Fondriest Environmental

The Environmental Webcam combines a high-resolution surveillance camera with a rugged weatherproof housing. During testing, it delivers 10-second video clips every hour of the field station pond to the WQData LIVE web datacenter. The current conditions outside are shown in detail with images up to 8MP/1080p HD video and can be seen on a phone or computer on WQData LIVE. This dependable webcam has been shown to be adaptable to deployments with environmental data loggers, weather stations, and data buoys.

At the Field Station, scientists from Fondriest Environmental wanted to monitor the groundwater levels at the station’s well. They selected a Diver-Link and TD-Diver because of the simple setup of the Diver-Link and the storage capacity and accuracy of the TD-Diver. The sensor monitors water levels daily and sends reports via the Diver-Hub Web Portal.

Near real-time monitoring at the well ensures the Fondriest Environmental Science Team can stay updated on water levels and understand how rainwater affects groundwater aquifer levels and how new urban developments slow the recharge of the aquifer. Ultimately, lower groundwater levels could impact many of the changes the Field Station has undergone in recent years, leading to damage to roads, foundations and sinkholes.

Before taking the device to the field station for deployment, environmental scientists unboxed the equipment, made sure all of the components were present and reviewed the included quick start guides so that there were no surprises in the field when beginning data collection.

Transporting the CastAway to the field station for testing was relatively straightforward with all the items secured in the provided case. Tethering the CastAway to the boat was easily done and allowed the team to ensure the device was not lost. GPS connection was quick and easy, enabling immediate temperature and conductivity profiling at the lake without any delay.

Once back in the office, data from the CastAway was downloaded via the USB Bluetooth dongle to view the profiling data for the most recent cast on a computer to be assessed and shared with the science team. Getting accurate temperature, conductivity and depth profiles can be done quickly with the Sontek CastAway CTD.

The NexSens G2-Rain Gauge is a durable logger that accurately measures rainfall. The sensitivity for the rain gauge is one tip per 0.01 inches of rain, thus precisely calculating total rain, rain intensity and interval rain. The G2-Rain Gauge was deployed at the field station, at Fondriest Center for Environmental Studies, to collect valuable long term data. It has been collecting precipitation data over the years to see the overall change in the local environment.

The data gathered by the G2-Rain Gauge is pushed to an online database, WQData LIVE, and can be viewed using a smartphone or PC. WQData LIVE allows for alarms and notifications to be set when a certain level is reached. For example, a rain event that produces more than 1 inch of rain within 2 hours would trigger an alarm that notifies scientists via email and text.

There is a stainless steel filter screen that prevent leaves and other debris from clogging the opening. Furthermore, the scientists added a bird guard to help reduce how frequent the instrument needs to be cleaned out. With regular maintenance, the G2-Rain Gauge has collected accurate long term data for several years.

The Seametrics PT12 Sensor is made to withstand rugged long-term deployments with its 316 stainless steel or titanium housings options. The size of the sensor also allows it to fit into limited spaces like a well or places with a small opening. Scientists at Fondriest Environmental have integrated a Seametrics PT12 sensor to a pole mount NexSens X2 Data Logger system. The sensor collects accurate temperature and pressure measurements. With those measurements, the X2 data logger has the ability to calculate the water level as another parameter.

Once the Seametrics PT12 sensor was integrated with the data logger, it was quickly ready to deploy in the field. The sensor easily connected to the logger through one of the water-tight ports and was powered on by a solar panel through the logger. The sensor passes along the essential data to the data logger, which in turns sends the information to an online database (WQData LIVE).

The water level, pressure and temperature of the pond can be viewed 24/7 through the field station WQData LIVE public portal. With some WQData alarms set into place, a notification will be sent when the water reaches a certain level. The notifications are a peace of mind to be able to assess the data and react quickly to the area for potential flooding.