TRAINING ACTIVITIES
SADC HYCOS Phase one Rehabilitation
Training held in Pretoria
in May 2007
The PRC held two scheduled
two-day training sessions on SADC HYCOS Phase 1 equipment for Department of Water
Affairs & Forestry (DWAF) regional officials. The training sessions were held
at the PMU and PRC in Pretoria from 14 May to 17 May 2007. The purpose of the training
was to equip participants with basic skills on the maintenance of the AURORA 200
equipment that was installed for the SADC HYCOS Phase 1 Data Collecting Platforms
(DCP’s). The DWAF regional officials were selected to lead teams that would be deployed
in the SADC countries to rehabilitate the Phase 1 DCPs most of which have remained
in a state of disrepair.
To avoid a large clustering
of trainees and to allow for more participation, technicians were grouped into two
classes of fourteen participants each. Apart from DWAF regional office technicians,
PMU staff also attended the training sessions. DWAF
technicians were invited based on the following criteria:
- They already had some basic electronic background
experience working on data loggers and equipment.
- They could assist in practical problems that might
occur at the outstations in the SADC region.
- They could assist in Hydrological upgrades on or
at the outstations in the region.
Theoretical training
was held on the first day of each training session at the PMU offices while practical
training scheduled for second day was held at the Hydrological Workshop in Pretoria
West. The theoretical training session
consisted of introductions by Mr. S. van Biljon, PMU Project Manager followed by
theoretical presentations by Mr. J. Calitz from the PRC. The theoretical training
included introduction to the AURORA 200 equipment, typical installation in the SADC
countries, basic diagnostics and set up of the equipment as well as necessary documentation
for cross-border travel. The practical sessions on the AURORA 200 equipment included
troubleshooting equipment, testing
power supplies, installation of 4-20 mAmp kits and connection of new pressure probes
to logging devices as well as checking antennas.
In summary, the entire
training programme was a great success as each participant was exposed to the necessary
equipment and preplanning. In addition, at the end of the training, each attendee
was urged to make necessary preparations including taking relevant inoculations
as well as making sure that travel documents, vehicle papers, and international
driver licenses were up-to-date. It was also agreed that the PRC would be the departure
point because all the necessary spares purchased by the PMU would be stored by the
PRC in Pretoria West.
J. Calitz DWAF & SADC HYCOS: Industrial Technician & Technical Adviser
SADC HYCOS HYDSTRA Training held in Pretoria in September
2008
A component of the implementation of Phase 2 of the SADC-HYCOS
Project is to provide training in the use and maintenance of of all components of
the database management and associated procedures which will be implemented in the
Region.
In September 2008, Bill Steen, Damian Skinner and Peter
Heweston from Kisters Pty Ltd spent two weeks in Johannesburg providing introductory
training to two groups of representatives from countries in the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) Region. Under the auspices of the SADC-HYCOS Phase
2 project, Hydstra licenses have been purchased for 12 member states while training
has been provided to all SADC countries. The countries represented at the training
included Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
TRAINING DOCUMENTS
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Basics of HYCOS I Equipment
Introduction to SADC HYCOS I DCP Equipment
Troubleshooting HYCOS I Equipment
SADC HYCOS I DCP Diagnostic Procedures and Configuration
Discharge Measurement
Using BB-ADCP for Discharge Measurement
Bottom Layer Motion
Effects of Bottom Layer Motion
Conducting ADCP Discharge Measurements
Procedures for Conducting ADCP Discharge Measurements