Wireless
environmental monitoring preserving our heritage
25 March 2007
NVSI of
Sydney has successfully completed the first installation of EnviroPoint, its
wireless, back-to-database environmental monitoring system, at the
Why is this
relevant to the cabling industry? Because EnviroPoint can easily be
retro-fitted to existing buildings without the need for cabling through walls.
Now, before
panic about falling profit sets in, consider this. How much effort and cost
does it take to put cabling into existing buildings? How many OH&S
accidents have occurred due to workers having to get into difficult or high
places to put the cables in? How many inaccurate building/electrical plans have
been presented to guide the installation? Think about the complaints about
workplace disruption. And drilling holes in heritage building walls is a no-no.
While it is
cost-effective for cabling to be installed when a building is under
construction, changes to the internal structure after completion can be a
headache. New ‘green building’ regulations will require ongoing monitoring but
it is usually unknown where monitoring stations will be prior to installation
and, for museums, monitoring is becoming more common as greater recognition is
given to atmospheric conditions, such as UV light and acid rain, attacking
precious relics.
Currently,
stand-alone dataloggers are widely used but much valuable time and money can be
spent collecting and downloading data which is already out-of-date. Wireless
systems enable immediate on-screen access to everyone with the need to know;
alarm alerts to the appropriate personnel and reporting capability of data
history without leaving the office.
Another
advantage of a wireless system is that sensor pods can be placed almost
anywhere that can be reached. And moved if internal wall changes are made. Each
EnviroPoint pod both relays and sends data; pods also store data when
temporarily unable to send. Then, again, the possibilities for monitoring are
seemingly endless.
For
example, the A1-01 pod measures temperature, humidity, light, sound and
vibration via internal sensors but can also connect to external sensors for
gas, pressure, UV, particulate, force, peak vibration, movement, voltage, … You
get the idea. Thermocouple, thermistor and RTD connectors are available in
other pods in the series.
The artillery
museum board is especially concerned about ongoing salt and water damage to its
metal, cloth and paper artifacts because the North Head site is surrounded by
sea on three sides and built over an underground spring. Built for the defence
of
Figure 1 Screen view
of map showing pod placement.
The main
advantage over stand-alone dataloggers is the immediate on-screen display of
the data in numeric and trend form. Everyone with appropriate access on the
computer network can check the current status, look at the history and print
reports. Even the locality of tour groups in the tunnels can be pinpointed (by
acoustic levels).
The ability
to boost signal strength using higher-powered antennas made the
Figure 2 Tunnel
Entrance
Once on a
level and straight part of the tunnel, the 3-foot-thick (90cm) concrete walls
created a wave-guide effect allowing the signal to travel 38% longer than it
would outside in a straight line.
Figure 3 On the
straight and narrow - underground tunnel at North Head
Already,
the system has highlighted a rising damp problem in the library where
irreplaceable military and personal records and manuals are stored. The (good)
data from the exhibition areas will be used to support applications for
artifact loans from the Austral
The
NVSI
www.nvsi.com.au;
www.nvsi.co.nz