A recent training in Nadi, Fiji demonstrates Earth Sciences NZ capacity to provide effective and tailored professional development for meteorological technicians.
In August, Anuragh Chandra, Earth Sciences NZ Principal Technician – Instrument Systems, delivered a two-week technical training programme at Fiji Meteorological Service Headquarters in Nadi, focusing on Automatic Weather Stations and Hydrological Station systems.
The training was designed at the request of Fiji Met Service, which is development their capability to host a WMO-designated Regional Instrument Calibration Centre. It brought together 18 technical experts from across Fiji Meteorological Service divisions, including Reporting Network & Facilities, Hydrology, Climate, IT, and QMS.
Topics included basic electronics and the use of test equipment, sensor and datalogger theory, data processing and telemetry systems, field-based best practices for station maintenance, data quality control and metadata management, as well as operations and maintenance planning. The programme featured assessments and extensive hands-on practical exercises. Collaboration and peer learning were fostered through group presentations from participating Fiji Meteorological Service teams.
Anuragh’s hands-on training was supported by numerous other Earth Science NZ colleagues, who joined both in-person and online. These included Andrew Harper, who shared valuable insights on WMO standards, Ken Tsau presenting on the Neon Web Portal, a critical data collection and telemetry platform used across many Pacific nations, and Shane O’Neill demonstrating how the CliDEsc platform can be used to track station downtime. Evan Baddock and Alec Dempster shared their expert insights on hydrological instrumentation topics, a key concern in a country which suffers from frequent severe flooding events.