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NWP Course Application Open
by Jaakko Karppanen - Thursday, 29 March 2007, 10:45 PM
 
NWP2007_application.pdf
Eumetcal NWP Course 22 October - 14 December 2007


The second Eumetcal blended learning course will be devoted to Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) for forecasters and delivered by FMI in collaboration with Met.no, ECMWF, DWD and ZAMG from 22 October to 14 December 2007 (exact dates of the weekly online sessions remain to be fixed). Relevant details about this course can be found in the attached announcement. The course will be divided into two distance learning phases, first of which will take place from 22 October to 23 November followed by a four days classroom session in Langen, Germany from 26 to 29 November 2007 and a final distance learning phase from 3 to 14 December 2007.

Due to the nature of the course we require each student to have access to local assistance from technical (ICT) and NWP experts. The availability of local expertise will provide a valuable link with the local working environment. The task of the local tutor is to provide support to the student in cooperation with the Eumetcal Training Support Officer.

The attendance to the weekly live distance learning sessions will require good internet connections (at least 256 Kb/s) and access to a PC with recent Windows operating system and an Internet Explorer browser, as well as relevant multimedia hardware (microphone, headset) at the disposal of the student. Detailed specifications can be found from the website of Eumetcal Courses in due time but no later than 1 October 2007.

You are invited to send applications to this course by 1st June 2007, together with relevant pieces of information directly to the Academic Director, Mr. Vesa Nietosvaara at the FMI.

The participants will be selected based on compliance with target audience definition and prerequisites and also taking into account an objective of sharing training experience over Europe.

Eumetcal NWP Course

LOCATION: DWD Training and Conference Centre (BTZ), Langen, Germany

NUMBER OF VACANCIES: 15, with 9 students minimum to carry out the course

DATES: 22 October to 14 December 2007

22 October to 23 November: total 4 hours per week distance learning with 2 hours of online lessons and 2 hours of self-study or group work weekly

26 to 29 November: classroom training session in Langen (~28 hours total)

3 to 14 December: total 4 hours per week distance learning with 2 hours of online lessons and 2 hours of self-study or group work weekly

DURATION: 8 weeks; roughly 56 hours of training

REGISTRATION FEE: 1000 EURexcluding accommodation and travel

Price for accommodation at the BTZ: 35,50 €/night

Meals: breakfast 5€, lunch and dinner 6€

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 1st June 2007

OBJECTIVES

  • Enhance monitoring skills of numerical models with the observational data
  • Improve the identification skills of typical errors in the models
  • Improve the forecasters' ability to make decisions with contradicting model guidance
  • Deepen the forecasters' understanding of the role of the forecaster with modern automated forecasting systems
  • To improve forecasters' skills in probabilistic forecasting

TARGET AUDIENCE

European operational weather forecasters.

PREREQUISITES

  • Reasonable experience in general weather forecasting
  • Basic knowledge of NWP
  • Strong motivation to develop in their work
  • Sufficient skills in the English language

CONTENTS OF THE COURSE

1. Principles of Numerical Weather Prediction

2. Update on NWP models (strengths and weaknesses, typical errors)

3. Monitoring NWP performance with observational data

4. Handling the situations with contradicting model guidance

5. Probabilistic forecasting

6. Man-machine mix

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