We often think in terms of care for older artifacts, but this very interesting article in the New York Times brings our attention to preservation challenges with modern materials.

These Cultural Treasures Are Made of Plastic. Now They’re Falling Apart. https://nyti.ms/2NnS8pu

Blue: Raw data(tempraw2F), Green: Three-point moving average(tempphoton2F), Red: Three-point weighted(tempWeight2F).

Smoothing filters are calculated real-time at the Smart Sensor module level and the results are uploaded to the dashboard each period. The moving average is somewhat smoother but with greater time lag. With the weighted filter, greater importance is attributed to more recent data resulting in a closer fit to the raw data.

With reduced peak response, either of these filters is a good choice when setting alert thresholds.

The dashboard includes the ability to create synthetic variables to calculate a new result from data collected. Various commonly used mathematical functions are supported plus additional data range functions. Synthetic variables can be graphed, used in thresholds, or in subsequent calculations.

Two simple examples:

Using a simplified algorithm, calculate the dew point temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Please note this is not the algorithm used in our module code.

Dew Point approximation: Td= T-(100-RH)/5
((((T -32)/1.8)-((100-RH)/5))*1.8)+32

Calculate the hourly mean of the relative humidity data collected. This new variable can be graphed with the raw data as shown in the graph below.

Hourly Mean: Relative Humidity
mean(relative4H ,"1H")

Quick glance vs. deep study

One approach to designing your dashboard is to position simple threshold-controlled widgets at the top where both knowledgeable users and casual users can immediately assess current conditions. More detailed graphs can be positioned just below for analysis and comparison.

Changing the time scale can help develop a better understanding. This is an example of a 10 day window of data downloaded to Excel from a module with a polynomial trend line. The trend line suggests a nearly 10 degree long-term oscillation, and the raw data illustrates periods of rapid change and high levels potentially above prefered limits.

Dew point is a measure of absolute humidity, the mass of water vapor per unit volume of air in the atmosphere. Dew point is independent of ambient temperature, at constant pressure. If the temperature rises, the dew point will remain constant but the relative humidity will drop. And conversely, if the temperature falls, RH will rise as seen in the dashboard chart below:

Please note this graph shows raw sensor data without filter, e.g., moving average or weighted average.