Resources

Methodology guidance, standards references, and technical documentation for environmental monitoring across the industries Vakt serves.

Environmental Monitoring for Canadian Heritage Institutions: A Methodology Guide

A 12-page guide covering ASHRAE class evaluation, CCI-aligned decision-making, sensor placement principles for cultural heritage environments, and compliance documentation strategy. Free download — enter your email to receive the PDF.

Coming soon — leave your email and we'll send you the guide as soon as it's published.

Environmental monitoring standards by industry

An overview of the key regulatory frameworks and industry standards that govern environmental monitoring across the verticals Vakt serves.

Construction

EPA Moisture Control: Guidelines for preventing indoor air quality degradation and mold growth through continuous moisture monitoring during and after construction.
Building Envelope Commissioning: Standards requiring verification of moisture barriers, vapour retarders, and air sealing through measured environmental data.
Provincial Building Codes: Canadian codes mandating moisture management strategies for new construction, with documentation requirements for compliance.

Museums & Archives

ASHRAE Chapter 24: Climate classes AA through D defining acceptable temperature and humidity ranges for different collection types. Class AA requires precision control with no seasonal RH changes; Class D allows wider tolerance for robust artifacts.
CCI Guidelines: Canadian Conservation Institute environmental guidelines providing a risk-based framework for heritage institutions, balancing ideal conditions against building performance realities.

Food Cold Chain

HACCP Principles: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points framework requiring documented temperature monitoring at every critical control point in the food handling process.
FDA FSMA: Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls requiring documented environmental monitoring programs for food facilities.
CFIA Requirements: Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations for temperature control during storage and distribution of perishable goods.

Pharma Cold Chain

EU GDP Guidelines: Good Distribution Practice requiring validated temperature monitoring throughout pharmaceutical supply chains with complete audit trails.
21 CFR Part 11: FDA regulations for electronic records and signatures requiring ALCOA+ data integrity — attributable, legible, contemporaneous, original, and accurate.
Health Canada GMP: Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines for pharmaceutical environmental monitoring in Canadian facilities.
WHO Technical Report Series: International guidelines for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical storage and distribution.

Storage Facilities

ISO Storage Standards: International standards for warehouse environmental control covering temperature, humidity, and ventilation requirements for various stored goods.
Industry Requirements: Vertical-specific storage requirements for electronics, chemicals, textiles, and other climate-sensitive inventory categories.

Designing your monitoring setup

Practical guidance for sensor placement, zone design, and alert configuration to get the most from your Vakt deployment.

Sensor Placement Principles

High and low positions: Temperature stratifies vertically. Place sensors at both floor level and ceiling height in tall spaces to capture the full range.
Near doors and openings: Entry points introduce outside air and humidity. Sensors near loading docks, exterior doors, and windows catch ingress events fastest.
Critical zones first: Prioritize sensor coverage in areas with the highest-value inventory, the most sensitive materials, or the strictest regulatory requirements.
Away from direct heat sources: Avoid placing temperature sensors directly next to HVAC vents, radiators, or sunlit windows where readings reflect local conditions rather than zone averages.

Zone Hierarchy Design

Site level: Top-level grouping representing a physical location — a building, campus, or project site.
Building level: Individual structures within a site, each potentially with different environmental requirements.
Floor level: Vertical divisions within a building, useful for multi-story facilities and construction projects.
Zone level: The most granular grouping — a gallery room, a cold storage unit, a server closet, or a specific section of a warehouse floor.

Alert Threshold Configuration

Set thresholds per zone: A pharmaceutical cold room and a general warehouse have very different acceptable ranges. Configure thresholds to match each zone's requirements.
Warning vs. critical levels: Use two-tier alerting — a warning when conditions approach limits, and a critical alert when they breach. This gives teams time to respond before compliance is affected.
Notification routing: Route alerts to the right people. Facilities teams handle HVAC issues; operations teams handle inventory decisions. Vakt supports per-zone notification routing.

Coverage vs. Cost

Start with critical areas: You do not need a sensor on every wall. Begin with the highest-risk zones and expand coverage as you learn where the real environmental variability occurs.
Use data to guide expansion: After initial deployment, review trend data to identify zones with unexpected variation. Add sensors where the data reveals risk, not where assumptions suggest it.
Long sensor life: Disruptive Technologies sensors last up to 15 years on a single battery. The upfront cost of additional coverage is spread over a very long operational lifespan.

Integration & API overview

Connect Vakt data to your existing systems with our REST API, webhooks, and data export capabilities.

REST API

Sensor data endpoints: Query current and historical readings for any sensor, zone, or site via standard HTTP methods.
Device management: List, configure, and organize sensors programmatically through the API.
Alert configuration: Create, update, and manage alert thresholds and notification rules via API calls.

Webhooks & Events

Real-time notifications: Receive HTTP callbacks when thresholds are breached, sensors go offline, or other events occur.
Event types: Subscribe to specific event categories — alerts, device status changes, or data updates.
Retry logic: Failed webhook deliveries are retried automatically with exponential backoff.

Data Export

CSV export: Download sensor data in CSV format for spreadsheet analysis, compliance documentation, and archival.
JSON export: Structured data exports for programmatic processing and integration with analytics platforms.
Date range filtering: Export data for specific time periods to support audits, investigations, and reporting requirements.

BMS Integration

Building management systems: Feed Vakt sensor data into existing BMS platforms for unified facility oversight.
Facility management software: Integrate environmental data with work order systems, maintenance scheduling, and asset management tools.

Authentication & Security

API key authentication: Secure access with per-organization API keys that can be rotated and revoked.
Role-based access control: API permissions respect the same RBAC model as the dashboard — admins, operators, and viewers see only what they should.
HTTPS only: All API communication is encrypted in transit. Data at rest is encrypted on AWS infrastructure in Canada.