Spotter Network Training / Exam in Open Beta

[Tyler Allison]

I'm pleased to announce that the long awaited Spotter Network Training and Exam is ready for open beta. Just in time for severe weather season.

The Spotter Network has partnered with the folks behind the National Storm Research and Training Institute to build the most advanced online training program for severe weather spotters ever. Or at least we think so. The hard work behind the scenes was done by Joshua Jans.

This is not your typical "this is what a tornado looks like" training program. The Spotter Network expects all it's active members to have a basic understanding of the meteorological concepts. We believe you have to understand what you are looking at to really know what to look for.

We highly encourage all spotters to go through the training and take the exam. Within the next 60 days, it will be a requirement for all Spotter Network members that wish to submit reports.

Comments/criticisms/complaints/suggestions for improvements/etc are welcomed!

Please go to the below URL and signup:
http://www.training.disasterweather.org/login/signup.php

Make sure you use the same email address you use on the Spotter Network as this will be the means by which we verify that you have passed the exam when we start enforcing training.

Once you signup you will need a "key" to get into the Spotter Network training program. That key is: spotternetwork2009

-Tyler

[Greg Higgins]

What an awesome training course this is. It might be "basic" but richly embeded with numerous graphics and video! Nicely done.

Greg Higgins

[Joey Ketcham]

I won't have time to go over all of it today, but taking a glimpse at it what a great job! Nicely done.

[Joe Dorn]

Tyler...

I just finished the test with an acceptable grade and now two questions:

(1) How can we tell if we have been given credit for the course?

(2) What is the minimum passing grade?

I notice several minor errors in the course, who do we tell. These are verbiage, not technical errors....

[John Wetter]

Feel free to reply here or in the spotternetwork forum (http://www.spotternetwork.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1637).

[Dann Cianca]

I think this is a horrible idea! What are we going to do without the "look what this R-tard posted on Spotter Network" threads. ;)

[John Wetter]

I think this is a horrible idea! What are we going to do without the "look what this R-tard posted on Spotter Network" threads. ;)

I realize that this will be a great loss to the Stormtrack community, but it is time for change. I understand that change can be scary. We're here to help you through it Dann... :D

Keep the comments coming everyone!

As a reminder, this is part of what was announced in the SpotterNetwork Newsletter sent out in December that's available here:
http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18887

[L.B. LaForce]

Ha, i was looking through this, I noticed the Severe Thunderstorm Criteria has not been updated to 1" hail, its still at 3/4" hail.

[Tyler Allison]

Feel free to reply here or in the spotternetwork forum (http://www.spotternetwork.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1637).


There's also a forum/blog section within the Training program itself if you have feedback.

[Jeff Snyder]

Ha, i was looking through this, I noticed the Severe Thunderstorm Criteria has not been updated to 1" hail, its still at 3/4" hail.

It's only 1" for the Central Region NWSFOs if I recall correctly. The rest of the country is still at 3/4" for severe hail.

[Tim Shriver]

The WFOs are using the 1 inch.

In North Dakota: Bismarck, Eastern North Dakota (Grand Forks);
In South Dakota: Rapid City, Aberdeen, Sioux Falls;
In Minnesota: Minneapolis (Chanhassen), Duluth;
In Wisconsin: La Crosse, Green Bay, Milwaukee (Sullivan);
In Michigan: Marquette, North Central Lower MI (Gaylord), Grand Rapids, Detroit;
In Indiana: Northern Indiana (Webster); Indianapolis;
In Kentucky: Louisville, Paducah, Jackson;
In Illinois: Chicago, Central IL (Lincoln);
In Iowa: Des Moines, Quad Cities (Davenport);
In Missouri: Pleasant Hill, Springfield, St. Louis (plus two counties in the WFO Memphis CWA);
In Nebraska: North Platte, Hastings, Omaha;
In Kansas: Topeka, Wichita, Dodge City, Goodland;
In Colorado: Boulder/Denver, Pueblo, Grand Junction;
In Wyoming: Riverton, Cheyenne (plus one county in the WFO Billings CWA

The test should address this as many of the states are in the "The Alley".


Also 60 is not the lower limit, 58 mph triggers a severe t-storm warning.
As far as I know that is nation wide.

But I like the idea as long it does not supply incorrect information
to our spotters.

Keep up the good work Tyler!

Tim

Tim

[Joe Dorn]

Also 60 is not the lower limit, 58 mph triggers a severe t-storm warning.
As far as I know that is nation wide.



Keep up the good work Tyler!

Tim

Tim

I believe the question you refer to asks which of the following would qualify as 'severe' and the 60MPH would be the only one of the four. The course material refers to 58 as the minimum...

