Patent Publication Number: US-7916015-B1

Title: System and method for monitoring environmental conditions

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of prior filed U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/556,392, filed Mar. 25, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST 
     This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. N00024-03-D-6606, awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). The Government has certain rights in the invention. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a system and method for monitoring various environmental conditions. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Under the current heightened level of alert due to the serious threat of terrorist attack against the United States, various govemmental and private security agencies now employ systems and devices to monitor the environment for the presence of hazardous chemicals, biological agents and radioactive substances. Because such systems and devices must be very sensitive to the presence of these agents, false alarms can be a common occurrence. Moreover, because these hazardous agents may be widely dispersed, many sensing devices are necessary to provide the required coverage. Additionally, conventional sensors and systems for detecting these agents can be prohibitively expensive. 
     False alarms can create an uncertain situation for hazardous materials (HAZMAT) operators, thus inhibiting their performance and their decision-making processes. Accordingly, a significant need exists to reduce the number of false alarms that typically occur when using a single technology to detect the presence of chemical warfare agents (CWA&#39;s). 
     Wireless technologies have become more and more popular recently. For example, wireless Internet and cell phones have already taken a huge portion of the market share away from wired Internet and telephone lines. As people are more open to wireless technologies because of increased convenience and information security, companies introduce novel wireless technologies and specific areas of applications. One of the most popular wireless technologies presently in use is the Blackberry™ (hereinafter Blackberry) manufactured by Research in Motion Limited (RIM), Ontario, Canada. The Blackberry supports a variety of functions that are popular among professionals—such as e-mail, cell phone, browser and organizer. Moreover, as the Blackberry uses existing cellular communication networks for communication, it has a vast area-of-service capability. 
     Blackberry is an end-to-end wireless connectivity option. The Blackberry is unique because it is a single integrated device which allows users to easily send e-mails. Additionally, unlike the traditional way of connecting to an e-mail server to check emails, the Blackberry&#39;s “push” technology will automatically direct e-mails to the user&#39;s Blackberry device and notify the user when a message is received. 
     Blackberry devices support a wide range of networks. For example, in the United States, Blackberry supports CDMA2000 1X Networks, DataTAC™ Networks, Global System for Mobile communications/General Packet Radio Service (GSM/GPRS) Networks, Mike Networks, Mobitex, and Nextel Networks. Outside the United States, the Blackberry operates on more than 50 networks in more than 30 countries. 
     The Blackberry is not only a convenient device for individual users, it also provides a mobile communication solution for corporations and government organizations. The Blackberry is especially useful for transmitting time-sensitive data and information. For example, out-of-office salesmen can receive customer information immediately rather than go back to the office and check e-mail. 
     A block diagram illustrating conventional Blackberry architecture is shown in  FIG. 1 . The Blackberry communication system includes a Blackberry wireless handheld device  100  which communicates with a wireless network  102 . The wireless network is connected to a corporate firewall  104 . The corporate firewall  104  is connected to a Blackberry enterprise server  106 . The Blackberry enterprise server  106  is then connected to a corporate e-mail server  108  and to a corporate application and content servers  110 . Thus, it is seen that the Blackberry is popular because of its vast range of service, its convenience, low-cost and its capabilities. Moreover, the Blackberry is also government-issue communication device for many government agencies. 
     Accordingly, under current conditions where there is a threat of terrorism using biological, chemical, nuclear and/or other agents against the United States and other countries, agent detection equipment and methods using the Blackberry and Blackberry-type devices for communication may provide a low-cost, scalable, accurate and easy-to-implement solution for identifying dangerous agents and reporting the results to one or more recipients and for allowing the control of mitigating and warning devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, a feature of the present invention to provide a system and method for monitoring various environmental conditions and for transmitting coded information about those conditions and for controlling devices to respond to those conditions using a communication device such as, for example, a Blackberry or Blackberry-type communication device. 
