Dust Monitoring Network Expands at Kokkola Industrial Park

The dust monitoring network at Kokkola Industrial Park continues to expand. The network’s 18th measurement point was installed in an unusual location in the middle of the industrial area. Companies operating in the area have been able to contribute to the selection of measurement locations, and the newly installed point was considered an important addition to the network.

The DustSense project pilots digital dust monitoring solutions to monitor dust concentrations at Kokkola Industrial Park and in its surrounding areas. The network now comprises a total of 27 dust monitoring devices, providing continuous, real-time measurement data.

Dust control is an important concern in industrial operations, where various measures are taken to prevent dust generation and reduce dust-related impacts. In addition to building a comprehensive monitoring network, the DustSense project aims to improve the ability of companies operating in the area to anticipate when dust suppression measures are needed. The monitoring data can also be used to track how dust suppression measures affect dust concentrations.

The measurement data is transmitted via a LoRa network to a database at the Kokkola University Consortium, where it is shared with relevant project stakeholders and visualised through the Grafana user interface. This provides stakeholders with access to up-to-date information through their own data dashboards, supporting the monitoring of dust conditions and the management of dust-related impacts.