Track Sensor Movement When Temporarily Monitoring Different Spaces

Learn how to properly document and manage sensor movement when you need to monitor a different location temporarily, including best practices for data organization and tracking.

Table of Contents

• Understanding Sensor Movement
• Planning Your Sensor Move
• Best Practices for Documentation
  • Creating Observations
  • Data Management Strategies
• Managing Data After Movement
  • Downloading Raw Data
  • Re-importing Data
• Analytics Considerations
• Alternative Solutions

Understanding Sensor Movement

Conserv Smart Collection Sensors (SCS) are designed to automatically connect to the strongest available gateway signal. When you move a sensor to a different location, and assuming you are still within range, it will seamlessly connect to the nearest gateway without requiring any manual configuration. However, this flexibility comes with important data management considerations.

The sensor continues logging environmental data continuously during the move, which means your analytics will show an uninterrupted data stream that combines readings from multiple locations. Without proper documentation, this can create confusion when analyzing your environmental data.

Planning Your Sensor Move

Before moving your sensor to monitor a different space temporarily, consider the following factors:

• Gateway Connectivity: Ensure that your destination location has adequate gateway coverage. Check the connectivity indicator in Conserv Cloud to verify signal strength in the new location. If you are using an SCS-3 model, you can Test Sensor Range via the Conserv Cloud Mobile App.
• Duration of Move: Document the planned duration of the temporary monitoring period. This helps with data organization and analysis planning.
• Purpose of Move: Clearly define why you're moving the sensor. Common reasons include investigating environmental issues in different spaces, temporary monitoring during construction, or comparative studies between locations.

Best Practices for Documentation

Creating Observations

The most critical step when moving sensors is documenting the movement with observations in Conserv Cloud. Create observations at two key points:

• Before Moving: Add an observation documenting when you removed the sensor from its original location. Include details such as the date, time, reason for the move, and destination location.
• After Returning: Add another observation when you return the sensor to its original location. Note the date, time, and any relevant findings from the temporary monitoring period.

These observations serve as timestamps that help you identify which data corresponds to each location when reviewing analytics.

Data Management Strategies

If you will be moving a lot of sensors over a long period of time, consider implementing a systematic approach to tracking sensor movements:

• Movement Log: Maintain a separate log or spreadsheet that tracks all sensor movements, including serial numbers, dates, locations, and purposes. This will be especially valuable if troubleshooting becomes necessary.
• Naming Conventions: Use consistent naming conventions for observations that make it easy to search and filter movement-related events.
• Photo Documentation: When possible, include photos in your observations showing the sensor's placement in both the original and temporary locations.

Managing Data After Movement

Downloading Raw Data

After returning your sensor to its original location, you may want to download the raw data for the period when it was monitoring the different space. This allows you to preserve a standalone record of the temporary monitoring data. Use the Export feature for this step.

Re-importing Data

For better data organization, consider re-importing the temporary monitoring data as a separate sensor record:

1. Use the downloaded CSV data from the temporary monitoring period
2. Import the data using the "Other Loggers" option in the Import section
3. Create a new sensor record with a descriptive name indicating the temporary location
4. Assign this imported data to the appropriate space in your hierarchy

This approach creates a standalone record of the temporary monitoring data that won't interfere with your original sensor's long-term analytics.

Analytics Considerations

When running analytics on sensors that have been moved temporarily, remember to:

• Exclude Movement Periods: When analyzing long-term trends for the original location, exclude the time period when the sensor was monitoring a different space.
• Use Date Filters: Apply appropriate date filters in your analytics to focus on specific monitoring periods.
• Reference Observations: Use the observations you created to identify the exact timeframes for data exclusion.
• Consider Separate Analysis: Analyze the temporary monitoring data separately to avoid skewing your baseline environmental trends.

Alternative Solutions

If you frequently need to monitor different spaces temporarily, consider these alternatives:

• Additional Sensors: Request additional sensors for temporary monitoring rather than moving existing ones. This maintains data continuity for all locations.
• Portable Monitoring: Use third-party imported data logger solutions for short-term monitoring needs while keeping your Conserv SCS units in their primary locations. Prioritize sensitive, high-value areas to benefit from your Conserv sensors real-time alerts in case of emergencies.
• Rotation Schedule: If monitoring multiple spaces is an ongoing need, establish a rotation schedule with proper documentation procedures.
• Gateway Expansion: Consider adding gateways to extend coverage to areas that need occasional monitoring without gateway relocation, which can disrupt the connectivity for your other sensors.

Moving sensors can be an effective way to gather environmental data from different locations, but proper documentation and data management are essential for maintaining accurate analytics. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your temporary monitoring efforts provide valuable insights without compromising your long-term environmental data integrity.