Remote assessment of cultural heritage environments with wireless sensor array networks.

Henoc Agbota,John Mitchell,Marianne Odlyha,Matija Strlič

doi:10.3390/s140508779

Abstract

The logistics and cost of environmental monitoring can represent challenges for heritage managers, partly because of the sheer number of environmental parameters to consider. There is a need for a system, capable of monitoring the holistic impact of the environment on cultural materials while remaining relatively easy to use and providing remote access. This paper describes a dosimetric system based on piezoelectric quartz crystal technology. The prototype sensing module consists of an array of piezoelectric quartz crystals (PQC) coated with different metals (Fe, Cu, Ni and Sn) and includes a temperature and relative humidity sensor. The communication module involves an 802.15.4 low-power radio and a GPRS gateway which allows real time visualisation of the measurements online. An energy management protocol ensures that the system consumes very low power between measurements. The paper also describes the results and experiences from two heritage field deployments, at Apsley House in London, UK, and at the Royal Palaces of Abomey in Benin. Evaluation of PQC measurements, temperature, relative humidity and the rate of successful transmission over the communication systems are also reported.

Highlights

Environmental monitoring is a key component of heritage management
Following the exposure the coated piezoelectric quartz crystals (PQC) crystals were brought to the laboratory for measurement to test the accuracy of recorded values
Varnish and mastic coated PQC crystals have already been successfully used in previous research to evaluate the corrosivity of the microclimates in the vicinity of paintings [6]

Summary

Introduction

Environmental monitoring is a key component of heritage management. Individual environmental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity and pollutants have been shown in laboratory experiments to cause damage to cultural materials. The synergistic action of heat and relative humidity and certain pollutants can cause or exacerbate loss of colour in photographic films, corrosion in metals and fading in textiles [1,2,3]. Other environmental parameters such as pollutants, are harder to measure because the measurement cost of a single pollutant is generally higher than that of temperature and relative humidity combined and because it is often necessary to measure multiple pollutants [5]

Methods

Results

Conclusion