WaterMarque is a system designed for use by water quality specialists. It allows the user to assess, query, display, report on water quality data and to create graphics files. The data is collected throughout the country by the Department of Water and Sanitation and resides in WaterMarque in a digital format.
WaterMarque is a set of tools performing the tasks mentioned above on a closed set of data. The user cannot edit this data in the WaterMarque environment.
The following agencies designed WaterMarque as a collaborative project: the Institute for Water Quality Studies of the Department of Water and Sanitation, Stewart Scott Incorporated, GisLAB of the University of Pretoria, and GIMS (Pty) Ltd. of Midrand.
Various datasets were used in the creation of this tool. For full details regarding the copyright, ownership and limitations on use please consult the copyright section of the Users Manual.
This guide operates as an independent reference guide for experienced system administrators who need to assess the full operational environment of WaterMarque. It is not designed for technically inexperienced users.
The guide consists of various elements pieced together to create a working document from which to assess the full operational parameters of WaterMarque. These elements are to some degree reflections of the material found elsewhere in the WaterMarque documentation. A system overview, a modular description, a discussion of the system requirements, the operating system environments, technology and the inclusion of peripherals to the basic system are to be discussed.
WaterMarque is designed to perform various assesment, analysis, query and display functions. Each of these functions is operated by a separate part of the software which deals independently and interactively with the others.
Please refer to the system flow diagrams at the start of each chapter in the User Manual.
Within WaterMarque all menus can be open simultaneously, allowing you to cross-reference sections and choices within one session. The menu structure is not hierarchical, because this would increasingly isolate you in one specialised field of inquiry. The freedom to enter various functions freely in any order must be treated with caution lest you miss selecting vital data or coverages and have to start again. For example, the dataset must be selected or recalled from memory before a time series data query can be processed.
The WaterMarque system is best understood in terms of functionality modules, where sets of similar functions are grouped together.
These modules are accessed in the main menu bar, and constitute the primary interface procedure.
In WaterMarque there are five main functionality modules.
Each of these modules consists of a number of menus which are designed to have a consistent appearance, although they perform different functions.
This module has allows you to select an area of interest on the basis of prenamed and determined catchments as hydrological units. The catchments are defined at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
A range of geographic features is available to provide vital background information for the process of water quality assessment. The features are grouped according to natural environment (elevation, geology, vegetation) and man-made environment (infrastructure, towns, landuse). The features are displayed as shaded areas (polygons), lines or point symbols. A number of different features may be simultaneously selected and displayed.
Inspect the data from the different water quality monitoring networks recognised by DWAF.
Monitoring points can be interrogated here in three different ways according to:
Monitoring Network
Selects and displays the monitoring network of your choice within a catchment or catchments, for the purposes of analysing and processing such data.
Data Record
Selects and locates monitoring stations according to the water quality records and then performs a monitoring network audit, among other tasks. The data required can be displayed in rapid on screen interrogation. The result is that monitoring activity can be readily visualised throughout the area.
Provincial Boundary
Selects monitoring points within provincial boundaries.
The module further allows you to initiate a query session on the data record for the monitoring points you selected.
Selects the water quality variables of interest, the recommended guidelines for use and the time period of data to be assessed. A number of graphs and symbols are available for display of the data - including standard time series graphs, box and whisker plots, pie charts and some non-standard symbols specially developed for WaterMarque e.g. radial time series.
This module allows you to recall previously saved data and dispense with the tedious process of monitoring point reselection.
Converts the selections made within the session into a graphics file, which you can then plot. The paper size can be selected, as well as various map features. The program only allows you to print in landscape.
Several submodules within WaterMarque are very useful for manipulating various aspects of data representation. These are discussed in more detail within the module chapters.
Each functionality module is a system which can be accessed on its own or in conjunction with other modules. Each module performs a selected function. Usually, functions are not performed by more than one module, although the point selection and display and the data query module do share some functions. These are discussed in the Users Manual.
Should you have any problem in operating WaterMarque, or have questions regarding the use of this product, please do not hesitate to call us by E-mail or at the telephone or fax numbers provided below. In addition should you have any problems concerning installation, set up or maintenance of hardware or software involved in constituting the WaterMarque system, please contact GIMS at:
Support Division
P O BOX 652
Halfway House
1685
Gauteng, South Africa
Telephone us and ask for the HOTLINE service which will place you in contact with the hotline staff .
