Description

The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) mission is the first space-based instrument to continuously measure daytime air quality over North America — from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and from Central Canada to Mexico City. These data are essential for understanding diurnal changes in air quality and monitoring real-time movement of smoke and dust. 

This three-day in-person Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) training provided an overview of TEMPO observations, showed users how to access and visualize the data, while also highlighting examples of air quality applications in the Western U.S. We also covered other missions and datasets that can complement TEMPO for additional insights that support air quality forecasting and management.

This in-person training was held in collaboration with the TEMPO applications team and the Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC), and it was hosted by the Western States Air Resources Council (WESTAR) at Colorado State University.

Dates

Aug. 5-7, 2025

Location 

Fort Collins, Colorado

Prerequisites

• Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
• An Inside Look at How NASA Measures Air Pollution
• Accessing and Analyzing Air Quality Data from Geostationary Satellites (Part 1)
• NASA Earthdata Account
• Google Account for Colab Access
• Install RSIG3D

Objectives

By the end of this training, attendees will be able to:

• Identify TEMPO capabilities and available data products;
• Describe the strengths and limitations of TEMPO compared with existing satellite and ground-based remote sensing tools and with in situ observations for measuring air quality;
• Recall TEMPO data distribution interfaces and be able to visualize data online as well as download files;
• Apply data toward primary air quality challenges using visualization tools and Python codes.

Audience

State, local, and tribal air quality managers in the Midwestern and Western U.S., as well as air quality professionals from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector.

Course Format

Three-day, in-person workshop

Sessions

Day 1: Introduction to TEMPO and Remote Sensing for Air Quality Monitoring

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025

Day 2: Data Analysis and Visualization

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025

Day 3: Applications, Case Studies, and Real-World Implementation

Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025