Continuous history
Fixed sensors and connected sources provide the ongoing environmental picture.
Human observations & one-off readings
Record what you measure and observe on the ground.
Spot Records keep handheld readings, one-off checks and useful observations alongside your continuous environmental data, so they become part of the same collection history rather than a separate notebook.
MONITORINGSpot RecordsOne-off readings and checks with their place, time and context already attached.
One environmental record
Not every useful measurement comes from a fixed sensor.
A handheld reading or staff observation can be just as important when it is clear where it came from, when it was taken and what it related to.
A reading or observation at a moment in time
Record a handheld measurement, inspection or one-off check without pretending it came from a permanent sensor.
Keep the reason with the reading
Link the record to its location, monitoring point, Monitoring Plan or Campaign where relevant.
Continuous data+Spot Record+staff context→one environmental history
When would you use one?
The same simple record can support very different moments.
Choose an example to see the context LÆFAN can keep with a one-off reading or observation.
ROUTINE CHECK
Roman Gallery weekly check
A scheduled Monitoring Plan check asks for a handheld light reading. The place and plan context are already known, so staff only need to record what they found.
- Where
- Roman Gallery · Display Case 2
- Measurement
- Illuminance · 185 lux
- Linked to
- General Display Weekly Review
- Recorded by
- Collections Care · 10:15
- Evidence
- The reading stays with the completed check and the surrounding environmental history.
Enough context to be useful later
A number on its own is rarely the whole story.
A Spot Record should capture enough context to understand the observation without making the person carrying out the check fill in unnecessary paperwork.
01
Place & monitoring pointWhere the reading or observation belongs.
02
Date & timeWhen it was taken, in the correct local timezone.
03
What was measuredTemperature, RH, illuminance or another supported observation.
04
Source or methodHandheld meter, inspection, specialist check or other honest description.
05
Notes & supporting evidenceAdd useful observations or attachments where they help explain the record.
06
Related workKeep the Monitoring Plan, Campaign or check connected where one exists.
MONITORING PLANRoman Gallery weekly environmental checkDue today
✓Review recent conditionsTemperature and RH history available.
2Record handheld light readingSpot Record · Roman Gallery · Display Case 2185 lux
3Add any observationsRecord only what is useful.
4Complete the checkRetain who carried it out and when.
Less retyping during routine work
When the context is already known, LÆFAN can carry it forward.
A Spot Record created from a scheduled Monitoring Check can inherit the location, monitoring point, plan and check context. Staff can concentrate on the actual reading or observation instead of recreating the background every time.
Explore Monitoring Plans →Keep evidence honest
A one-off reading should look like a one-off reading.
Spot Records sit alongside continuous monitoring without being blended into a false sensor timeline. That keeps the provenance of the evidence clear when somebody reviews it later.
Continuous sensor readingPart of an ongoing source stream.
Spot RecordA manual or specialist observation at a specific moment.
Observation / noteHuman context explaining what was seen or checked.
Same place. Same period. Clear provenance.Each type remains recognisable in the environmental history and reports.
Useful beyond the moment
Keep the manual evidence with the wider environmental story.
Once saved, a Spot Record can remain useful alongside the readings, excursions, monitoring activity and temporary context around it.
01
Environmental historySee the manual observation alongside the wider period of monitoring.
02
Monitoring PlansShow that a required manual check was actually carried out.
03
CampaignsKeep one-off evidence within the right loan, exhibition or investigation period.
04
Excursions & responseAdd a useful reading or observation while investigating a change.
05
ReportsRetain the provenance instead of flattening every source into the same type of data.