Tel: + 27 12 345 2243
Fax: + 27 12 345 6625
Email support@gims.com
Further Support
Problems you may encounter in WaterMarque will not always be of an operational nature. They may be related to some aspect of the software, or software documentation. Please use the forms described below to send error reports and suggestions to us at the above address.
Bugs
Software often contains bugs. Bugs may occur in any form, from a typographical error to an incorrect shading. Many annoying irregularities are also bugs. Should you detect any bugs, minor or major, please fill in the attached BUG REGISTRATION FORM.
The registration of bugs will help us help you, the user. As other users log their bugs and they are corrected so the next versions of WaterMarque will be improved - and so will your efficiency.
Documentation Bugs
Writing technical manuals occurs hand in hand with software development. As the software progresses so does the documentation. Sometimes, due to circumstance the software and the documentation procedure get out of phase.
Should you detect a documentation bug please fill in the Documentation Bug Registration Form. This will allow the manual to be updated and remain consistent with software development.
Software Enhancements
As a user of WaterMarque you are continually in contact with the software. As a result you will probably have some recommendations or suggestions as to how this product may be improved to fulfil the tasks required in a more appropriate way. Should you have any enhancement suggestions of any nature please do not hesitate to use the ENHANCEMENT REGISTRATION FORM enclosed below.
In order to maintain the integrity and usability of WaterMarque and its support structure please return the attached registration forms.
The platform on which WaterMarque runs is a Unix workstation. Sun Unix workstations running either the SunOS 4.1.3 or Solaris 2.4 / 2.5 (or later) operating systems are able to support full ARC/INFO licenses. It can operate in the Open Windows and Common Desktop Environments. The system requires that a ARC/INFO version 7.0.4. (or later) license be accessible and present on the platform. WaterMarque is activated at the arc prompt.
Because of incompatible naming conventions and file hierarchies, WaterMarque is not supported on Open VMS or NT.
From the Unix environment WaterMarque can be accessed by PCs networked to workstations using X-terminal emulators. The X-terminal emulators on which WaterMarque has been successfully supported are ExceedTM and X-VisionTM. Other emulators may also work, we have only tested these two.
Emulators running under the PC environments Microsoft Windows 3.x, Windows 95 and Windows NT have supported WaterMarque successfully. If you purchase an X-terminal emulator, ensure that it is compatible with your operating system.
Within the WaterMarque statistical data analysis module, or tool, are a number of "C" compiled applications which interpret time period data into statistical data. Examples of these would be the maucha and star diagrams produced in the Data Query module.
Originally these applications were produced on the SunOS 4.1 C compiler. On later operating systems, a separate C compiler was necessary. Some problems have been experienced when running the statistical analysis functions on workstations which contain the SunOS 4.1 compiler. It is recommended that this compiler be renamed before installation of WaterMarque. This should ensure that the analytical structures function smoothly.
The problems lie in the naming and searching functions of the various compilers. Certain executables become 'unlocatable' or the software may search for files which do not exist.
The copyright in the computer software and manual entitled "WaterMarque", written by the Institute for Water Quality Studies (Department of Water and Sanitation), the CSIR, and GIMS, vests in the Institute for Water Quality Studies and no rights under the copyright in "WaterMarque" shall vest in the user save as may be specifically be granted by the Institute for Water Quality Studies and is protected by South African and international laws.
No part of "WaterMarque" may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Director of the Institute for Water Quality Studies.
The user may make one copy of the software solely for backup or archival purposes, or transfer the software to a single hard disk provided the user keep the original solely for backup or archival purposes.
The "WaterMarque" software and manual have been prepared with the appropriate degree of skill, expertise and care using data obtained from a variety of technical and research sources. While every effort has been made to ensure that the figures reflect the most reliable and up-to-date data available, the Institute for Water Quality Studies accepts no responsibility for any damage that may be claimed by any user whatsoever, for the specifications, errors or omissions in the use of these figures, or in the modeling thereof in the "WaterMarque" program, all of which may be examined by the user prior to acquisition or purchase.