     It is another feature of the present invention to provide a small-sized, low-power, low-cost environmental monitoring/control system which uses a communication device (e.g., a Blackberry 950 communication device) that is compatible with wireless e-mail systems, and extensible to controlling environmental control systems (e.g., in buildings and other locations), and that can be made secure using multiple encryption schemes to the text of e-mails. 
     It is a further feature of the present invention to provide an environmental monitoring/control system which uses base64 encoding of data for transmission by a communication device (e.g., a Blackberry), which spoofs the communication device so that the communication device determines that a data file such as, for example, a JPEG picture file, is a standard text e-mail. This process uses the communication device as a data pipe to exfiltrate data. 
     It is another feature of the present invention to use a Blackberry communication device to exfiltrate data thereby standardizing the communication and processing interfaces. 
     It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide a mobile monitoring system and method for detecting environmental conditions, the mobile monitoring system and method including a sensing unit having a sensing unit for obtaining data related to environmental conditions, the sensing unit including at least one radiation sensor and at least one of an electro-optical (EO) imager and a plurality of orthogonal chemical sensors for acquiring a similar data product using dissimilar means, a controller interfaced with the sensing unit for receiving and encoding the data related to environmental conditions into a predetermined format, and a communication device for receiving the data in a predetermined format from the controller, forming an e-mail message and transmitting the e-mail message including the data in a predetermined format to at least one predetermined recipient. The mobile monitoring system and method further includes a receiver for receiving e-mails containing queries, instructions and/or commands from a control station and/or a user and transmitting the received e-mails to the controller for further processing. 
     It is still yet a further feature of the present invention to provide at least one sensing unit having a plurality of sensors including a chemical sensor, a biological sensor, a radiation sensor and/or an imager for detecting powders, explosives, nerve agents (e.g., VX gas, sarin, etc.), blister agents (e.g., mustard gas), chemical agents, biological agents (e.g., anthrax), radioactive elements and/or images (e.g., photographic images). It is a further object of the present invention to provide at least one air pump activated by a controller, the air pump being used for moving air through both a manifold and a sorbent tube, the manifold being interfaced with at least one or more sensors for providing air flow to the sensors with which the manifold is attached. In alternative embodiments, two air pumps are provided, each air pump being interfaced with the manifold for providing air flow to at least one of the sensors. 
     It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide at least two sensors which are orthogonal to each other and the outputs of the sensors are weighted so as to minimize false alerts. 
     It is another feature of the present invention to provide an EO imager including a visible light imager, an infra-red (IR) imager, a ultra-violet (UV) imager and/or an X-ray imager. 
     It is still yet a further feature of the present invention to implement a base64 encoding scheme for encoding the data related to environmental conditions, alerts, actions, triggers, results of the processing of the data and/or for providing images for transmission using ASCII data. It is a further feature of the present invention to provide information on decoding and assembling encoded data within the encoded data. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pearl-script within an encoded e-mail for providing recipients with the option to interact with the environmental monitoring/control system of the present invention. 
     It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide a method for detecting environmental conditions using a wireless device, the method including obtaining orthogonal data related to environmental conditions and encoding the data related to environmental conditions and/or one or more images into a predetermined format using a base64 encoding scheme, forming an e-mail message having a subject line and a body, the e-mail message including the data related to environmental conditions and/or images, and transmitting the e-mail message including the data in a predetermined format to at least one predetermined recipient. The e-mail message further includes information on how to decode and assemble the encoded data. The method further includes the step of receiving at least one of a command and a query and providing the received command and/or query to a controller for processing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  a block diagram illustrating a conventional Blackberry architecture; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a system for monitoring environmental conditions according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a system for monitoring environmental conditions according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating a system for monitoring environmental conditions according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating a system for monitoring environmental conditions according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram illustrating the data flow process according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating the process of collecting, analyzing and transmitting data related to environmental conditions according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a table illustrating exemplary rules for reporting detections by a sensor ensemble (SE); 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective-view illustration of a sensor ensemble (SE) unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 10  is a block diagram illustrating a stackable configuration of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the invention, explanations about related functions or constructions which are known in the art will be omitted for the sake of clarity in understanding the concept of the invention. 
