What Makes Ostara Unique?

Ostara (click for more details) is designed to provide comprehensive, real-time insights into air quality and environmental conditions. This remote monitoring station stands out for its versatility and robust data collection capabilities.

Comprehensive Air Quality Monitoring

Ostara can monitor and record a staggering amount of data from its many sensor options. It tracks a wide range of air quality indicators, including:

• Various grades of fine dust (particulate matter)
• Key gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone

All of this data is recorded and made available online via the Inoview web platform, allowing users to access and analyse air quality information from anywhere.

Advanced Environmental Sensing

Beyond air quality, Ostara is equipped to measure essential weather parameters, including:

• Wind speed and direction
• Temperature
• Atmospheric pressure
• Relative humidity

It also calculates important environmental indexes such as wind chill, dew point, and freezing point, providing a holistic view of site conditions.

Integrated Water Quality Monitoring

For sites that require both air and water quality monitoring, Ostara offers seamless integration with the WiMo multiparameter water quality probe. This means you can capture water quality data and present it alongside air quality metrics within the Inoview platform, streamlining environmental monitoring and reporting.

Flexible and Cost-Effective Sensor Options

Ostara offers a low cost of ownership and can be customised with only the sensors you require. The replacement cost for the sensors (which have a finite life span) is low compared to alternative products, making Ostara a budget-friendly choice for long-term monitoring. In addition the use of solar power and a built in rechargeable battery helps to keep running costs low and minimise site visits.

User-Friendly Web Interface

Ostara features a built-in web interface, allowing you to connect using any device with internet access. Simply connect to the unit’s built-in WiFi network from your PC or mobile phone, where you can easily change settings or logging regimes for maximum convenience.

Who Can Benefit from Ostara?

Ostara is ideal for a wide range of applications, including:

• Environmental agencies monitoring urban or industrial air quality
• Industrial sites needing to comply with environmental regulations
• Research institutions conducting environmental studies
• Local councils and urban planners seeking to improve community health

Who is using Ostara?

Why Choose Ostara?

• Comprehensive Data: Monitor both air and water quality with a single, robust platform.
• Remote Access: View real-time and historical data online via Inoview.
• Flexible Sensor Options: Customise the station to your site’s specific needs.
• Reliable Performance: Built for durability and accuracy in demanding environments.
• Low Cost of Ownership: Affordable sensor replacement and customisation options.
• Easy Connectivity: Manage your station from any internet-connected device.

Take Control of Your Environmental Monitoring

Ready to enhance your site’s environmental monitoring capabilities? Ostara, available exclusively through DOSA in the UK, offers a powerful, flexible solution for air and water quality management.

Contact DOSA today to learn more about how Ostara can help you achieve your environmental goals.

The post Introducing Ostara: The Next Generation Air Quality Monitoring Station appeared first on DOSA.

(Ryan Cox with Chris Pucci, Allison Love and Anthony Visco)

FEI have been operating since 1996 and have a fantastic reputation for customer service, technical and logistical capability all backed by having fourteen fully staffed locations across the heart of the USA. At their headquarters, their specialist staff can conduct repairs and calibrations not previously possible meaning our customers will not need to return their equipment to our facility in the UK.

FEI have a vast fleet of our equipment available for both direct purchase and rental including consumable parts culminating from a significant investment in inventory to meet the demands of the market and to provide customers with next day deliveries and fast support turnaround times.

Ryan Cox commented “This represents a significant change for us as we move to focus heavily on our service and product positioning in this market. Our laser focus in 2022 is North America and so is our desire to improve upon both product supply and servicing lead times by providing in country inventory and servicing capabilities. Put simply, this means next day delivery on products and servicing within days right in our customer’s home country within North America. I’m delighted FEI share this vision and are collaborating with us to make it a reality and we are fully behind them in making a success of their decision to work with us directly. I think It says a lot about our products when prestigious companies such as our newly appointed partners are choosing to work with us which is a great source of pride for us and I’m sure it sends the right signals to our customers”.

Anthony Visco, Managing Partner at FEI, added his comments on this new partnership…

 Field Environmental Instruments, Inc. is thrilled to announce our full-service stocking and distribution partnership with DOSA. This partnership will provide FEI’s customers a broader selection of high-quality water monitoring instruments than currently available. Some of the highlights will include new smaller single parameter packages, and advanced packages both with long term and data logging deployment capabilities.

We are honored to be taking this step with DOSA and are earnestly looking forward to offering our customers a new line of high quality, multi-functional instruments in a variety of rental and purchase options.

