Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) offer a well-proven and highly effective method for River Discharge Monitoring. ADCPs can help you to obtain accurate discharge measurements in a variety of sites ranging from small streams to the largest of rivers.
Location and Date:
Online - 4 half days (9:30 am - 1 pm), Autumn 2022 Dates TBC
Please express your interest in a face to face course here so we can fix more venues and dates.
Cost:
online
Students: £449
Professionals: £499
Group discounts available!
in-person course
£499 for students and £549 for professionals (tbc)
Short Course Description:
This very practical training workshop is for new starters and moderately experienced ADCP users alike.
We will provide a live interactive learning experience via Zoom with virtual breakout rooms. We will also provide recorded videos demonstrating several of the field techniques. These will show deployment of equipment and the collection of river discharge measurements with ADCPs.
The course will introduce you to how ADCP instruments work. You will learn how to collect river discharge measurements with ADCPs from both Teledyne RD Instruments and Sontek. You will work with data we previously collected using remote-controlled boats and unpowered deployment platforms, with a strong focus on the processing and validation of the data. You will also learn how to trouble-shoot problem data files. We encourage you to submit your data for analysis within the course.
You will also learn how ADCP data can help enable the effective use of other river flow measurement techniques, such as surface velocity methods.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, you will be able to…
- Understand the principles of ADCP technology
- Understand how to use ADCP instruments for river discharge measurements
- Choose the best instrument for a given site
- Decide how and where to make a discharge measurement with an ADCP
- Undertake river discharge measurements with an ADCP
- Review, process and validate ADCP river discharge measurements
- Interpret and analyse data from difficult sites and conditions
- Understand how information collected with ADCPs can help enable the use of other river measurement methods, such as surface velocity techniques
Hardware and Software requirements:
We will use two specialist software applications for reviewing and processing ADCP data:
TRDI WinRiverII [registration for a free account required]
Sontek RiverSurveyorLive (You can install this software for free on your computer.)
We will provide guidance on how to download and install this software on your computer with the Joining Instructions
Please note, the TRDI and Sontek software applications run on the Windows operating system only.
You will need a laptop, desktop or Windows tablet. If you use a tablet, a mouse and keyboard will make operating the ADCP software much easier. A second computer screen is helpful for the Zoom sessions, but not essential.
We will use Zoom for interactive online learning. You do not need a Zoom account to join. Please check if your device is compatible with Zoom and if you can download the small Zoom programme here: https://ukri.zoom.us/test
We list a number of guidance documents on how to use Zoom on our FAQ page. We will also explain all Zoom functions at the start of the course.
Places:
max 16 learners per event
Level:
Beginner to Intermediate
Course Leader:
Nick Everard, Senior Hydrometric Scientist, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Nick has been an internationally renowned expert on ADCP technology for over 15 years. He has successfully delivered training courses on river monitoring with ADCPs for over 10 years. Nick’s expertise covers all models of ADCP from both of the market-leading suppliers. Nick is able to provide all the skills and understanding needed for effective operational river flow monitoring.
Additional Trainers
Stephen Turner, Hydrologist, UKCEH
Emily Trill, UKCEH
Target Audience:
- Monitoring agencies such as the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and SEPA
- Rivers Trusts
- Consultancies engaged in river monitoring and assessment work
- Scientists and Hydrologists
- Academics, including PhD students
Previous Course Participants Said:
"This course was a great learning experience, it provided us with excellent learning outcomes including the ability to post process collected data to give the most accurate flow measurement result, guidance on how best to deploy ADCP for best results, good insight in difference between leading technologies and what to watch out for, it opened our eyes to the nuances of the software and post processing.
The course has given us confidence in our practices and procedures, but also encouraged us to review and strengthen our policy on the use of ADCPs.
The trainer brought unrivalled knowledge and expertise and has the ability to communicate that effectively; great effort was made to include flow measurement data collected by attendee’s.
The online setting delivery really worked, it allowed attendees to view and hear course content very well, it facilitated great interaction from participants; it was a very effective means of communicating and much better than expected.
The course is a must for those taking flow measurements and those interpreting data collected.
(Joanne Coomer, Engineer, Hydrometric Section & Peter Newport, Head of Hydrometric Section, Office of Public Works, Ireland, 7 July 2021)
"Very good course delivered by very knowledgeable tutor." (A learner from OPW, Ireland, 19 June 2021)
"The online hosting worked very well allowing focus on subject matter without onsite or classroom distractions" (Peter Newport, Office of Public Works, Ireland, 30 May 2021)
If you would like to arrange for an in-house training workshop on this topic, please contact Dr Ingo Schüder UKCEHtraining@ceh.ac.uk or call 01491 69 2225