IoT & environmental analytical chemistry: Towards a profitable symbiosis

In a constantly evolving world, where the rising population and increased social awareness have led to a higher concern for the environment, research in this field (most notably in Environmental Analytical Chemistry) should take advantage of the great opportunities offered by new technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Cloud-based services. Both of them are especially suitable when chemical sensors and related devices are used in the continuous in-line monitoring of environmental parameters. In this sense, it is very important to obtain spatially distributed information of these parameters as well as their temporal evolution.In this work, a friendly approach to IoT world for environmental applications is carried out. To get a global vision of these concepts, the starting point is their historical evolution. New trends are also identified along with associated challenges and potential threats. Furthermore, not only there will be (in the near future) a need to rely on distributed analytical sensors but also on even more complex, lab-based techniques that are connected to the IoT through appropriate mechanisms. A revision of the recent literature relating IoT with environmental issues has also been performed, the most relevant contributions being discussed. Finally, the need of a mutual cooperation between IoT and Environmental Analytical Chemistry is outlined and commented in detail. Ignoring the new capabilities offered by Cloud computing and IoT environments is no further an option. In this sense, the main contribution of this paper consists of highlighting the fact that the wiser course is to embrace these opportunities consciously for mutual profit.