This article from the November 2016 issue of EM Magazine, discusses the benefits and challenges of rapid changes in monitoring technology have the potential to dramatically improve environmental protection.
From the article:
Rapid changes in monitoring technology have the potential to dramatically improve environmental protection by providing industry, government, and the public with more complete and real-time information on pollution releases and environmental conditions. With more real-time monitoring, we will have a much richer understanding of environmental conditions, and will be able to identify and fix environmental problems sooner. These developments may change not only how environmental programs operate, but also the roles played by citizens, researchers, industry, and others. We recently recognized this possibility in a 2013 article. Now, we need to act to ensure we are able to take full advantage of the opportunities while addressing the challenges.