Datasheet

8
Data Retrieval, Processing and Final Storage in the Nile Basin Database
FAO regional project GCP/INT/752/ITA – Nile Basin Water Resources is committed in establishing a limited water
resources monitoring network in the Nile Basin region. The adopted monitoring network consists of 21 meteorological
and 14 hydrological stations to be either rehabilitated or newly implemented at key points in the Nile Basin. These
stations will be supplied with conventional and/or fully automatic equipment depending upon the priorities of the
hydrometeorological departments in the respective beneficiary countries. This network is a continuation of the efforts
made by the previously concluded FAO Lake Victoria Water Resources Project, which has already established, fully
automatic 14 hydrological and 4 meteorological stations in the Lake Victoria region of the Nile Basin. The network is
no doubt inadequate as compared to the identified needs and water resources development priorities in the region.
The beneficiary countries have placed, with slight variation an emphasis and scope, a high priority on sustainable
and environmentally sound water resources development in the Nile Basin region to satisfy rapidly increasing water
demand for irrigation to increase food production, hydropower production and domestic and industrial water supply.
For this reason, substantial additional efforts and resources will be necessary to address the remaining gaps in the
environmental and water resources data and information by expanding further the monitoring network and geo-
referenced database system established by the FAO Projects in the region.
Recognizing the importance of the established nucleus monitoring network in this context, the project is making
every effort to secure its sustainable and technically sound operation and maintenance, as well as collection of data
from the network, data quality control, processing and final storage into the Nile Basin database. To this effect most
of the stations in the adopted network are being furnished with state of the art data loggers and hydrometeorological
measuring sensors which require minimum efforts and material for operation and maintenance. It is important to
mention that the experience gained from the automatic equipment installed by the concluded Project have been
proved, now for years, to be successful. Furthermore the project is developing a series of technical manuals and
conducting comprehensive on-the-job training seminars and workshops in the region on all aspects of equipment
installation, station operation and maintenance and data processing.
The Manual on Data Retrieval, Processing and Final Storage into the Nile Basin Databases is the latest in the
series. Its first version was written in January 99 during the previously concluded FAO GCP/RAF/304/JPN and has
now been revised due to the rapidly changing technology in its hardware and software installed in the Nile Basin. The
manual, at present, has also been subsequently used for training of national professionals in Rwanda, Kenya and
Uganda and is expected to be used for training of national professionals in other countries. The experience gained
during these practical training sessions was used to substantially simplify and improve many of the procedures
in this revised version of the manual. The project is thankful to all the trainees in the region for their enthusiastic
participation in the training sessions conducted so far and the extraordinary efforts in mastering the technology.
Based on evaluation of skills and know-how already in place in 4 countries of the region in this field we are confident
that the revised Manual presented hereby will further contribute towards the achievement of the major goal: the
sustainable and technically sound operation and maintenance of the monitoring network established by the Project
in the region, including the collection, quality control and processing of data generated in the network.
Dr. Mohammad Chebane
Chief Technical Advisor
October 2001, Entebbe, Uganda
Foreword
Foreword