Ashgabat, 23-24 November 2018: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management has organized a two-day practical training on the operation of geodetic type equipment of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS). This event was held in the framework of the project “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for Sustainable Water Management in Turkmenistan”, funded by Global Environment Facility.

The training was attended by highly specialized workers of two departments, which are structural subdivisions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, namely the Institute “Turkmensuvylymtaslama” and Production Association “Garagumderyasuwhojalyk”.

GNSS satellite equipment is the main tool for a surveyor in the collection and processing of information during construction, survey and geodetic works. GNSS technologies are also widely used in agricultural activities, both at the stage of soil preparation and its primary processing, as well as at sowing, processing and harvesting. Technical characteristics of such equipment are constantly improving, as new technologies enhance the quality of the equipment. This practical training was conducted using modern equipment acquired in the framework of the UNDP project. After theoretical part of the meeting, the participants went to the research site of the Institute "Turkmensuvylymtaslama" in Geokdepe, where they had practical training on the effective operation of new equipment.

Modern GNSS equipment has a number of economic and environmental advantages. Significant reduction of terms and improvement of the quality of performance of the necessary geodetic works allows to save energy costs and reduce water losses. UNDP plans to donate one set of GNSS equipment to the Institute "Turkmensuvalytmaslama" and the Production Association "Garagumderyasuwhojalyk".