[Laura Duchesne]

Hi Tyler, just passed with flying colors. You guys did a nice job and in fact is a nice little refresher course.

[Adam Lucio]

I got 1 wrong and didnt receive any notifaction stating wether or not i passed, is there a way we can verify this?

Maybe i should have read the material first :p

I glanced through them though and I think the content and the test are very nicely put together especially for beginners.

[Skip Talbot]

One wrong means you passed, Adam. Nice quiz. The picture and video examples were perfect.

[David Drummond]

How long does it usually take to get the email verification when you sign up?

[Rob Herman]

How long does it usually take to get the email verification when you sign up?


I got mine right away.

[David Drummond]

Hmmm, I signed up early this morning and still nothing.

[Jeff Russell]

How long does it usually take to get the email verification when you sign up?

I got mine right away.

Mine also came right away. Maybe it's a Texas thing.:D

[Skip Talbot]

David, I think you were blacklisted. ;)

[David Drummond]

Maybe it's a Michigan thing, since my mailserver is there. I try to log in it just tells me that an email should have been sent to (displays correct email address) and that I need to confirm my login.

[Aaron Wesson]

nice training tool Tyler. I took the test but signed up as living in Broken Arrow, OK I will be moving there in 2 weeks.

[Dean Baron]

I got all signed up but I need to know where it tells me the key to take the training.

EDIT: Nevermind, I saw it on page 1 of the thread

[Ric Burney]

Maybe it's a Michigan thing, since my mailserver is there. I try to log in it just tells me that an email should have been sent to (displays correct email address) and that I need to confirm my login.

I had the same issue, had to email the training site support and they set me up that way. Nice course, takes a little while to get through if you watch all the videos. Good information.

[David Drummond]

They finally got me activated after I emailed. Said there were some issues with the php mail.

I'm tested and good to go!

[Jesse Risley]

The training module and subsequent test were both very well-done. Hopefully this will go a long way towards reducing lower quality reports.

[Maggie Kahman]

Im taking the training right now and was wondering how many times you can you retake the test if you fail it the first time?

[Tyler Allison]

forever at the moment. We'll probably institute a delay of some sort eventually.

[Kurt Hulst]

Whoo who!! I passed. I got one wrong. It was a nice refresher since i did not go to a Skywarn class this year, did not have time. Good tool for beginners and a nice way to try and keep inaccurate reports from occurring.

[Scott Weberpal]

Woot 100%! Now I can make bogus reports!! ;)

[MatthewCarman]

How long does it take to get the e-mail? I got a message it had been sent but it is not in my inbox yet. This is a very good idea btw :)

[Maggie Kahman]

It took me three times to pass it, the questions werent even all that hard. I was worried that they would be. Im glad i took it. Funny though, it also took me three times to get my drivers license...lol

[CZandbergen]

The training was pretty good. It was helpful for this newbie. I missed one the first time I took the test. Have to look very close at some of the videos...

[Jason Tunzer]

Got it done! The wind question got me though :( Just wasn't paying enough attention. Great job guys for putting this together! Hope this helps with the reports.

[MatthewCarman]

I did pretty good on my first attempt. I only had 3 wrong. The first video I did not notice the condensation funnel on the ground but I did the second time I took the test. I recieved 100% correct on my second try. Nice spotter training program :)

[Tony Perkins]

I thought the material was a bit long for the purpose of becoming an authorized spotter, but it was an excellent collection of material. All people should check this out regardless. The graphs and animations are excellent!

[ntkilpatrick]

This is awesome! Thanks for the post.

[cedwards]

Very well put together.
The only confusing part during the test was the buttons to save or save all annd submit. I think it should automatically save when you go to the next page. (Maybe it does).

Anyway. I passed 100% !!!!!

[David Drummond]

I have to admit, I was a bit confused if I was supposed to save before going on to the next page as well.

[terra seright]

Just signed up, looks great! I'll be taking the course when I have more time. Thanks!!

[Richard Dickson]

Thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn some more weather information. This course was presented in a logical manner and the visuals were very good. These folks put a lot of work into the product. I was a little more concerned about passing than what I should have been but that helped keep the study focused.

I thought by keeping this thread active and 'bumping' it up every so often, a few more folks might spot it and give the training a try.

[Marcus Hicks]

I really liked it. I thought the information was presented really well. I think the best part is the exam. Forced me to focus on all the info, not knowing what as on the exam.

[David Wolfson]

I guess one wrong passes :) . I also think the test was very good and not a wrote derivation from the material. The video id's were pretty subtle on the small laptop monitor I was using. It's a good idea that SN is doing this to keep the report quality high. Good work, Tyler et al!