WaterMarque? Department of Water and Sanitation, 1997. All rights reserved.
The analysis of water samples is used to monitor changes in South African water resources with time. Water samples are taken at specific points on river reaches or water storage areas, comprise a very small amount of the total water present at that time and represent the conditions pertaining only at that time. Should the data indicate reason for concern, then the program user should seek supporting data to confirm this evidence.
WaterMarque's data sets consist of digital data from various sources. While some datasets such as the DWAF monitoring points and the USGS digital elevation data are in the public domain and freely available to the public from a variety of sources, other datasets such as the Digital Chart of the World are protected by copyright and are only available from the owners. A third type are derived from public domain data but must be obtained from the owners or distributors who wish to retain control over the quality of the data and its eventual end use.
The table below summarises sources and copyrights for data used in WaterMarque. Please be aware that contact information, particularly E-mail addresses, is ephemeral.
Table of Copyrights for data used in WaterMarque.
| Title | Copyright | Owner | Contact/Phone/Fax/E-mail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acocks Veld Types | Protected, contact owner | National Botanical Institute Private Bag X1011 PRETORIA 0001 |
Dr M. C. Rutherford (012) 804 3200 (012) 804 3211 |
| World 0.5x0.5' Elevation Data | Public domain | EROS Data Centre Mundt Federal Building Sioux Falls, SD 57198, USA |
Customer Services + 1 605 594 6151 + 1 605 594 6589 klarson@dglCr.usgs.gov |
| Geology map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland | Protected, contact owner | Council for Geoscience Private Bag X112 PRETORIA 0001 |
The Director (012) 841 1912 (012) 841 1203 postmaster@geoscience.org.za |
| Monitoring Points of the Department of Water and Sanitation | Public domain, but may not be redistributed. Frequently updated. | Hydrology Directorate Department of Water and Sanitation Private Bag X313 PRETORIA 0001 |
The Director (012) 388 8077 (012) 326 1488 scc@dwaf.pwv.gov.za |
| Monitoring Points of the Institute for Water Quality Studies, Department of Water and Sanitation | Public domain, but may not be redistributed. Frequently updated. | Institute for Water Quality Studies Department of Water and Sanitation Private Bag X313 PRETORIA 0001 |
The Director (012) 808 0374 (012) 808 0338 eca@dwaf.pwv.gov.za |
| Management Regions of the Department of Water and Sanitation | Public domain, but may not be redistributed. Frequently updated. | Strategic Planning Directorate Department of Water and Sanitation Private Bag X313 PRETORIA 0001 |
The Chief Engineer (012) 388 8047 (012) 323 2123 apa@dwaf.pwv.gov.za |
| Regional Pollution Monitoring Points of the Department of Water and Sanitation | Public domain, but may not be redistributed. Frequently updated. | Water Quality Management Directorate Department of Water and Sanitation Private Bag X313 PRETORIA 0001 |
The Chief Engineer (012) 388 8691 (012) 323 0321 tbf@dwaf.pwv.gov.za |
| "Natural" Drainage Regions | Public domain, but may not be redistributed. Frequently updated. | Hydrology Directorate (see above) Alternative source: WR90, Water Research Commision: hugo@wrc.ccwr.ac.za |
The Director (012) 388 8077 (012) 326 1488 scc@dwaf.pwv.gov.za |
| Gauging Weir Drainage Regions | Public domain, but may not be redistributed. Frequently updated. | Hydrology Directorate (see above) | The Director (012) 388 8077 (012) 326 1488 scc@dwaf.pwv.gov.za |
| Problem Aquatic Macrophytes in South Africa (1993) | Public domain, but may not be redistributed. Not updated. | Environment Studies Directorate Department of Water and Sanitation Private Bag X313 PRETORIA 0001 |
The Director (012) 388 8221 (012) 338 8678 dig@dwaf.pta.gov.za |
| South Africa 712 Climate Zones | Protected, contact owner. | Agricultural Engineering Department University of Natal P.O. Box 375 PIETERMARITZBURG 3201 |
