Identifying and Quantifying Benefits of Meteorological Satellites

Abstract

he Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS) provides an international forum for the exchange of technical information on geostationary and polar-orbiting meteorological satellite systems. In 2013, the CMGS established the Socioeconomic Benefits Tiger Team (SETT) to develop a credible methodology and common terminology for articulating the socioeconomic benefits of satellite observing systems, and to explore the most effective ways to communicate the benefits to decision makers and stakeholders. As part of its first years? activities, the SETT gathered examples of socioeconomic studies across all member organizations. This article describes key elements of these studies, and identified eight key themes that are presented. We welcome additional collaborations to identify opportunities to incorporate socioeconomic best practices, integrate these into additional or subsequent phases of work on new instruments and satellites, and develop recommendations for the way forward for the broader meteorological community.