What Exactly Is Environmental Monitoring?
Environmental monitoring is essentially how companies use technology, systems, and devices – and the data that generates – to minimize or prevent adverse events or issues from harming the environment.
The Evolution Of Environmental Monitoring
Environmental monitoring has transformed business practices in modern times. While some forward-thinking companies have long been committed to minimizing the impact of their operations on the world around us, recent increases in corporate environmental awareness mean that evermore companies now practice environmental monitoring.
It’s not only the number of companies and organizations that has changed, but also how the monitoring is undertaken. Typically, environmental monitoring has involved going out into the field to measure the impact of air pollution or industrial pollution on local habitats before returning the data for measurement and monitoring.
Increasingly, companies are streamlining their systems and processes to capture and assess data via the IoT (Internet of Things). IoT empowers companies to utilize devices, linked to platforms via wireless technology, to collect and collate their findings. Powerful and linked-up environmental monitoring systems in place, it has driven up instances of environmental monitoring.
What Are They Looking For?
Environmental monitoring will assess ‘environmental conditions to see if there are any changes that might be attributed to their activities. They’re looking to see if there are any changes to the following three major areas:
Air Quality Monitoring
- Measuring temperature, humidity, or emissions via sensors
- Using sensor networks and Geographic Information System (GIS) models to assess air dispersal
Water Quality Monitoring
- Monitoring temperature, chemical composition, and radioactivity via sensors
- Measuring biological and chemical parameters through environmental sampling
Soil Quality Monitoring
- Measuring soil samples to assess levels of organic material, contamination, pH levels, or biodiversity
- Measure salinity through remote sensors, electromagnets, or GIS
- Testing soil compaction
- Monitoring erosion and instability
What Do They Do With The Data?
Part of the objective is to assess if they are correctly monitored. Companies use data collected to both set their objectives but also to understand if their devices, processes, and systems are optimized.
In addition, they will also use the data to measure safety and efficiency, even in terms of equipment failure, and accident prevention. It also allows companies to proactively work to reduce their carbon footprint and pollution.
Big Data
SMART environmental monitoring means that companies can stream thousands of data points through their IoT systems for processing and, as a result, are able to understand much more about their opportunities or issues. The data thrown up by the cloud-based technologies can inform business decision-making and the techniques they employ in their operations.
Environmental Monitoring has enabled companies to fix short-term issues that need to be instantly addressed – like leaks – to longer-term problems, such as changes in the water supply or an increase in pollution.
Future-Proofing Practices
Environmental monitoring, supported by IoT, means that companies and governments can effectively and accurately react and respond to data. With such insight to hand, it means that they can more proactively manage industry and commerce’s role and impact on the world around us.
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