Validation and application of a novel solution for environmental monitoring: a three months study at “minerva medica” archaeological site in rome

Monitoring of environmental parameters is necessary to preserve materials, identify causes of degradation, and quantify their effects, as a function of time. In this research, we propose a measuring unit and present an example of collected data. The unit is based on an ATmega328P microcontroller, gathering signals from: a 9-axis MIMU; a sensor for temperature and relative humidity; and three gas detection miniature boards (NO, NO2and SO2). The aim of the project is to monitor the effects of different factors: (i) seasonal thermal variations; (ii) dynamic response of the structure and (iii) gaseous pollutant concentration. The developed system allows for a prioritization of intervention both for management and interventions planning, in terms of restoration, consolidation, and conservation. The experimental setup used to evaluate the accuracy of MIMU system highlighted a relative error on shock acceleration measurement, in term of percent root mean square error, lower than 0.36 for the sinusoidal input, and 0.49 for cardinal sin input, with an average accuracy in the principal peak reconstruction lower than 2% in the chosen frequency range (5 Hz to 50 Hz). Data collected in situ showed a maximum frequency of vibration, at ground level, equal to 40 Hz with a peak of 8 mm/s. The gas detection and temperature/humidity boards showed data comparable with the closest certified ARPA system device.