WaterMonster – Our App that takes field sampling into the future

CBSS have created a small App, called WaterMonster (currently only available for Android devices), which takes field sampling into the future.  It digitally captures your field data when taking water samples, and you will no longer have to struggle with muddy field-sheets, or data-transfer errors!

Download our WaterMonster App today

The correct interpretation of water quality monitoring results received from a laboratory is integrally linked to the availability and correctness of the data collected in the field at the time when the water sample is being taken. Often, anomalies or outliers in laboratory results can easily be explained by observations made by the sampler with regard to, for example, weather conditions, the colour or odour of the water, or the presence of litter or animal excrement. Moreover, certain variables, for example free chlorine and dissolved oxygen, can only be correctly measured in the field, in situ, as the concentrations of these variables will change once the sample has been transported to a laboratory.

Although the availability of  data collected in the field is critically important for the correct interpretation of water quality data, the collection of field data is not always regarded as a priority. While many laboratories do collect field data, this data is not always digitised, and even if it has been digitised, it is sometimes not included in the laboratory report containing the chemical results of the sample. The main reason for this is that field data is collected in hardcopy format, with a notebook and pen, and someone has to sit and type the collected data into a database for it to become electronically available. In some cases, samplers are issued with cameras and tablets or laptops to capture the data in the field in an electronic manner, but these items are bulky and expensive, and there is still a need to compare and combine the correct photo with the correct entry in the spreadsheet afterwards, and then the spreadsheet has to be converted in a field report for each monitoring location, all of which are monotonous and cumbersome activities that can eat away at valuable time- and people resources. To overcome this problem, CBSS have created a small App called WaterMonster (currently only available for Android devices), to digitise the capturing of field data when taking water samples:

Your Friendly WaterMonster

WaterMonster captures all the critical field data directly on your mobile device when you are taking water samples for laboratory analysis, including the type of water sample, the weather conditions at the monitoring location, your observations about the colour, odour and flow of the water that is being sampled, your field readings of variables such as temperature, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, etc., and documents the geo-location where the sample is being taken, as well as a photograph of the monitoring location, and, if a sample could not be taken, the reasons or obstacles. It comes with a built-in pocket-toolbox, allowing you to check the weather at your monitoring location, as well as its location on Google Maps, take a photo, do calculations, etc., all from within the App:  

The moment the sampler hits “submit” on their mobile device, a Field Data Sheet for the specific monitoring location is delivered in secure pdf-format (pre-branded with your logo) to any email address that you have specified. In addition, if you are doing a sampling run, and are collecting field data and water samples at more than one monitoring location, all the data collected over a period (specified by you), will be send to you in excel or csv format, and will be immediately available for uploading into your own databases. WaterMonster revolutionizes water sampling as you know it! Using it means you will have less of a hassle, no need for pen and clipboard, and no more typing from illegible scriblings on dirty pieces of wet paper…!

Download our App today, and use it for 20 monitoring locations, completely free of charge, and without any obligation – if you like what WaterMonster can do for you, have a look at our flexible packages, which depend on the number of times you use our App to collect your field data – and the more you use it, the more you will save:

The concept is simple – you decide which bundle will work for your needs, and contact us for an invoice. The moment you have paid for your bundle, you (and whoever in your organisation that have downloaded WaterMonster) can start using it, and when you reach the number of uses indicated as “use limit warming” for your bundle, we will alert you, so that you will have enough time to purchase a new bundle. And if you bought a package of 2,500 or more, and want us to customise your form to meet your specific needs and reflect your branding, that is entirely possible:

• Customise your form to add your own company logo: R500.00 once-off
• Customise your form to add your own company logo and specify a different colour scheme: R1,000.00 once off
• Customise your form for a specific type of sample, or with additional/different requirements/questions: once-off cost, request a quote

(WISA members qualify for a 10% discount on bundles, but not customisations). Contact us today to get your bundle!