A digital data logger is a device that tracks and records information related to specific environmental conditions. Many different industries use them when the condition of food, vaccines, equipment, and the environment requires monitoring to keep products safe or to maintain compliance. Digital data loggers permit the collection of data such as temperature, pressure, voltage, current, and humidity. They can also record and store data and can be programmed to send alerts if the conditions fluctuate beyond a set standard, enabling action to be taken to prevent spoilage, noncompliance, or additional issues. In this article, we will take a closer look at five of the benefits of using digital data loggers.

1 – Maintaining Regulatory Compliance 

Digital data loggers automatically record information at pre-programmed intervals. The charts and graphs that can be printed from this data aid in identifying patterns and trends in both the environmental conditions and critical equipment being monitored. When data loggers detect changes in the conditions, they may be indicating serious problems are imminent. However, with the advance notice provided by data loggers, repairs or corrections can be made promptly to prevent damage or loss of inventory. Industry standards can be met and maintained with a remote monitoring system that utilizes the power and reliability of digital data loggers. As Dickson notes, up-to-date digital data loggers are essential for maintaining regulatory compliance in many industries.

2 – Protecting Assets

You want to protect your business’s assets—especially when those are saleable product or important production processes. Particularly sensitive assets are items that require temperature monitoring and travel through a cold chain. A cold chain includes refrigerated transport vehicles and storage facilities between transportation links. Digital data loggers act as a form of data management, tracking items as they travel from place of origin to end-user. Data loggers serve as the eyes and ears of the cold chain, providing assets that require protection from spoilage the added security of a remote monitoring system that can issue alerts when temperatures depart from safe parameters. Other assets are also protected because their specific environmental conditions are under constant watch, thanks to the technology of digital data loggers.

3 – Precise Data Tracking

The most significant benefit digital data loggers provide is highly accurate readings of environmental conditions. Depending on the environmental conditions that are being monitored, either external probes or internal sensors can collect environmental data. A microprocessor inside the data logger records and stores the information. Because data loggers use digital technology, the environmental monitoring is far more precise than could be achieved with analog monitoring devices or manual readings taken by a human. As a result, the information data loggers collect is far more accurate than previously possible. Digital monitoring tools can detect the smallest variation in conditions, variations that may not register on analog recording devices.

4 – Compatibility with Monitoring Software

Another of the great advantages of using digital data loggers is the ease with which the information they collect can be transferred to a desktop computer or a smartphone. Each data logger comes with a software disc or app information that requires downloading. Once you connect your data logger to your computer or handheld device, the information stored on the data logger’s microprocessor can be transferred and analyzed. The digital data logger can be connected directly to a computer or may use a wi-fi connection to send the data to a desktop, laptop, or smartphone. Plus, some data loggers can be programmed to provide real-time information or to simply collect the information once the data logger memory is full or near capacity.

5 – Customizable Alarm Capabilities

When digital data loggers are part of a remote monitoring system, they provide an easy way to send alerts when the environmental conditions change to the point where compliance issues may develop. Digital data loggers have a built-in alerting system. This system goes far beyond an audible alarm—many digital data loggers can send SMS text messages to smartphones or email messages to a selection of recipients who can respond to the situation before it develops into a serious problem. Messages can be customized, and the list of people who should be notified of a fluctuation in temperature, pressure, humidity, voltage, or current can also be customized and changed when required.

What Industries Use Data Loggers

Four main industries use digital data loggers. In the food industry, the devices track and monitor perishable goods and monitor temperatures and humidity to ensure that food products get to where they are going without spoilage. In the automotive industry, specific data loggers assist vehicle manufacturing companies in ensuring that emission standards are met with diesel vehicles on the road. In the healthcare industry, data loggers monitor the temperature of cold storage facilities that are used for blood, vaccines, organs, and other sensitive assets. In the aerospace industry, data loggers track the temperature and pressure of equipment to prevent failure of structures and designs of aircraft that operate under extreme conditions.

In Conclusion

Simply put, digital data loggers are your remote monitoring solution. In applications where environmental conditions are critical and can cause problems if not controlled properly, digital data loggers provide accurate proof of compliance. They are versatile—digital data loggers can monitor many different types of conditions depending on your needs; they are portable; they are durable and can be used in harsh environments where human monitoring is impossible or dangerous. A digital data logger collects information and stores it for easy retrieval through a direct connection to a computer or a wi-fi download. If the digital data logger finds conditions outside of acceptable parameters, the logger can be programmed to alert people. These affordable tools are a great piece of insurance where assets need to be monitored and protected.