[Chris Monahan]

I did this test myself for the first time and i must say it is very well done. The Spotter Network along with espotter are the 2 good services to use. I believe this is a good thing to do to prevent un needed storm reports.

[Bart_Comstock]

Tyler, thanks for tossing one of my videos into the test. It was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon while filling it out.

[Tyler Allison]

I hope they gave you credit

[Richard Dickson]

Thought I would 'bump' this to the top of the pile one more time.

Many folks are killing time waiting for the advent of something to chase. The course is not complicated and it's a good refresher even for the advanced folks. This would give you and a chase partner something to talk about besides whose turn it was to go to Allsups for the next round of burritos and sodas. Also give the rabbits a rest from having rocks thrown at them.

[Tyler Allison]

And it's no longer in beta or optional :)

If you don't take the training class and pass the exam at the end by June 1, you won't be allowed to submit reports at the Spotter Network.

[Johnathan Brouwer]

I will remind all that you must register on the test site with the SAME email you registered on SN with...

I was a dummy and did not and was wondering why it showed I still needed to take the test...I have now changed my email and hope it gets updated soon. BTW, it is a excellent review and well thought out.

Thanks for doing this TA!

[Steve Worthington]

I only got a 92 :confused: But I`m just a chaser and not a reporting spotter ;)
Was fun and I did learn a thing or two.

[Andrew.Gardonia]

Read the homework part while sitting here watching the Lakers/Nuggets game and got an 18/20 for 90% not too shabby for a noob!!! :D

[Joe beier]

Didn't know the cutoff date was the first ... I better get home and get started on this.

[Joe beier]

I signed up but I'm not getting the confirmation email:confused:

[John Wetter]

I signed up but I'm not getting the confirmation email:confused:

It's almost guaranteed to be in your spam then as it goes out automagically. Take a look there and submit a support request via their site if you still don't see it.

[Joe beier]

It's almost guaranteed to be in your spam then as it goes out automagically. Take a look there and submit a support request via their site if you still don't see it.

Sent an email. I'm 99% sure I don't have a spam folder so I'm not exactly sure what's wrong.

[Joe beier]

Could I just change my email in spotter network temporarily while I do the test then change it back to my regular email afterward?

[Tyler Allison]

yes...just wait an hour or two before you switch back so there's time for the SN to synch with the training module.

[Andrew.Gardonia]

Didn't know the cutoff date was the first ... I better get home and get started on this.

takes about 90 minutes to do it. have fun. pretty easy.

[Joe beier]

yes...just wait an hour or two before you switch back so there's time for the SN to synch with the training module.
Done and passed ... I hope it everything syncs up correctly :eek:
takes about 90 minutes to do it. have fun. pretty easy.
hahah I took exactly 90 minutes ... it was fun really ... a nice refresher.

[Jerry Prsha]

90 minutes?! To take the test? Or am I misunderstanding? If it took me 5 minutes, I'd be shocked.

You must mean to go through all of the raining material and then the test?

[Joe beier]

90 minutes?! To take the test? Or am I misunderstanding? If it took me 5 minutes, I'd be shocked.

You must mean to go through all of the raining material and then the test?

Yea I meant going through everything.

[Andrew.Gardonia]

90 minutes?! To take the test? Or am I misunderstanding? If it took me 5 minutes, I'd be shocked.

You must mean to go through all of the raining material and then the test?

no, 90 minutes to read through everything and take the test.

[Steve Worthington]

Oh, there was reading?
Well shoot, wished I would have known :rolleyes:

[Ryan Moats]

17/20 out of 20 the first time for a noob

20/20 100% for the second time. Pretty proud, information will be MUCH more helpful for knowledge and chasing.

[Connor Keef]

I have to admit, I was a bit confused if I was supposed to save before going on to the next page as well.

This is why I failed the first time!

[Elinor McLennon]

I passed with a 90. Enjoyed the reading. They did a good job.

[john.sibley]

The SN training is a great tool and resource. Too many people were downloading with no experience. Now this puts everyone on a minimum level.

[terra seright]

I passed with a 95. This was so very informative!! I enjoyed it very much, and know so much more now than I did before taking the course. A seasoned fellow spotter in my area actually complemented me on my knowledge, and had no idea that I'd taken the added training!

I feel more confident about reporting what I'm seeing, and don't over-report with things that don't matter. I can also debunk bad reports, because I know the difference.

This training was a great addition to the spotter training that I have had locally.

Great Job!!

[Mike Pohlen]

Very well done.

I've been through multiple training classes and full-day workshops and still learned a thing or two.