A web-based interface for automatic pollutant emission estimations in poultry facilities

The emissions of ammonia (NH₃), particulate matter (PM), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are major concerns in egg-laying facilities. They can pose environmental concerns and nuances. Robust and affordable measurement systems are needed to accurately measure in-barn concentrations and quantify the emissions. The Intelligent Portable Monitoring Unit (iPMU) developed in 2016 was upgraded in this study to carry out accurate measurements of the concentrations near real-time and, with suitable ventilation measurement, to provide emission rates for NH3, CO₂, and PM. This paper documents the upgrade of the previous iPMU to PMU4, which introduces a user-friendly web-based interface to analyze and visualize data using the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT). The objective of this paper is to document the web-interface technology stack from data collection to cloud computing and data visualization. The PMU4 simplifies data storage and processes data by leveraging cloud computing for analysis and visualization. It is primarily designed to collect sensor data, store the data locally on an SD card, and simultaneously send the data to a secure server. Currently, the PMU4 devices rely on Wi-Fi for internet access. However, the devices are programmed to queue data when the internet is down and to automatically send the queued data to the cloud when the internet is up again, which ensures data integrity. The upgrade also introduces a multi-user web-based system where researchers and producers can create an account, register PMU4 devices and access the devices' data and obtain pollutant emission estimations on their account. This will provide useful insights into the quantity of NH3 and PM emissions for poultry producers.