT (Institute for Satellite Integration Training) program, and courses that employ a “blended” distance-learning approach. The COMET Program also offers a variety of courses and workshops in our classroom facility in Boulder, Colorado.

COMET is funded by both the NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO) and by NESDIS to provide education and training in the area of satellite meteorology. For NESDIS, the focus is on the integration of geostationary and polar-orbiting remote sensing data into operational applications by including examples and training in all the modules and courses that COMET produces. The program also provides updates and revisions to previously released modules when sensor modifications or new capabilities come online with either geostationary or polar platforms.

For COMET’s work with the NPOESS IPO, the focus is on highlighting and demonstrating the future capabilities and applications of the NPOESS system for operational forecasters and other user communities. COMET works with these user communities to stimulate greater utilization of both the training materials and the polar satellite data observations and products. To meet these goals, our NPOESS Training Program generates Web-modules, teletraining sessions, Webcasts, workshops, and created a Web-based information resource portal referred to as the NPOESS Userport. The Userport Website allows communication between the major NPOESS communities including contractors and suppliers, Operational Algorithm Teams (OATS), and operational forecasters, to ensure that developed systems meet the needs of data users. Another integral part of COMET’s satellite training effort is the infusion of satellite data into the production process of all development teams. Each team looks for opportunities to highlight the application of operationally available satellite observations across diverse topics and communities of interest such as aviation weather, boundary layer meteorology, climate, fire weather, hydrology, mesoscale meteorology, northern latitude meteorology, numerical weather prediction, integrated sensor training, and winter weather.

This poster presentation will provide a hands-on overview of COMET’s ongoing satellite training efforts with an emphasis on the preparations for the NPOESS system. Recent training modules, Webcasts and teletraining sessions will be highlighted. Visitors will also be able to see the Userport Web site, a portal developed to integrate information, training, and collaboration tools in support of users of meteorological polar-orbiting satellite data.