Operator`s manual
44
Installation, Operation and Maintainance of Automatic Meteorological Stations
Met Station Compound
7.1 General
The datalogger housing, sensors, and solar panel are attached to a tripod tower, which is placed in the center of the
fenced Met Station compound.
The compound is solely designated to the Meteorological Station. It should not be used for other purposes what
so ever.
7.2 Construction
The compound should be constructed according to the design presented in Annex 7. This design stems from the Field
Report on Survey and Design of Nabuyongo Meteorological Station in the Lake Victoria Basin by the National Focal
Point Institution, Ministry of Water, Mwanza, Tanzania.
It has been adopted as the standard design for compounds for Automatic Met Stations installed under the Nile
Basin Water Resources Project.
7.3 Maintenance
If constructed properly and not subjected to vandalism, the compound only needs minor maintenance. This includes
the following:
Check during every visit if the fence is still firmly in place without holes, make necessary repairs •
immediately;
Check during every visit if the poles are still placed firmly in the ground, re-implant them securely if •
necessary;
During every visit remove plants, weeds and trees growing up to the fence as well as other objects placed •
against it;
During every visit, check if the door still closes properly and can be locked securely; make sure a padlock is •
in place;
During every visit, remove all plants and trees growing in the compound, slash the grass and keep the ground •
level;
During every visit, check if the grounding rod is still firmly in place and free of obstacles;•
Periodically, remove trees, plants and other objects in the immediate vicinity of the compound which could •
affect proper measurement of the climatological parameters or could shade the solar panel;
During every visit, make sure the plaque containing information on the purpose and use of the Meteorological •
Station is still in place and readable.
Met Station Compound