Nomad Portable Weather StationCasella Monitor – leading global specialist in the design and manufacture of advanced environmental monitoring systems - recently won a competitive tender to supply six Nomad Portable Weather Stations to the six Environment Agency Incident Response Teams throughout England & Wales.

Chosen for their portability, functionality and competitive pricing, the high performance units are located across the country for rapid deployment in the event of a major air quality incident.

The Environment Agency's Incident Response Teams will use the Nomads to provide real time measurement of meteorological conditions such as temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction, solar radiation and rainfall at various locations around a major incident. The data collected will be evaluated by the relevant team before deciding on the next course of action.

As part of the agreement, Casella Monitor also provided the Environment Agency with on-site training and a five-year service contract.

Heather Barker, Technical Advisor for Incidents and Contingency Planning at the Environment Agency says: "We had one of Casella's Nomad Portable Weather Stations on hire for some time so knew they offered the best mix of portability and functionality at a competitive price. We need a system which can be taken to any location in England and Wales in the back of a van and is quick and easy to assemble in all conditions, day or night."

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Heather continued: "The Nomads provide a more accurate picture of what is happening on site than a simple weather forecast. Plus they provide real time data which can be easily downloaded and sent to Environment Agency staff managing the incident. Casella has provided us with what we need to respond effectively to major air quality incidents."

Casella Monitor was the first company to develop a truly portable device for measuring meteorological and climate conditions. Weighing just 13kg and comprising three key components, the Nomad is designed for rapid deployment and ease of transportation and can be set up and start collecting data less than five minutes after arriving on the scene of a major incident.

Following a hazardous incident such as a fire, vehicle spill or nuclear leak, it is vital for emergency response teams to have real-time data regarding weather conditions in order to plan and implement effective evacuation procedures.

The Nomad outputs data directly back to an incident command vehicle, where it can run in conjunction with Aloha® and CAMEO® predictive software packages. This information is received quickly and allows appropriate action to be taken to protect and evacuate people and properties in the vicinity.

The Nomad operates using an integrated solar panel giving it the independence required for prolonged operation in isolated or inhospitable environments.

Its integral Sensus Logger will store more than three months of data recording without the need for downloading. Plus, up to four additional sensors can be added to the system through the use of the Nomad 'Sensor extension unit', which attaches directly to the base of the tripod.

Disassembling the Nomad only takes a few minutes, allowing the user to be packed up and en-route to the next monitoring site quickly and efficiently.