Since October, 2020, meteorological forecasters from Republic of Seychelles in Africa has mastered a new skill, namely, harnessing Fengyun meteorological satellites to track tropical cyclones and correct weather forecast and thus diminishing destructive impacts of disasters on agriculture and fishing in this country. According to the forecaster, via the International Distance Training Course on the Application of Satellite Products, they have learned many approaches on applying FY satellites and remote sensing technologies to analyze weather conditions.
In 2020, China Meteorological Administration (CMA) has held 5 sessions of online international training courses, with a cumulative number of trainees from over 90 countries totaling 1440.
Training contents cover short range climate monitoring and forecasting techniques, ground surface observation facilities installation, utilization and maintenance, meteorological disaster preparedness technology, satellite product application, and so on. They aim to help trainees to improve knowledge level, master common monitoring, diagnosis and forecasting approaches, and promote disaster preparedness work in all countries.
Previously, this kind of training was carried out face to face and about 300 trainees would participate in relevant courses in China each year.
From offline to online, training courses have attracted trainees from Switzerland, the United States, and Germany. And trainees from developing countries have formed groups to sign up for courses for a few times.
In 2020, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared that WIGOS made the transition to operational stage and training courses like these which helped countries to ramp up observation capacities and enable their data to engage in global sharing were what the international meteorological community called for.
An official from Infrastructure Commission of WMO highly appreciated the online international training courses provided by China’s meteorological departments, saying that the training could provide reference for WMO, and hoped that both sides could reinforce cooperation and dispatch expert teams to give lectures.
China’s meteorological departments will continue to perform responsibilities as WMO Regional Training Centres, share strategic outlook and management approaches as to meteorological development, and advance international cooperation and disaster preparedness with the concept of a community of shared future for mankind.
Author: Li Yipeng, Gao Feng, Deng Jingmian, Wu Ziyu
Editor: Liu Shuqiao