In November 2024, the nke Instrumentation team was proud to welcome two members of Chile’s Oceanographic Instrumentation Center (CIO) for training in calibrating nke sensors.
nke Academy
Over the course of four days, our metrology lab hosted Darío Torres Gazale and Ursula Cifuentes Ojeda, training them in the calibration of WiMo sensors, among others. The training focused on calibrating physical and chemical parameters: chlorophyll A, turbidity, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and pH. The “students” also participated in pressure testing on our WiSens autonomous data loggers.
The training was delivered in Spanish by our metrology manager, Virginie Aumond, a Ph.D. in marine chemistry whose expertise clearly extends to language skills.
Training experts
This was a peer-to-peer training session. Darío, a geophysicist specializing in oceanographic instrumentation and calibration, is deeply committed to obtaining precise, high-quality data. At the CIO, he works in physical oceanography and instrumentation within the calibration and analysis laboratory unit.
Ursula, an oceanographer and CIO operations director, specializes in operational oceanography, oceanographic data processing, and research.
Why CIO experts?
Born alongside the Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO), the CIO provides maintenance and calibration services for the oceanographic equipment of the oceanographic, geophysical, and marine science communities across Latin America.
The center also organizes technical training in collaboration with national and international partners, such as nke Instrumentation, covering advanced oceanographic technologies, instruments, sample analyses, as well as data processing and analysis.
All this meant that the CIO experts were the ideal partners to ensure the performance of our sensors deployed in South America.
Strong nke Instrumentation presence in Latin America
The efforts of our partners in South America, such as Casco Antiguo, have significantly expanded the presence of nke Instrumentation measurement tools across this vast region.
Our WiMo multiparameter sondes and WiSens data loggers are part of several exciting projects in Latin America, such as the Coiba Reserve in Panama.
Our measurement instruments — both sondes and loggers — are equipped with sensors that require annual recalibration, except for pH sensors (every six months) and ISE sensors (every three months) when used in freshwater.
Naturally, this generates a strong demand for calibration services. From an ecological standpoint, shipping sensors back and forth between Europe and Latin America was not a viable solution.
Training to perform
With its well-equipped metrology laboratory, nke Instrumentation positions itself as an expert at every stage of its measurement tools’ lifecycle — from design to maintenance, including calibration, which is a critical step in ensuring the quality of our instruments. For this reason, we did not hesitate to welcome and train our Chilean technical and scientific partners internally.