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Laboratory evaluation of open source and commercial electrical conductivity sensor precision and accuracy: How do
Stephanie G Fulton1,2, James C Stegen1,3, Matthew H Kaufman1
1Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, United States of America.
Plos One
|May 4, 2023
Summary
Open source electrical conductivity (EC) sensors offer an affordable way to monitor water quality. This study found open source EC sensors demonstrated superior accuracy and precision compared to commercial alternatives.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Sensor Technology
- Water Quality Monitoring
Background:
- Electrical conductivity (EC) variations in water indicate environmental changes, including salinization.
- Open source (OS) sensors present a cost-effective solution for widespread water quality assessment.
- Limited evaluation exists for the performance of OS EC sensors compared to commercial options.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy and precision of OS EC sensors in laboratory settings.
- To compare the performance of OS EC sensors against commercial EC sensors.
- To assess the impact of cable length and calibration on OS EC sensor performance.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory comparison of three OS and OS/commercial-hybrid (OS/C) EC sensors against EC calibration standards.
- Evaluation of two commercial (C) EC sensor configurations.
- Assessment of sensor performance with varying cable lengths (7.5 m and 30 m) and calibration levels.
Main Results:
- OS EC sensors exhibited significantly higher mean accuracy (3.08%) than all other sensors combined (9.23%).
- OS EC sensors showed significantly better mean precision (2.85 μS/cm) compared to other sensors (9.12 μS/cm).
- EC sensor precision decreased with increasing calibration standard EC; cable length did not impact OS sensor precision.
Conclusions:
- OS EC sensors provide a highly accurate and precise alternative for water quality monitoring.
- Combining OS sensors with commercial data loggers may decrease performance, warranting further investigation.
- Additional studies are crucial to quantify OS sensor reliability across diverse settings and configurations.
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