Working with BMKG staff and testing equipment

Our testing of equipment and collection of supporting materials has been greatly supported by the Bureau of Mining, Klimatogi, and Geophysics (BMKG) staff in Kupang.  We met with them prior to the arrival of our equipment to find them welcoming and willing to contribute to our efforts.  The director of this branch of BMKG, Pak (Mr./Sir) Sudaryono, clearly understands the value of working with us and the potential for upcoming collaboration.

Taken in front of BMKG office.  (left to right) Pak Sudaryono, Pak Suwarman,
Leland O'Driscoll, Nova Roosmawati, Cooper Harris

Making our way around Kupang is challenging owing to the combination of traffic, scarcity of taxis, and disorganization of the city's business centers.  The lack of high quality building materials complicates the matter.  We have assembled most of our inventory, but this all only matters if our equipment is working properly.  The IRIS institution PASSCAL has provided 15 sets of seismic equipment to accompany the 15 sets owned by the University of Southern California.  Eight USC sets were previously installed in Timor Leste, leaving 22 stations to deploy Indonesia.  Two days of testing resulted in the confirmation that the equipment survived the long journey from the U.S. to Kupang.

BMKG staff looks on and becomes familiar with the PASSCAL equipment.