ENVIRONMENTAL monitoring specialist Enitial has worked with Viridor to develop a new PDA-based device. The enidata device has modules for monitoring groundwater, surface water, leachate, and surface emissions, allowing Viridor to keep tabs on the impact of its facilities (which include 39 landfill sites).
The data-capture device can record water levels, temperature, pH and electrical conductivity as well as logging additional comments if boreholes at its landfill sites are blocked or need repairs. There are also a variety of modules to support field infrastructure audits and site inspections.
Environmental monitoring in the waste management and recycling industry has been a paper-based process for a long time. The demand to capture data digitally has been growing but it’s only recently that monitoring using mobile technology has become both practical and affordable.
In addition, waste management and environmental companies require faster and more accurate methods of collecting field data to comply with environmental regulations as well as save time, money and minimise errors. The development of enidata is a response to these pressures.
The enidata appliance replaces paper-based data recording which helps to speed up the process, improve efficiency, eliminate transcription errors and increase the accuracy of readings. Waste management companies can then take action quickly.
The system self-validates by checking environmental data against historic trends and thresholds to ensure inaccurate readings are minimised.
The date, time and location by GPS are automatically recorded for all sampling and monitoring activities and enidata also has the ability to provide photographic evidence. This information can then be linked with Google Earth and allows the technician to pinpoint any issues of environmental concern. GPS provides evidence to bodies such as the EA that the correct measurements are being carried out.
Data is streamed directly to Enitial’s central server within minutes of completion and bespoke data reports can be generated within one hour of completing the monitoring. Plus, the data can be more easily shared with the Environment Agency, for example. The device is available to any organisation that needs to capture data in the field.