     A block diagram illustrating the basic configuration of a system for monitoring environmental conditions including a sensor ensemble (SE) according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 2 . The SE  200  includes a sensor unit  202 , a microprocessor  212 , memory  222  (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc.), a communication device (e.g., a Blackberry or other equivalent unit for sending and receiving e-mails)  214 , and an antenna  216 . The sensor unit  202  includes a first chemical sensor  204 , a second chemical sensor  206 , a third chemical sensor  208 , and a fourth sensor  210 . The sensors  204  through  210  are preferably orthogonal to each other (as will be described hereinbelow). Moreover, in preferred embodiments, the sensors  204  through  210  can simultaneously detect and sample blood, blister and nerve agents. The sensor unit  202  communicates with the microprocessor  212  and transmits data relating to the presence and/or absence of various agents to the microprocessor. The microprocessor  212  reads the data from the sensors and formats the data according to the content of the data and forwards the formatted data after base64 encoding (which can include both raw and processed data) to the communication device  214  which assembles the formatted data into an e-mail of a desired format (e.g., including a one or more recipients, a subject line, and a body). 
     The subject line and the recipients are selected by the microprocessor  212  according to predetermined conditions. For example, if a triggering event meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., a threshold corresponding to a major event), the recipients of an alerting e-mail (e.g., majors, generals, etc.) can be chosen accordingly. On the other hand, if a triggering event only meets or exceeds a minor threshold (e.g., a threshold corresponding to a minor event such as a slight increase in background radiation which could be caused by an individual with implanted radioactive seeds to treat a cancerous condition), then only local police officers/guards would be alerted. The one or more e-mails containing the data from the sensing unit  202  are transmitted to desired recipients (not shown) via a serving base station (not shown) and a wired e-mail server which transmits the e-mail over normal protocols that govern Internet (and other) e-mail. Users of this system can communicate with the communication device  214  to query the status, adjust the system&#39;s parameters and/or request a service by sending a formatted e-mail to the communication device  214 . A microprocessor on the communication device  214  then processes data contained in the received e-mail and optionally controls the sensors and/or optional relays. Alternatively, after the e-mail is initially processed by the communication device, data contained in the received e-mail is forwarded to the microprocessor  212  which further processes the received data and responds accordingly (e.g., by adjusting the sensors within sensor unit  202 , responding to system “pings” etc.). Formatted e-mails are forwarded to the communication device  214  via the Internet or other network, a serving base station (not shown), and the antenna  216 . The received messages are then processed and stored by either or both the communication device  214  and the microprocessor  212  and desired actions (e.g., wireless transmission to a recipient) are then taken (as will be described below). For example, a formatted e-mail is transmitted from the transmit/receive antenna  216  to a control center  220  (or to one or more e-mail servers (not shown)) via its transmit/receive antenna  218 . 
     A block diagram illustrating the system for monitoring environmental conditions according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 3 . In this embodiment, the SE  300  comprises a communication device  302  (e.g., a Blackberry as shown) which includes an integrated microprocessor  302 μP, a plurality of orthogonal sensors  304 , a mux  306  and an antenna  306 . The SE  300  operates similarly to the SE  200  described above with a difference being the use of the Blackberry&#39;s internal microprocessor  212  rather than the use of separate microprocessor (e.g., microprocessor  302 μP as shown in  FIG. 2 ) to read data, process and encode data and otherwise control the sensors as shown in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Another difference is the use of the mux  306  for inputting/outputting data and control commands to/from sensors and the communication device  302 . Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, no further description of the operation of the SE  300  will be given. 
     A block diagram illustrating the system for monitoring environmental conditions according to a third embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 4 . This embodiment is similar to the first embodiment of the present invention in that an optional microcontroller  404  is interfaced to a communication device  402  via an RS-232 interface  418 . This embodiment demonstrates exemplary interfaces which can be used to communicate between the various units of the present invention. The microcontroller  404  interfaces with a radiation sensing unit  408  via a custom transistor-transistor logic (TTL) interface  416 , a chemical sensing unit  410  via an RS-232 interface  414  (which can be the same as RS-232  418 ), and with an imager  406  (including, e.g., a camera, etc. as necessary) via an Ethernet interface  412 . Memory  420  includes a RAM and ROM and interfaces with the microcontroller  404 . 
