Environmental behavior has a big impact on our lives. But it was not until barely 55 years ago that environmental issues received serious attention from major organizations when in 1968, the UN Economic and Social Council decided to hold the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment.
Four years later, in 1972, the event was held in Stockholm, Sweden, and marked the start of the dialogue on how to monitor and assess industrial processes and manage environmental activities. This date was also the beginning of the work of the United Nations Environment Programme.
Since then, the environmental issue has been an ongoing complex topic that has required educational initiatives, debates, agreements, and constant negotiations to protect the integrity of the environment. However, despite progress, challenges persist in achieving global environmental sustainability.
Weather events, climate change, and human activities are interconnected aspects that influence the quality and availability of natural resources like water, air, soil, and the overall health of ecosystems, as well as the living conditions of individuals and communities, impacting our well-being and infrastructure.
According to Copernicus, the European Union's Earth Observation Programme, 2023 is confirmed as the warmest calendar year in global temperature data records going back to 1850.
More than just “a little bit of heat”, this record-breaking temperature rise unleashes a chain of effects on the environment. The heat generates a change in temperature in the atmosphere, which leads to torrential rains or very severe droughts in diverse regions. Other consequences are heat waves, floods, and wildfires.
According to Munich RE, in 2023, major wildfires destroyed 18.5 million hectares of forest in Canada. Meanwhile, hailstones measuring up to 19 cm in diameter caused billions of dollars of losses in northern Italy and several other regions; and torrential rainfalls wroke out along the Adriatic coast causing widespread floodings that intensified over the Mediterranean to a cyclone. All of these events reached losses of US$ 17 billion.
Analysing data on natural disasters from 2000 onwards (updated until September 2023) provided by Our World in Data and the latest reports from AON, together with my team we have created an infographic to visually show the catastrophic impact of these events both in terms of economic losses and human lives. In this regard, the number of deaths in just less than 4 years (2020-2023) is truly impressive, and has already reached numbers comparable to those of the last 2 decades.
As we move forward, it becomes imperative to keep working on sustainable practices to build a balanced relationship between humanity and the planet.
In the face of these challenges, environmental monitoring emerges as a crucial ally in mitigating and addressing the effects of global warming and natural disasters.
With the continuous advance of technology, the Internet of Things provides environmental monitoring with effective data-driven solutions, facilitating early detection of potential natural disasters and the making of better decisions based on real-time data of diverse environmental parameters.
To help you understand more about environmental monitoring, I will answer the most common questions about IoT Environmental Monitoring, covering everything from the fundamental principles to its impact on the world.
I trust this comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge needed to understand the importance of monitoring natural factors and how IoT contributes to a holistic approach to environmental management.
According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), environmental monitoring serves as a tool to observe and study the environment.
It helps assess environmental conditions, monitor trends, and generate vital information to make informed decisions.
The information gathered from monitoring activities helps us understand how the environment behaves. This understanding allows us to develop strategies to manage and prevent issues related to natural resources like water, air, biodiversity, and global climate change. Environmental monitoring also has other applications related to human activities, including waste management, population growth, and agriculture, among others.
Environmental monitoring practices also help to identify potential threats and develop strategies to safeguard the well-being of ecosystems, infrastructure, and human populations. This is a significant advantage that allows to have detailed information about a problem and pivot, determining the appropriate strategies to apply.
IoT Enviromental Monitoring helps assess environmental conditions, monitor trends, and generate vital information to make informed decisions.
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UNECE emphasizes the importance of integrated, relevant, timely, and accessible data to facilitate informed decision-making. Additionally, it is key to conducting monitoring programs, reporting routines and methods to ensure adequate assessment.
As you can guess, environmental monitoring processes are complex and they become more challenging as the world population grows. And this is where IoT comes in handy.
According to the International Electrotechnical Commission, IoT helps transform traditional single-point monitoring into a “multi-point network monitoring system”, enabling comprehensive observation from macro and micro perspectives, resulting in the full utilization of the data for diverse applications and prevention strategies.
