USE OF OPERATIONAL SATELLITE DATA IN CENTRAL AMERICA TO SUPPORT DISASTER MANAGEMENT

In order for Central American countries to respond to weather related disasters, they need to have strong meteorological forecasting capabilities, knowledge of the current state of the land and water resources, and emergency plans of action. In response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Mitch (October 1998), the United States Agency for International Development funded a project through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), and the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere to improve the forecasting capabilities in Central American countries. The project included upgrading the geostationary satellite receive capabilities and installing a data server at the Instituto Meteorologico Nacional (IMN) in San Jose, Costa Rica to serve digital satellite data to the surrounding countries through the Internet. Project plans included the installation of Personal Computers loaded with McIDAS/RAMSDIS software in Costa Rica and the surrounding six countries (Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama). Training sessions were scheduled on the use of the RAMSDIS systems and satellite imagery interpretation. In addition, a visiting scientist from IMN was selected to work with the NOAA/NESDIS Hydrology Team in Camp Springs, Maryland to adapt the satellite based rainfall techniques for Central America to be used by the forecasters and for input to hydrologic models. This project was successful in part due to prior cooperative efforts in the region. This article chronicles events both prior to and during the project and presents ongoing efforts in the region.