Recent Developments in Indoor Environmental Quality Mobile Units

Abstract

This paper explores the existing literature on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) tools and applications, including the real-time monitoring system to achieve an optimal IEQ. The accurate, easy-to-use, and inexpensive equipment is a major obstacle to IEQ performance evaluation. With the rapid development of wireless monitoring equipment in recent years, measuring various building parameters has become a less labor-intensive process. While sensors and logging device manufacturers have made products that are increasingly accurate and easy-to-use, making new devices for measuring IEQ is still largely in the hands of researchers. IEQ measurement requires a combination of devices and individual sensors to capture the state of IEQ in a space. This paper presents a review of the recent development on IEQ evaluation methods and tools, proposes a new approach of Smart IEQ online monitoring mobile unit on small, low-cost, and desk-based monitors with sensors for thermal comfort (air and radiant temperatures, air speed, and humidity), acoustics (SPL), lighting (Lux), and air quality (CO2, CO, TVOC, Formaldehyde, and PM10). The measurements are relayed wirelessly to a server within the building that transmits data through the wireless network which can in real-time be presented to an online IEQ dashboard in a control room or to a mobile phone by an application program.