A Joint EUMETSAT and WMO Training Course on the Use of Satellite Data and Products for Drought Monitoring and Agricultural Meteorology was organized for Regional Associations II and VI at EUMETSAT Headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, from 22 to 25 October.
Students from 11 countries participated in the workshop, covering:
- Operational services by EUMETSAT on Land Satellite Application Facility (SAF) including vegetation, evapotranspiration, forest/bush fire monitoring and risk evaluation (presented by Météo-Belgique); Climate SAF, including radiation monitoring (presented by EUMETSAT); and Hydrology SAF, including soil moisture products (presented by Vienna Technical University)
- Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and Standardized precipitation index (SPI)-based drought monitoring and crop surveys presented by the All-Russian Agrometeorological Research Institute and the Russian Hydrometcenter
- ESA Earth observation capabilities and COPERNICUS services, including Sentinel satellites, vegetation and soil moisture monitoring
Participants discussed access to EUMETSAT and ESA products with trainers, and presented their remote sensing capabilities, on-going projects and research activities, as well as gaps and needs. They also focused on national needs and common issues reinforcing institutional cooperation between national services and establishing working arrangements with the instructors’ institutions. Central Asian countries emphasized that the on-going hydromet modernization in the region funded by the World Bank and the Green Climate Fund, among others, requires revamping national capacities to respond to the growing needs in satellite data and products to supplement the in situ component.
More workshops are planned for the future with the Romanian Hydrometeorological Service expressing its willingness to host the next course.
