Training on water level measurements and data logger devices (for groundwater level monitoring
On March, 1st and 2nd 2017, the Project “Improvement of Groundwater Protection in Vietnam” (IGPVN) in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) in Ca Mau organized a training course for the DONRE staff on groundwater level measurement with data logger devices (“Diver” model) and the corresponding “Diver-Office” software. This course was based on the manual already prepared earlier in the project. The training course was given by the two hydrogeological experts of the Project: Mr. Florian Jenn and Mrs. Hoang Thi Hanh. The participants included staff of the Sub-Department of Water Resources and the Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Monitoring of Ca Mau DONRE; staff of the Sub-Department of Water Resources of Soc Trang DONRE and a few students of the Department of Geology, HCM City University of Natural Sciences.
At the beginning of the training course, Florian Jenn briefed about the technical activities implemented by the Project in the area of U Minh town, U Minh District, Ca Mau Province, including the pumping and tracer test conducted at the monitoring well group.
Then, participants were acquainted with the data logger device: usability, specifications, installation in monitoring wells, how to connect to a computer to program a monitoring mode and to retrieve the data. They were also shown how to carry out manual water-level measurements using an electrical dipper. This is necessary for cross-checking logger data and as a backup in case of logger failure.
Introducing the data logger to the participants
During the practice session, the participants proceed to install Diver-Office software into their computer and practice the following issues:
– connecting Diver to a computer, set the data recording mode (in hours/minutes/seconds), synchronizing Diver time with the real time, set the start time for Diver
– Read the monitoring data recorded by Diver
– Compensating the data to get water level (above the Diver, with respect to Top of Casing, with respect to the mean sea level) from the hydrostatic pressure data measured by the Diver and the barometric pressure measured by the BaroDiver
– Merging two or more data series into one
– Editing and deleting incorrect data
– Exporting data series from Diver-Office to various file formats
– Backing up and restoring the database of Diver-Office
– Exporting graphs from Diver-Office to an image file format
– averaging the water level (by month/year/season) using Microsoft Excel
Most of the training issues above have been put into the agenda in advance; however, a number of those were supplemented on the training day according to the questions and comments raised by the participants. This highlights that the participants were very interested in the training topic and shows their deep and serious thinking about the problems related to the management of water monitoring data.
Awarding the Certificate to the participants
During this training, participants visited the monitoring well group constructed by the Project in the area of U Minh town, U Minh district and practiced manual water-level measurements and retrieving the monitoring data from the data loggers installed in the monitoring wells to the laptop.
Staff of Ca Mau DONRE measure the groundwater water level at the monitoring well in U Minh
Staff of Ca Mau DONRE retrieve the monitoring data from the Diver
After this training, participants were able to operate the data logger device and Diver-Office software. It was agreed that the staff of the Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Monitoring of Ca Mau DONRE will be responsible for periodic checking and monitoring data downloads at the project monitoring wells in U Minh.