Director, CCWR (0331) 260 5177 (0331) 6 1896 dent@aqua.ccwr.ac.za |
| South African 1'x1' Mean Annual Precipitation Grid | Protected, contact owner. | Agricultural Engineering Department University of Natal P.O. Box 375 PIETERMARITZBURG 3201 |
Director, CCWR (0331) 260 5177 (0331) 6 1896 dent@aqua.ccwr.ac.za |
| South African Dams and Rivers | Protected, contact owner. (NB: highly modified for WaterMarque.) | Surveys & Land Information Chief Directorate Department of Land Affairs Private Bag MOWBRAY 7705 |
The Chief Director (021) 685 4070 (021) 689 9721 |
| South African International Borders | Protected, contact owner. (NB: highly modified for WaterMarque.) | Surveys & Land Information Chief Directorate Department of Land Affairs Private Bag MOWBRAY 7705 |
The Chief Director (021) 685 4070 (021) 689 9721 |
| South AfricanUrban Areas | Protected, contact owner. (NB: highly modified for WaterMarque.) | Surveys & Land Information Chief Directorate Department of Land Affairs Private Bag MOWBRAY 7705 |
The Chief Director (021) 685 4070 (021) 689 9721 |
Please send this information to GIMS Hotline
by E-mail (support@gims.com) or fax (011) 315 0395
| Name of user | |
| Date bug detected | |
| Contact phone number | |
| Contact fax number | |
| Contact E-mail address | |
| Customer number | |
| Site | |
| Arc/Info version number | |
| WaterMarque version number | |
| Platform (computer type) | |
| Operating system (e.g. Solaris 2.5) | |
| Menu where bug emerged | |
| Action which produced the problem | |
| AML or system error message | |
| AML line number, if known |
Please send this information to GIMS Hotline
by E-mail (support@gims.com) or fax (011) 315 0395
| Name of user | |
| Date bug detected | |
| Contact phone number | |
| Contact fax number | |
| Contact E-mail address | |
| Customer number | |
| Site | |
| Document version number | |
| Module where bug found | |
| Page number(s) | |
| What has been incorrectly described? | |
| What changes do you suggest? | |
| Other comments |
(Hydrological Information System Data -- not POLMON)
Please send this information to Johan Wentzel
by E-mail (sdj@dwaf.pwv.gov.za) or fax (012) 326 1488
| Name of user | |
| Date bug detected | |
| Contact phone number | |
| Contact fax number | |
| Contact E-mail address | |
| Postal Address | |
| WaterMarque version number | |
| Station code (e.g. A2H027Q01) | |
| Station type (stream, dam, etc.) | |
| Type of error (location of point, anomalous concentration, etc.) | |
| Suggested correction |
Please send this information to Geert Grobler
by E-mail (tdb@dwaf.pwv.gov.za) or fax (012) 323 0321
| Name of user | |
| Date bug detected | |
| Contact phone number | |
| Contact fax number | |
| Contact E-mail address | |
| Postal Address | |
| WaterMarque version number | |
| Station code | |
| Province or region | |
| Type of error (location of point, anomalous concentration, etc.) | |
| Suggested correction |
Please send this information to Michael Silberbauer
by E-mail (SilberbauerM@dwaf.gov.za) or fax (012) 808 0338
| Name of user | |
| Date bug detected | |
| Contact phone number | |
| Contact fax number | |
| Contact E-mail address | |
| Postal Address | |
| WaterMarque version number | |
| Coverage (e.g. Evaporation) | |
| Type of error (geographic location, shape, anomalous value, etc.) | |
| Suggested correction |
Please send this information to GIMS Hotline
by E-mail (support@gims.com) or fax (011) 315 0395
| Name of user | |||
| Date | |||
| Contact phone number | |||
| Contact fax number | |||
| Contact E-mail address | |||
| Customer number | |||
| Site | |||
| Arc/Info version number | |||
| WaterMarque version number | |||
| Platform (computer type) | |||
| Operating system (e.g. Solaris 2.5) | |||
| Is this a data enhancement? | Y |
N |
|
| What type of data? Spatial data Time series data Other data type |
Y Y Y |
N N N |
|
| Is this a functionality enhancement? | Y |
N |
|
| What type of functionality? User interface Statistics Symbol or icon Output |
Y |
N |
|
| Describe the suggested enhancement (attach a detailed description if necessary) |
|||