The course consists of both instructional materials and virtual workshops. The instructional materials introduce participants to the different types of environmental satellite data, including ocean color, sea surface temperature, sea surface height, salinity, and ocean surface winds.

In the workshops, participants are provided with individual and group assistance to use tools to locate online satellite data at the spatial and temporal coverage appropriate to their needs and download the data into the software of their choice. We generally focus on R, ArcGIS, and Python, because of the popularity of these software packages, however participants using other software packages are also welcome.

Participants are expected to come to the course with a specific project to work on during the workshops. For example, if their project is to merge tagged animal tracks with satellite data, they should bring track data with them. Participants get more out of the workshop if they have specific questions or projects to work on.

The courses are geared towards National Marine Fisheries Service and National Ocean Service scientists, but non-NOAA participants are welcome if space permits. Hundreds of people have taken this course, with participants from each of the six fisheries science centers, many of the marine sanctuaries, as well as other government agencies such as the US Coast Guard, US Geological Survey and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

There is no fee associated with the course, but participants will be requested to submit a single PowerPoint slide that discribes the projects they worked on during the course.

Dates and locations of past courses

To date, only one course has been scheduled for 2021. Additional courses may be added as the year progresses.

 

To be notified about future courses, contact Cara Wilson or sign-up for course updates using the form on this page.