About

Good diagnosis of the actual state of the atmosphere is an essential condition for a good weather forecast. Satellite data, Numerical model output and conventional observations (e.g.radio sondes and synops), are the tools for such a diagnosis. A combination of these three enables the forecaster to obtain a proper three-dimensional image of the atmosphere.

The 3D view can even be extended by a fourth dimension; time, by making uses of Conceptual Models.
Conceptual Models (CM) are an important diagnostic tool, widely used by meteorological services. They allow both an Interpretation of satellite data and the subsequent use of this data in combination with other data such as numerical model output and conventional observation data.
Conceptual Models are first described in the early 1990s and, to date, around 80 have been identified and described in various literature.

In 1996, the compilation of a "Manual of Synoptic Satellite Meteorology - Conceptual Models" was started, initially by the Austrian Meteorological Institute (ZAMG), but later in co-operation with the Dutch- and Finnish Meteorological Institutes (KNMI and FMI, resp.). The material produced in this manual is was produced in electronic form as a CD-ROM within the framework of sponsored "SATREP" Project of EUMETSAT and is also available online. This type of Computer Aided Learning-material is now widely used as part of EUMETSAT training courses in satellite meteorology, in the training and operational environments of several Member and Co-operating States and by many other meteorological services and research institutes such as Universities world-wide.

In the SATREP-method a combination of Satellite imagery and CMs is used to make a proper diagnoses of the weather phenomena's and to obtain a qualitative view of the further developments, up to twelve hours ahead, by using the knowledge of lifecycles of the CMs involved.

Satrep Online started in 2006 and is a training product of the international training project EUMeTrain which is sponsored by EUMETSAT. In Satrep Online you can four times a day look at a ste of Meteosat Second Generation satellite images in combination with a corresponding range of basic and derived numerical parameters from the ECMWF model. The Satrep Online is also the platform for monthly weathersessions in which a Satrep Producer takes the lead in a discussion on the actual weather. You can sign up for these events "here".