Valuable real-time data can now be collected in a variety of settings
with the Jaz, a handheld, field-portable analytical instrument from
Ocean Optics that combines the power of optical sensing with onboard
computing power. The level of flexibility Jaz provides will change
analysis in custom applications ranging from crop management and
environmental analysis to UV radiation and ozone monitoring.
Because of its size and versatility, Jaz is a convenient analytical
tool for applications across various industries and disciplines. The
spectral data collected and analyzed by Jaz can help growers and
horticulturists determine crop ripeness, measure chlorophyll and light
levels, and assess reflectance of petals and leaves to gauge plant
health. Environmentalists, ecologists and geologists can take accurate
forest canopy measurements, examine mineral and soil composition
on-site, evaluate water quality, monitor pollution, and study volcanic
gas. In marine settings, Jaz measures upwelling/downwellling and
delivers fluorescence readings indicating the health of corals and
other sea life. The system can even be used by the military and
other emergency responders to detect biological and chemical threats.
Jaz is a family of stackable, modular and autonomous components —
a typical setup for field use is about the size of a few decks of cards
stacked atop each other — that share common electronics and
communications. At its heart is a miniature CCD-array spectrometer, or
light measuring device, available with user-selected grating and slit
options optimized for a variety of optical sensing application needs.
Also incorporated into the Jaz stack is a powerful microprocessor and
onboard display with data logging capability, so that full spectra data
can be acquired, processed and stored without the need for a PC.
Jaz’s Ethernet and battery modules offer additional functionality
for field use. The Ethernet module has data storage capability via an
SD card slot and allows users to connect to the Jaz unit via the
Internet, making remote measurements possible and enabling the creation
of networked sensing modules. For example, a community of Jaz users
could map atmospheric ozone measurements around the world and share the
data nearly instantaneously.
“The Jaz system is very versatile, as our early adopter customers
have demonstrated,” says Mike Kayat, Ocean Optics Vice President
of Sales & Marketing. “We have customers now involved in
field applications such as environmental engineering, as well as in
drug discovery and materials analysis. That’s the power of Jaz
– that it is easily adaptable for field, lab or process
environments.”
The Lithium-Ion battery module is rechargeable in the field via the
solar cell or back in the lab using the Power over Ethernet connection
(100 Mbps, IEEE 802.3-compliant 10/100 single-cable), the USB 2.0 port
or an external power supply. The battery module also has a
power-conserving sleep mode for long-term measurements and two
additional SD card slots for storing data.
The Jaz platform also expands to include light sources (VIS-NIR or LED)
and additional spectrometer channels. Jaz can be connected to
field-ready fiber optic accessories such as cosine corrected irradiance
probes for solar irradiance measurements, optical fibers and probes for
immersing in fluids or sampling solid surfaces, and devices for
adjusting the field of view of the sampling optic. A special holster
makes the Jaz wearable, freeing hands to manipulate sampling devices.
