Virtual Laboratory Training Event in Jincheon, Korea
From 4 – 6 October 2012, Paul Menzel (CIMSS) and Jim Purdom (CIRA) conducted a two and a half day Virtual Laboratory on Training and Education in Satellite Meteorology (VLab) training event at the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) National Meteorological Satellite Center (NMSC) in Jincheon, Korea.
VLab is a global network of specialized training centers and meteorologic satellite operators working to improve the utilization of data and products from satellites.
Twenty-five participants from thirteen countries including Qatar, Bahrain, China (Hong Kong), India, Maldives, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam, Russia, Phillipines, and Korea attended the conference.
According to Menzel, “The training event offered the opportunity to meet people from less familiar (to us) parts of the world, discuss some remote sensing concepts, and share some lighter moments. The goal is for the attendees ‘to absorb’ during the training event and ‘to emit’ when they go home to their institutes; not unlike the CO2 or H2O molecule taking on earth-emitted infrared radiation.”
Lectures covered : Satellite Orbits; Spectral Bands and their Applications; Investigating VIIRS, CrIS, and ATMS data with HYDRA; Development and Evolution of Deep Convection; and Nowcasting Applications with COMS.
Hosted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the KMA, the VLab training is part of the Regional Association (RA) II Pilot Project Virtual Laboratory Training Event. The RA II Pilot Project is dedicated to developing support for national meteorological and hydrological services in satellite data, products, and training in developing countries.