By introducing automated sensors, IoT enables real-time data collection, ensuring a continuous stream of accurate and reliable information. Remote accessibility allows stakeholders to access real-time information from anywhere, fostering a more dynamic and responsive approach to environmental management.
Moreover, predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms applied to IoT data enable the identification of patterns and trends, facilitating proactive decision-making and the prediction of potential environmental issues.
Combining these key benefits helps us develop smart environmental monitoring systems that not only meet the rigorous demands of the field but also support decision-making processes, enable forecasts, and produce intelligent information and alarm systems.
In summary, IoT is a game-changer for traditional assessment processes, revolutionizing environmental monitoring into Smart Environmental Monitoring (SEM). Beyond the technical advantages, SEM aligns with sustainability goals by reducing environmental impact through optimized resource utilization and minimizing the need for physical travel to monitoring sites.
One example of IoT capabilities in Environmental Monitoring occurred in Switzerland, where Decentlab sensors were integrated to enable precision water level measurements and proactive anomaly detection.
Developed in partnership with the Akenza platform, the IoT network triggers automatic alerts when water levels drop, preventing potential pump damage. Real-time data allows for optimal resource utilization, providing valuable insights to tackle the issue of water scarcity caused by changing glacier and snow patterns.
In another scenario where I was personally involved, in Salzburg (Austria), the focus is on preventing forest fires using data-driven risk assessment. We used a combination of advanced technology from Decentlab sensors, LoRaWAN technology, RAK gateways, and Datacake visualization platform to provide real-time, comprehensive environmental data to forest owners, forest managers, and emergency response decision makers.
This approach involves setting up weather stations equipped with Decentlab sensors at various locations to collect meteorological data, including temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, and lightning activity.
By leveraging this data and using an internationally recognized algorithm, the stakeholders can calculate the forest fire index, also known as the Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC), which indicates the flammability of the ground litter and other cured fine fuels on the forest floor.
By utilizing this dependable and precise approach to calculate the risk of forest fires in real-time, the assessment of risk attains an unprecedented degree of accuracy, enabling it to effectively monitor and evaluate the potential danger.
To gain a deeper understanding of how an IoT-enabled environmental monitoring solution functions, let's examine its key components and how they contribute to the efficient management and evaluation of different types of data.
The applications of environmental monitoring are vast and diverse, ranging from year-round activities to seasonal ones.
The first category involves the constant supervision of natural areas such as forests and wetlands to uphold optimal conditions for biodiversity to thrive. This involves monitoring climatic conditions, soil, air, and water quality, as well as keeping track of nesting or migratory movements.
The second category encompasses solutions for preventing hazards like forest fires, road icing, extreme weather events, and their aftermaths (such as flooding). Although these use cases may seem unrelated, they can be used in a complementary manner and benefit from the same basic infrastructure.
Environmental monitoring also promotes a healthier environment in urban areas and can be used to enlighten citizens about climate and environmental concerns. A monitoring system is also essential for urban planning, monitoring emissions, or adhering to legal requirements.
Today, 55 years after the initiation of the first official actions toward environmental care, and with six years remaining to achieve the ambitious goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the environmental situation continues to grow more complex.
The challenges we face, from climate change and biodiversity loss to pollution and resource depletion, underscore the pressing need for comprehensive and innovative solutions. The integration of IoT technology is crucial to increase efficiency in the use and protection of natural resources and human well-being and the time to act is now.
That's why we launched LORIOT Verso, a new division with a clear vision of using the Internet of Things to create a better world.
In the quest for a healthier and more resilient planet, LORIOT Verso combines profound know-how of the most advanced IoT technologies and extensive experience in environmental monitoring, a field to which I have already dedicated several years of work as founder and CEO of a solution provider. Building on this background, we provide end-to-end solutions that measure and deliver vital data to predict and prevent natural disasters.
As we move forward, our commitment extends beyond mere data acquisition. LORIOT Verso envisions "Climate Resilience as a Service," providing not just information but actionable insights and solutions that contribute to building more resilient and sustainable communities.
Get in touch to learn more about the solutions in our portfolio.