Our “Where to buy” page on our website is now fully up to date and which boasts 26 locations across the USA. You can contact FEI directly from this page where they are all on hand to help you with your monitoring or servicing needs.

January 2022.

The post DOSA partners with Field Environmental Instruments, Inc. appeared first on DOSA.

Firstly, how does a pressure water level sensor work?

A pressure water level sensor operates by measuring the force exerted onto the units’ diaphragm and converts this to a reading for water level. The further under water the units are the deployed the higher the amount of pressure is exerted onto the units’ diaphragm. There are commonly two types of pressure sensors for the measurement of water level, these are Gauge, also called vented and absolute, which is also referred to as non-vented.

What is the difference between Gauge and Absolute water level loggers?

A gauge water level sensor will not only measure the pressure exerted onto the sensor diaphragm, but it will also correct for changes in air pressure. This is important as it means that the unit can directly compensate for these air pressure changes, which directly have an affect on the water level if it is an open water body. To achieve this the unit has a cable which connects to the back of the sensor. The cable features a hollow tube inside that is vented to the atmosphere allowing for automatic compensation for changes in air pressure.

In comparison an absolute water level sensor will measure the pressure exerted onto the diaphragm but will not measure changes in barometric pressure as the unit is completely sealed. Because of this, users will also need to use a separate device to measure changes in barometric pressure; a LeveLine-BARO. Once water level data and barometric data is collected users can compensate the water level for the changes in barometric pressure within the LeveLink software.

Which one should I choose?

Your selection or water level sensor or water level data logger will really depend on your application and your requirements. If your deployment is going to utilise telemetry, then our advice would be to select a gauge or vented sensor. A telemetry system requires the use of a data cable to connect to the Leveline, a vented sensor requires the use of a vented cable. In addition, using a vented sensor means the data does not need to be compensated post collection. This makes data handling on the

However, gauge is not always best. As the units features a vented cable, the opposite end of the cable to the sensor will need to be kept dry, this is typically done using a desiccant cartridge, which stops water vapour entering the water level sensor trough the vent tube in the cable. These also need to be maintained, otherwise they can become saturated and allow moisture to enter the vent tube potentially blocking the vent. This would also need to be consider if the location is prone to flooding. In this instance the cable end with the desiccant should be installed at a height where water submergence can’t occur.

So, you may be thinking why would I use an absolute sensor? Well there are many advantages of an absolute / non vented solution. The first is that these water level sensors are completely sealed.

The advantage of this is they require less maintenance and can also be installed without needing a data cable. They can simply be hung on a steel wire or Kevlar chord. This can reduce cost, as the cables used to connect to the level sensors can be expensive. Another advantage is that you can use one barometric device to compensate more than one absolute sensor. This means you could have 10 or 20 devices located within a 10km radius all compensated by a single barometric device.

Absolute systems are also good for people who will be using the device for several applications, rather than having them permanently installed. In this instance a gauge type level sensor may become impractical as you may require varying cables lengths for different applications.

I have chosen between Gauge and Absolute, are there any other considerations?

There are a couple of further considerations to make. Firstly, how will I collect the data?  Options include a water level sensor with an internal battery and datalogger, such as our Leveline, or a device which will connect to a telemetry system such as our Point Green, which can be combined with our Leveline Mini sensor.

The final consideration relates to the application itself. Will the conductivity / salinity vary at the location where I am monitoring? If you are measuring a marine or estuarine based application the answer will probably be yes, therefore our advice would be to have a device which can provide correction for density changes by measuring the conductivity and salinity. For this we would recommend a device such as our Leveline CTD, if a local datalogging model is required, or our Leveline Mini CTD with our Point Green telemetry system if you require remote access to the data from the unit. Both add a conductivity sensor to their measurement parameters to provide density correction.

If you require any further guidance or information please feel free to contact the DOSA team – yanglvbravo@gmail.com  / 01843 600030

The post Tech Talk, What are the key differences between Gauge (Vented) and Absolute (Non-Vented) pressure water level sensors? appeared first on DOSA.

Hydroterra is a long-established environmental consultancy and equipment supplier. They combine expert knowledge and equipment to deliver to full solution to their clients.

Hydroterra is now offering our complete range of water quality and level instruments exclusively across Australia and New Zealand. We recognise that local support and service is paramount especially with the distance between Australia and the UK. Hydroterra is fully trained in both the sales and technical aspects of our range meaning customers can be fully supported for service, parts, warranty and calibration needs locally. 

“I spent two weeks with Hydroterra discussing strategy, visiting clients and providing training, said Ryan Cox, Sales Director at DOSA.

