The US Geological Survey (USGS) hosted a refresher course for US-based International Charter project managers at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center from 17-18 June 2019.

As a prelude to the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, the USGS organized a training session for existing project managers to assure that they were properly informed of the newest processes and procedures required to act as a PM for a Charter activation. The training course also offered the ability for participants to receive hands-on experience with the most recently released version of project management software known as COS-2.4.

While many of the participants had never acted as a PM for a Charter activation, others were well versed at serving in this role for past events. Those with such experience were able to provide insights into lessons learned from several disaster response types; including volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and multiple hurricanes and resultant flood events. These experiences covered activations from 2018, including the November wildfires in California and the May eruption of Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii.

The wealth of information and knowledge shared will undoubtedly result in a well-prepared pool of project managers, ready to assist in an emergency.