     A block diagram illustrating the system for monitoring environmental conditions according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 5 . As shown, the SE  500  according to the present embodiment is split into three subsystems including an algorithms and communications subsystem (AaC)  502 , a sensors subsystem (SS)  504  and an actions outputs (AO) subsystem  506 . The SS  504  includes a chemical sensor suite  504 C, a biological sensor suite  504 B, a radiation sensor suite  504 R, an imager (e.g., a camera)  504 I and a sorbent tube  504 S. The chemical sensor suite  504 C, the biological sensor suite  504 B, the radiation sensor suite  504 R, the sorbent tube  504 S and the imager  504 I can include one or more sensors (or other means) for detecting various agents as desired. The AaC subsystem  502  includes a microcontroller  518 , memory (e.g., RAM, ROM, Etc.)  520 , a communication device (e.g., a Blackberry device)  514 , an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)  512 , a digital-to-analog converter (DAC)  510  and a transistor-to-transistor (TTL) input/output (I/O) device  508 . The microcontroller  518  interfaces with the SS  504  using a serial and/or an Ethernet connection, and the microcontroller  518  interfaces with the communication device  514  using a serial connection such as an RS 232-type connection. The memory  520  provides initialization commands (e.g., initialization strings, etc.) to the microcontroller  518  and is also used to store data for later use. A manifold (not shown) interfaces with the sorbent tube  504 S, the chemical suite  504 C, and/or the biological suite  504 B so as to provide air flow to the respective suite. One or more optional pumps (not shown) are powered by the motor  506 M (which can include a plurality of motors). 
     In operation, the AaC  502  reads outputs from the SS  504  (and can optionally act upon the SS  504  for example by calibrating the sensors, turning the sensors on/off etc. as desired) in order to wrap or merge the data received from the SS  504  into a meta-datagram, which is transmitted via the communication device  514  (i.e., the communication pipe). The communication device  514  can communicate using traditional communication schemes including IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, Ethernet, etc. as desired. The system  500  can also accept commands and queries from the communication pipe by way of messages which are sent to the system  500  from an external source (e.g., a user, a control center, etc). The messages can be used to affect the subsystems SS, AO and AaC,  504 ,  506  and  502 , respectively. The SS  504  interfaces with the AaC  502  using various communication protocols including Serial (e.g., RS-232, RS-422), Ethernet, WiFi and Custom (e.g., SPI, direct sensing of the ADC, etc.). 
     In operation, the microcontroller  518  manages the configuration, control and flow of data and commands to/from the SS  504 . The microcontroller  518  also runs algorithms and determines if the current sample meets certain requirements such as to trigger an alarm condition. Moreover, if an alarm condition is detected, then an e-mail message can be generated and transmitted via the communication device  514 . The communication device  514  can optionally send a message to the microcontroller  518  to affect the SS  504  or other systems by, for example, changing system parameters. For example, when the radiation sensor suite  504 R is triggered, the AaC  502  reads the information it has received and determines whether the trigger meets a preset threshold (e.g., radiation threshold). If the AaC  502  determines that the trigger it has received meets or exceeds a preset threshold, the AaC  502  can then trigger the imager  504 I to capture an image of an actor (e.g., an individual, a vehicle, an object such as a container, a rock, etc.) which caused radiation suite  504 R to trigger and/or trigger the relay  506 R, the motor  506 M and/or the indicators  5061  to control desired systems. For example, if a radiation sensor in the radiation sensor suite  504 R is triggered, the microcontroller  518  can configure an e-mail to warn of the threat. Moreover, the microcontroller  518  can then send an image of the actor which caused the triggering event and trigger the motor  504 M to stop/start ventilation in a building and/or to take environmental samples. Additionally, the relay  506 R can be triggered to open/close doors and indicators  5061  can be triggered to warn individuals of possible danger, etc. Moreover, the microcontroller  518  can activate the sorbent tube  504 S if predetermined conditions are met or if activated by an external source (e.g., the control center, the user, etc.). 
