Academic & environmental research

The DGEM is the primary platform for outdoor air quality research deployments. Its sensor suite is configured per order to match the project's parameter requirements — common academic configurations include PM1/2.5/4/10 with particle number concentration, CO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃, NH₃, eVOC, noise, wind, and weather. Each unit connects to the Devlabs platform via 4G LTE using a pre-configured SIM card, so there is no dependency on local network infrastructure at the measurement site. Data is available via the platform dashboard and REST API from first connection.

The Devlabs platform REST API provides direct programmatic access to all sensor time-series data. Research teams pull data into their own analysis workflows in standard formats without manual export. The API is available for all product lines — DGEM, DVM, WQS, TDL1200, and LoRaWAN devices — providing a consistent interface regardless of sensor type. All data remains the client's to use without restriction.

The WQS is well-suited to in-situ water quality research as a replacement for manual grab sampling. The probe suite is configured per project — pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, conductivity, turbidity, water temperature — and data is transmitted continuously via LoRaWAN. Research teams access historical and live data via the platform API at any time.

For field campaigns requiring precision atmospheric methane measurement — peatland flux studies, landfill emissions surveys, anaerobic site characterisation — the TDL1200 provides 0–1200 ppm CH₄ measurement with a mandatory validity state on every reading. The validity state is important for academic data quality: the instrument distinguishes a genuine low reading from a sensor fault or thermal transient, allowing invalid data to be flagged automatically rather than requiring manual review.

Devlabs LoRaWAN Systems can extend a research network to satellite measurement points where a full DGEM or WQS is not justified — simple T/RH, water level, or analogue signal nodes at additional locations, on the same platform as the primary instruments.

Deployment scenario

A university atmospheric research group studying urban air quality deployed a network of eight DGEM monitors across an urban catchment. Each DGEM was configured with PM1/2.5/4/10, particle number concentration, NO₂, CO, and a combined weather probe for wind speed and direction. Units were mounted on lamp-post bracket arms and connected via 4G LTE from first power-on. The research team accessed 15-minute averaged data via the Devlabs platform API and ingested it directly into their Python analysis pipeline, producing spatial air quality maps updated hourly for a twelve-month campaign.

In the same programme, two WQS units were deployed at river monitoring points adjacent to the urban catchment to study stormwater discharge quality correlations with air quality events. pH, turbidity, TSS, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen data was accessed via the same API as the air quality data, enabling combined analysis within the same pipeline.