A live demonstration took place at the recent Freescale Technology Forum – hosted by embedded systems specialist Freescale – of the use of machine-to-machine technology to deliver air quality data via the web.
Jim Mills (Managing Director of both Air Monitors Ltd and Envirologger Ltd) was invited to speak at the event in Dallas, USA in early April. The ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) was the central theme of the Conference, which sought to identify the potential for wireless ‘smart’ systems in applications as diverse as the remote control of domestic appliances with smartphones, to space robotics and personal medical devices.
The guest speakers were invited to demonstrate that the IoT is already being employed successfully in a wide variety of applications and Mills was asked to show delegates how his company’s Envirologger technology has web-enabled much of the UK’s air quality monitoring network. Jim outlined the ways in which Envirologger exploits Freescale technology to provide real-time access to remote monitors for air quality, traffic, meteorology and noise.
“The Envirologger Gateway can be connected to just about any monitor, collecting data and passing it to our cloud-based servers,” he explained, adding: “We have also built Freescale technology into the wireless nodes that we have developed, which can be connected to individual sensors.”
During his presentation, Jim provided a live demonstration, featuring a global map showing the locations of Envirologger monitoring stations. For the purposes of the demonstration, Jim had configured carbon dioxide monitoring points at Freescale locations in both Scotland and Dallas, from which both historical and live data could be viewed.
Commenting on applications for the IoT Jim said: “We are seeing strong growth in the market for environmental monitoring and our customers are constantly finding new ways to exploit the value of live data.
“In essence, our customers need data, so with monitoring information stored in the ‘cloud’ we are finding that more and more customers prefer to rent data rather than purchase equipment and run it themselves.
In addition, by web-enabling the data, users are able to provide information to an enormous number of people, which massively increases the value of the data.”
Jim’s presentation can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PkZvTL5C0A.
