Application of the NWS/COMET® Case Study Library to Development of Web-based Training

The Case Study Library developed by the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) provides meteorological datasets for research and training development. Funded by the NWS Office of Services, this project is a collaborative venture between the NWS, the COMET Program, Unidata, and the Joint Office for Science Support (JOSS). The diverse events included in the library provide a wealth of data for development of both online and classroom based training exercises.

The cases included in the NWS/COMET Case Study Library represent challenging forecasting events of classical weather phenomena in addition to local effects on weather systems. Regional examples of summer-time convection and winter storms have been incorporated to expand the geographical coverage of the library. Supplemental products provided for each case include weather summaries, sample graphics, supplemental data, and laboratory exercises.

In order to better utilize the data for training, case study templates developed by the COMET Program have been employed to develop local Web-based exercises. These templates provide a way to present animated graphics, a variety of question formats, and opportunities for local testing and feedback. A detailed description of using these templates and examples taken from cases in the case study library provide a means for demonstrating the utility of the software.