Real-Time Data Transmission of Air Quality Data to a State Agency, 1994 Environmental Conference Proceedings

J. Robbins, M. Distler

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) mandated that Fitch, Pruyn and Company, Inc. monitor ambient sulfur dioxide (SO2) and metorological (met) parameters at its paper mill in Glens Falls. Recently, NYSDEC required the relocation of the met station and transmission, via modem, of both the met data and SO2 data to the NYSDEC offices in Albany, New York. Finch Pruyn’s existing system was not capable of compiling or formatting the data in a manner consistent with NYSDEC standards. In order to comply, a new data acquisition system was designed and installed concurrently with two new met stations. The new system collects data from the two met stations and two ambient SO2 monitoring stations and creates a file of hourly averages accessible through a modem. Real-time air quality and meteorological data, along with station status indicators, are thus transmitted to NYSDEC. This air quality network also automatically prints daily data summaries and zero/span reports for each parameter monitored, can provide graphical presentation and statistical analysis of data, and can store up to a year’s worth of data. This is accomplished with a minimum of operator interface at no sacrifice of accuracy. The four remote sites require a visit only once every two weeks.