Training activities are a crucial part of EUMETSAT activities to help users exploit satellite data. Proper training in the interpretation of satellite data and examples of the diverse uses of satellite data ensures that the images and products from our satellites are utilised to the utmost.

EUMETSAT offers a range of training courses both in classrooms and online, and gives access to a large online library of training material, such as manuals, case studies, and interactive exercises.

In accordance with a five-year training plan agreed upon by the EUMETSAT Council, EUMETSAT participates in various training projects and cooperates with national meteorological services and other meteorological organisations in organising workshops and training courses, and providing easily accessible and up-to-date training material for satellite data users.

EUMETSAT supports the following international training initiatives:

EUMeTrain is an international project which will run over 5 years starting in 2005, dedicated to the development of training material and training methods for satellite meteorology. Goals are to provide users of EUMETSAT data with training material, which will assist in a better exploitation of satellite data, either alone or in combination with other meteorological data. This training material will be in the form of case studies, interactive exercises, manuals, and through distant learning.

EUMETCAL - The European Virtual Organisation for Meteorological Training

The Eumetcal project is funded by EUMETNET (a community of the European meteorological services) and EUMETSAT. Its aim is to facilitate cooperation on providing training in Meteorology, exchange and deliver online material, create lessons, and help on CAL (Computer Assisted Learning) techniques. One of the most important results of this project is the Eumetcal library. The principle of this library is to collect educational resources to be reused by sharing them with other members. These resources, or modules, should ideally be uploaded to the library as basic parts, or granules. Examples could be images, graphs, slides; separate parts that can be downloaded by any user who wishes to build up a lecture or a course.

VIRTUAL LAB

The Virtual Laboratory for Satellite Training and Data Utilization (VL) has been established to maximise the exploitation of satellite data across the globe. The Virtual Laboratory has been designed to allow easy access by students and trainers to a wide range of satellite meteorology training resources. It is a collaborative effort joining the major operational satellite operators across the globe with WMO "centres of excellence" in satellite meteorology. It is hosted on servers in Australia, EUMETSAT, Japan and the USA.