     The sensors in each suite (e.g., the chemical sensor suite  504 C, the biological sensor suite  504 B and/or the radiation sensor suite  504 R) are preferably orthogonal to each other and/or to other suites. Moreover, in one embodiment there can be up to 256 suite packages (of any combination). 
     The controller also can take an output from multiple, orthogonal chemical sensors (included in a chemical suite  504 C) and determine whether to trigger an alarm (e.g., by sending an e-mail). The algorithm used by the microcontroller allows for weighting of each sensor, and thus can account for different sensitivities such as response time, accuracy, etc., to minimize false alarms. The system  500  can also accept the input from an additional RS-232, Ethernet or custom user interface. 
     In a preferred embodiment the SS  504  and the AO  506  are configured for specific applications, and the AaC  502  can be common to all applications, which can result in significant cost reduction and reduced system complexity. 
     A flow diagram illustrating the data flow process according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 6 . In step  608 , a microcontroller  604  initializes sensors  602 . In step  610 , the microcontroller  604  then prepares a “Ready E-mail” for transmission by a communication device (e.g., a Blackberry)  606  to desired recipients. The “Ready E-mail” can include an SE identification, the location of the SE, the number and/or types of sensors included in the SE, etc. The communication device  606  then transmits the Ready E-mail. The microcontroller  604  then reads the sensors data  602  in step  612 . In operation, the microcontroller  604  weighs the inputs from a plurality of sensors (with at least two of the sensors being orthogonal to each other)  602  with, for example, the more sensitive sensors being given more weight. Additionally, the microcontroller  604  can affect the settings of one or more sensors in order to yield the best set of data. After the microcontroller  604  reads and/or processes the sensors&#39; data  602 , the results are formatted into one or more messages depending upon the content. For example, ASCII data is formatted into a standard e-mail message that contains the sensor data (raw), alerts, actions, triggers, and/or the processed results of the sensors&#39; data. The binary ASCII data is then base64 encoded and a message is generated that details how to decode and assemble the data. The base64 encoded data is then input into and transmitted by a communication device (e.g., a Blackberry)  606  in step  614 . Each sensor produces at its output a numerical value indicative of the level of whatever it is supposed to sense. The user of the system sets (i) a triggering point for each sensor, e.g., a threshold value of the numerical value above which a positive indication is assumed, and (ii) a duration or time period for which the threshold value is to be met or exceeded. If the output of the sensor exceeds the trigger point for the targeted duration, then the trigger is considered valid and the pre-program action is taken (e.g., send an e-mail to a predetermined email address, sound an alarm, give a visible indication, and so on. If two orthogonal sensors (which are sampling from the same input, e.g., sensing the same thing) give different and incompatible results (e.g., one sensor indicates a first chemical, while the other indicates a second different chemical), then a warning message is generated and sent to the users, e.g., transmitted from the SE to the predetermined e-mail address. The users at this point can remotely command the system (via e-mail from the predetermined e-mail address to the SE) to take action. If two orthogonal sensors (which have different sensitivities, e.g., different thresholds) give the same result (e.g., indicate the same chemical), but before the targeted duration expires the less sensitive sensor drops out (e.g., does not meet its threshold), the system will still trigger and report the condition. On the other hand, if two orthogonal sensors (which have different sensitivities) give the same result (e.g., both meet their thresholds indicating an alarm condition), but before the targeted duration expires the more sensitive sensor drops out, the system will consider this a false trigger. 
