Think you have the best job in the world? Think again!
A bold claim I know but how many other jobs allow you to spend your days roaming the Great British countryside (many of our sites are very remote), spotting wildlife, measuring water and making a difference. Oh, and did I mention I also get to drive a 2-metre-long remote-controlled boat? Over the coming weeks, I will be writing a series of blogs to give you a flavour of what my job as a Hydrometry and Telemetry Officer entails, as well as showing you how fun it is as a job and the satisfaction I get from making a difference to people and the environment. I will share with you what I get up to on a daily basis, tell some amusing stories and show how we are working to improve the service we provide to the public.
Firstly, I’ll tell you a little about hydrometry and telemetry. You can dress it up with fancy scientific terms, but basically my job is to measure water in the environment (hydrometry), then figure out a way of sending that data back to the office (telemetry). I tend to work on the measuring rather than sending the information back, although everyone has their own speciality in the team.
My team operates and maintains a network of groundwater, rainfall and surface water sites. In total we look after 600 sites. The data that my team produces is used right across the Environment Agency, from our teams looking after Water Resources, Fisheries and Biodiversity to Flood and Coastal Risk Management. It is also used by external organisations such as the Met Office, Natural England, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), water companies, and even the emergency services. We are constantly looking at innovative ways to enhance the quality of our data and improve individual sites. You could say that hydrometry and telemetry form the foundation of some of the most important functions performed by the Environment Agency.
Despite the geeky scientific name, believe it or not, it this can be quite a high-exposure job. Data that has originated from hydrometry and telemetry teams can find its way to news programs, government meetings and important national projects, especially during floods and droughts.
Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for my next blog, where I will share one of my favourite routine field days.
6 comments
Comment by steve posted on
Excellent good job ...i'll look forward to more about what your getting up to and the cock ups!;
Comment by James Ferretti posted on
Interesting stuff, I look forward to reading more.
Comment by Chris posted on
Interesting blog. Good to find out what hydrometry and telemetry is all about. Looking forward to future posts. Keep up the good work!
Comment by Leon Kay posted on
Sounds like a great career! I cannot wait to read more.
Comment by Nick posted on
Intriguing...really interesting stuff ... What we don't see! will fracking interfere with these measurement?
Comment by stephengaskin posted on
Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." She
placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is
entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!