“They have a great range of products and services that they offer to a wide range of clients. I am pleased we are now working closely together and look forward to the things we will do together in the future”. 

For many years we have been popular in Australia and Hydroterra will now continue building upon that success whilst offering improved service and support to our customers. 

Hydroterra can be contacted using the details below – 

HydroTerra Pty Limited

42/328 Reserve Road
Cheltenham 3192
Victoria, Australia

Telephone (03) 8683 0091

For any other questions or queries, contact us today.

The post DOSA announces appointment of its newest exclusive distributor Hydroterra appeared first on DOSA.

Baku was the location for the first ever European Games in June 2015. The stadium, overlooking Lake Boyuk Shor, brought attention to this heavily polluted waterbody, so the Ministry of Economics and Industry in Azerbaijan instigated a clean up operation.

Eijkelkamp Soil & Water supplied and installed the equipment that will monitor the water quality and water quantity in Lake Boyuk Shor now the European Games are over. Lake Boyuk Shor is the second largest lake in Azerbaijan, but it is heavily polluted.

Background

The major remediation project is being implemented by Dutch engineering consultants, Witteveen+Bos. They are working on landscape improvement and water quality remediation of nine lakes around Baku, including Lake Boyuk Shor. Each of the nine contaminated lakes must be cleaned by 2030.

The rehabilitation of Lake Boyuk Shor is split into two stages. The first stage is now complete, and included the separation of the most polluted part from the rest of the lake using a dam. The second stage will take the longest time as it is focused on the reconstruction of the lake’s ecosystem and aims to return the lake to its natural historic state.

The second stage will be implemented from 2015-2020. The work done so far has already improved the water quality in the lake. Lake Boyuk Shor is rated by international specialists as one of the most complexly polluted lakes in the world, so there is a lot of remediation work still to be done.

One of the most complexly polluted lakes in the world

Oil is a major natural resource in Azerbaijan; it is drilled on both land and sea. Historically, this resulted in serious pollution in and around the lakes of Baku. The pollution issue was compounded by other industrial waste, untreated sewage and general waste ending up in and around the lakes. The condition of the lakes poses a threat to the health of local people and creates conditions favourable to the emergence of different diseases.

The main pollutants in the lakes are heavy metals such as copper, cadmium, iron, zinc and manganese. There are also much higher than normal levels of:

• cation and anion concentrations;
• calcium;
• magnesium;
• chlorides;
• sulfates;
• synthetic detergents; and
• biochemical oxygen consumption.

Remediation activity so far

As part of the first stage of remediation work, the highly polluted bed of Lake Boyuk Shor has been dredged; over 2.8 million cubic meters of heavily oil polluted silt have been dredged, temporary storage for the contaminated dredging spoils has been created, and dams constructed to isolate the project area.

This is what Lake Boyuk Shor looked like in March 2013:

And here it is, transformed, in April 2015:

DOSA water quality monitoring equipment

Eijkelkamp Soil & Water installed four water quality stations with floats to keep the probes at a set depth. The monitoring stations monitor water quality using the DOSA AP-7000 probe. The probe comes as standard with sensors that measure optical dissolved oxygen, pH, ORP, conductivity, resistivity, salinity, TDS, SSG, and temperature. Eijkelkamp Soil & Water then added additional parameters into the user configurable sensor ports: refined oil, chlorophyll and turbidity.

A water quality station in situ at Lake Boyuk Shor:

Setting up the water quality station:

The AP-7000 used with the Blackbox, as used in this application, provides an independent monitoring station capable of self cleaning allowing users to remotely collect accurate data for longer. The AP-7000 is specifically designed for long term deployment, as in this application where fouling of the sensors can be an issue.

DOSA is an award-winning British manufacturer of precise, scientific water quality testing equipment. Our specialism is multiparameter water testing equipment and highly precise water level and temperature loggers. All DOSA equipment is designed to be used in the field and is constructed from rugged materials that can withstand harsh conditions and all types of water.

Eijkelkamp Soil & Water makes a difference worldwide by developing, producing and delivering solutions for soil and water research. Eijkelkamp Soil & Water is involved in soil and water projects worldwide within the themes Land Degradation, Food Safety, Urbanisation, Pollution, Land Development and Natural Resources. Eijkelkamp Soil & Water is represented in over 70 countries by specially selected partners.

Please click here for more details on our equipment. 

Contact DOSA.

The post Case Study: Lake Rehabilitation Baku, Azerbaijan appeared first on DOSA.