     In a reverse process, the communication device (e.g., a Blackberry)  606  receives a transmitted message and forwards the transmitted message to the microcontroller  604  in step  616 . The Microcontroller  604  then processes the received transmitted message and one or more desired actions are taken (e.g., sensors are turned on/off, reset, parameters adjusted, etc. as desired) by sending appropriate commands to the sensors  602  in step  618 . In alternative embodiments, data can be sent from the microcontroller  604  to a desired recipient (not shown) using a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) modem, an Ethernet modem, etc. Raw sensor data is then forwarded from the sensors  602  to the microcontroller  604  in step  620 . The microcontroller  604  then processes and encodes the raw sensor data as described above, the binary ASCII data is then base64 encoded and a message is generated that details how to decode and assemble the data. The base64 encoded data is formed into a formatted sensor data e-mail and forwarded to the communication device  606  for transmission to a desired recipient in step  622 . 
     A flowchart illustrating the process of collecting, analyzing, processing and transmitting data related to environmental conditions and receiving and processing according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 7 . The system  700  is started and initialized in steps  702  and  704 , respectively. The system then proceeds to load system configurations and configure sensors in steps  706  and  708 , respectively. The system includes a memory (e.g., a RAM, ROM, FLASH, etc.) which maintains initialization routines, etc. which are used at startup and during the initialization process. A suitable memory includes a memory which is integrated with the Blackberry. In step  710  an optional initialization e-mail with a unit identification and optional sensor-type data (e.g., the number and/or type of sensors with which the unit is equipped) is sent to a recipient (e.g., a control center, the user, etc.) by a communication device (e.g., a Blackberry) to inform the recipient that the unit is online. It should also be noted that, in this embodiment, it will be assumed all e-mails are transmitted/received using the Blackberry. The sensor data is then read by a microcontroller and processed in steps  712  and  714 , respectively. In step  716 , a determination is made whether to fire a trigger based on the results of the sensor data and/or the processing of the sensor data. The appropriate actions to take when firing a trigger can be determined using (for example) a table look-up which contains predetermined thresholds and corresponding actions for alerting (e.g., by sending an e-mail message), sampling and activating/deactivating solenoids, etc. 
     If it is determined that a trigger should be fired, then step  722  follows. Alternatively, if a determination is made in step  716  not to fire a trigger, then step  718  follows. In step  722  a triggered action (e.g., an appropriate action for the type of triggering event) is performed and an appropriate e-mail (dependent upon the triggering event) to desired recipients (which can also be dependent upon the triggering event, for example, if a biological sensor is triggered the system  700  can send an e-mail message to an appropriate agency such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)) is performed in step  724 . In step  718 , the system determines when the last e-mail was sent (via the Blackberry), and if it is determined that more than a preset amount of time (in this example 24 hours) has elapsed, a status e-mail is sent in step  726 . Alternatively, if 24 hours has not elapsed since the last e-mail was sent in step  718 , a determination is made as to whether there is any incoming new e-mail in step  720 . If it is determined that there is an incoming new e-mail, the incoming new e-mail is processed in step  728 . Alternatively, if it is determined in step  720  that there is no new e-mail, sensor data is read in step  712 . 
     A table illustrating exemplary rules for reporting detections by SE instruments is shown in  FIG. 8 . At the top of the table, ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) technology, surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology, photoionization (PID) technology and Handheld Radiation Monitor (HRM) sensors  802 ,  804 ,  806  and  808  are shown. Depending upon the agent detected and the number of sensors detecting the one or more agents, a predetermined action  810  is taken. For example, if Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and/or PH 3  (Phosphine) is detected by the PID technology sensor  806 , then after 20 seconds, the SE sounds an alarm, sends email (including relevant data) and starts sorbents tube (not shown) collection. Alternatively, if an H agent is detected by only one of either the IMS technology sensor  802  or the SAW technology sensor  804 , no action is taken. But, if both the IMS technology sensor  802  and the SAW technology sensor detect an H agent, then an action is taken and the SE immediately sounds an alarm, sends e-mail and starts a sorbent pump (not shown). By using orthogonal sensors (i.e., a set of sensors that can acquire a similar data product, e.g., to detect a similar or the same chemical, agent, etc., via dissimilar detection means, e.g., using IMS and SAW technologies) and weighing the results of each of the plurality of sensors, the number of false alarms can be minimized. 
