Course: CNO - Cooperative Network Operations

Type of Course: Blended course integrating online course prerequisites and 8.0 days in residence at the NWSTC.

Target Audience: NWS personnel assigned to maintain and/or manage the WFO Cooperative Observation Program (COOP).

Eligible Agencies: NWS-only

Course Start/End Times: Tuesday 8:00 am - Thursday 5:00 pm (Week 2)

Course Travel Information: Travel to the course occurs the Monday before the start of the course. Return travel can begin the evening of the second Thursday, but participants should not schedule return flights departing before 6:30 pm. More specific instructions will be sent to students and supervisors six to eight weeks before the start of the course.

Course Goal: To provide the knowledge and skills needed to maintain and manage the Cooperative Observation Program and its associated equipment, and how COOP supports the Climate, Hydrologic, and Forecast & Warning programs within the NWS, NOAA, and other partner agencies.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

• Describe cooperative network requirements, purposes, and objectives.
• Describe methodologies for COOP site selection and instrument siting based on NWS programmatic requirements and siting standards.
• Learn techniques to recruit and train COOP observers.
• Manage the local COOP awards program.
• Install and maintain cooperative network equipment.
• Demonstrate basic proficiency of administrative duties associated with the COOP program, which includes: metadata documentation, station inspections reports, equipment purchase/replacement, dataflow to meet operational and historical archive requirements, and other duties assigned to support the NOAA, NWS, and WFO mission.
• Describe the role of NCEI and other agencies in relation to the COOP program.
• Perform quality control on cooperative network data.
• Maintain operational programs associated with the COOP Observer Networks (e.g. SIS, WxCoder III, IV-ROCS).
• Describe how Complimentary Observing Programs are used with regards to COOP and the WFO Data Acquisition programs.

Course Content: This course contains a mixture of cooperative program information and equipment repair lessons. There is a strong emphasis of hands-on for observational procedures, instrument siting, metadata collection, and equipment repairs. The course covers topics such as quality assurance and quality control, station visitation, site mapping, metadata documentation and (SIS) usage, equipment preventive maintenance and repair, and snow measurement procedures.

Prerequisites: Course prerequisites are assigned to the student after selection by the region. The student will receive an email with instructions. Prerequisites may include reading assignments, viewing presentations or videos, or participating in discussions or assignments prior to class. Follow-up quizzes will be completed in the NWS Learn Center.

Prerequisites must be completed prior to coming to attending class.

ACE Accreditation: The American Council on Education has not reviewed this course for recommendation of college credit.

• Alzina Foscato
  816-994-3070

Class dates:

• See Training Portal