A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by a remote reader device and a plurality of environmental sensing assemblies to perform a method of environmental data collection, comprising: receiving by the remote reader device environmental data and associated time data from the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies; for each of the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies that are reporting a respective alert event, multiplying an amount by which environmental data is out of a range by associated time data to determine a product for the respective alert event, wherein the product characterizes a relative magnitude of the respective alert event that begins when the environmental data is out of the range and ends when the environmental data is within range; for each of the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies discarding the environmental data and the associated time data when a change indicated by the environmental data and the associated time data is not outside a variation limit, reporting the respective alert event, outputting the product, an indication of whether the environmental data out of the range is above or below the range, the associated time data comprising a duration of the respective alert event and a start time for the environmental data out of the range, and an environmental sensing assembly identifier to indicate an environmental sensing assembly that is reporting the respective alert event, optionally to a display of the remote reader device; and providing power from the remote reader device to one of the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies via a physical contact communication link in response to a power source within the environmental sensing assembly being exhausted or otherwise non-functional, wherein the power source otherwise powers the environmental sensing assembly without the remote reader device, the physical contact communication link including a set of target contact points that are configured to receive environmental data and associated time data from a set of target contact points of the one of the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies. receiving by the remote reader device environmental data and associated time data from the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies; for each of the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies that are reporting a respective alert event, multiplying an amount by which environmental data is out of a range by associated time data to determine a product for the respective alert event, wherein the product characterizes a relative magnitude of the respective alert event that begins when the environmental data is out of the range and ends when the environmental data is within range; for each of the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies discarding the environmental data and the associated time data when a change indicated by the environmental data and the associated time data is not outside a variation limit, reporting the respective alert event, outputting the product, an indication of whether the environmental data out of the range is above or below the range, the associated time data comprising a duration of the respective alert event and a start time for the environmental data out of the range, and an environmental sensing assembly identifier to indicate an environmental sensing assembly that is reporting the respective alert event, optionally to a display of the remote reader device; and providing power from the remote reader device to one of the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies via a physical contact communication link in response to a power source within the environmental sensing assembly being exhausted or otherwise non-functional, wherein the power source otherwise powers the environmental sensing assembly without the remote reader device, the physical contact communication link including a set of target contact points that are configured to receive environmental data and associated time data from a set of target contact points of the one of the plurality of environmental sensing assemblies.