     The SE of the present invention can maintain an e-mail distribution list for alarm notifications. The SE can then selectively e-mail recipients and send e-mails to one or more recipients depending upon the type of triggering event. For example, if a radiation sensor triggers the SE, then the SE can send an e-mail to a nuclear response team and to other pre-determined recipients. Additionally, the SE can vary the repetition rate of e-mails and can send e-mails based on the level that sensors report. For example, if the SE detects low-level radiation, the SE would report it to municipal authorities but if the SE detects extremely high levels of radiation, then the SE would send the warning to a special response team. Additionally, depending upon the e-mail created, the SE can select different e-mail bodies. 
     For example, to change the communication device&#39;s e-mail distribution list for alarm notifications, then a user would send the following e-mail to a SE: 
     Subject: “email recipients” 
     Message body: “email=xxx@yyy.zzz” 
     The communication device can also reply to correctly received e-mails and reply to the sender a confirmation. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that a user, e.g., the control station, etc., can “ping” the communication device. When pinged (via e-mail), the communication device can reply using an e-mail with the following subject and message body. Subject: “Ping Response”; Message body: “I′m alive.” 
     The e-mails sent to recipients by the communication device preferably include a script such as a pearl script which would enable the user to respond to the e-mail and/or effect changes to control the SE without having to open other editors, know a programming language, etc. For example, an e-mail including the following subject and body: Subject: Change Address List; Body:password&lt;cr&gt;; xxx@yyy.zzz&lt;cr&gt;xxx1@yyy.zzz . . . would enable the recipient to easily change the address of recipients on an e-mail list by providing a password and the e-mail addresses of one or more desired recipients and returning the e-mail to the sender. This would allow cross-platform functionality. 
     A perspective-view illustration of a sensor ensemble (SE) unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 9 . The SE  900  includes an HRM  902  for detecting radiation, an optional liquid crystal display (LCD) display screen  904 , a sorbent pump  906  for pumping gases, a Blackberry  908  for processing and receiving/transmitting e-mails, etc., an optional cooling fan  910  for cooling the system, a battery  912  (or other suitable power supply), control electronics  914  which are designed such that the unit operates as described in this document, a spare sorbent tube holder  924 , a primary sorbent tube holder  922 , a multiRae  920 , a light-weight chemical detector  1018  and a HAZMAT CAD  916 . The multirae  920  is preferably a MultiRae Plus Photoionlonization detector (PID) by RAE Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif. The light weight chemical detector  918  preferably is preferably an “LCD3” by Smiths Detection, Pine Brook, N.J. which includes an Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS) and can simultaneously detect, identify and/or differentiate between different types of chemical warfare agents at below attack concentrations. The Hazmat CAD  916  sensor is preferably a HAZMAT CAD plus SAW sensor manufactured by Arrow-Tech, Inc., Rolla, N. Dak. which can detect and classify both chemical warfare and toxic industrial chemical agents. 
     A block diagram illustrating a stackable configuration of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 10 . A plurality of SEs (SE 1 -SE N ) communicate with one or more control centers and/or e-mail servers  1006   1 - 1006   o  and a plurality of users  1006   1 - 1006   M . Although the control centers shown do not have to be integrated with the e-mail servers, for the sake of clarity they have been combined. 
     It is envisioned that many components for realizing the present invention are commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) units and therefore are readily available at low cost. The Blackberry used throughout the present invention is a, for example, Blackberry 950 model manufactured by Research In Motion (RIM). 
     While the present invention has been described in detail according to an environmental monitoring system, the present invention can also be used for controlling conditions at selected sites. Moreover, the present invention can be used for command and control of various systems, e.g., such as heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) and other building systems. Furthermore, the present invention can be used for authentication of environmental threats. 
     While the above description contains many specifics, these specifics should not be construed as limitations of the invention, but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Those skilled in the art will envision many other embodiments within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.