2018 - Case 12 - GEMS: DIY Environmental Monitoring System
Channel: Jelle Saldien
Date: 22/01/2023

GEMS: 
Environmental Monitoring System: a modular, low-cost microclimate measuring setup

It has been clear that climate change is one of the biggest challenges to tackle during this and the following decennia. Therefore a lot of studies have been set up to monitor the state of the macro climate. In addition to having knowledge on the global state of the climate it is also important to have an idea of the local state of the climate, especially in vulnerable environments like a forest. However a lot of the studies conducted to measure the microclimate use a measuring setup where the data needs to be retrieved manually. This results in data that is not up-to-date or unusable when the test has been disturbed during the measuring period. Because most measuring set-ups are located in inhospitable areas, like forests, it has been difficult to create measurement systems that provide up to date data. This paper discusses the process of establishing a measuring setup that provides researchers with a livestream of data despite of the setup being located in a forest. The data retrieved with this setup will be used to assess the state of the microclimate in a number of forests in Europe.