LaRC SmartLab Apps For Instrument Control and Data Processing: Laboratory Environment Monitor

The LaRC SmartLab applications are a series of software tools to greatly enhance
researcher efficiency by streamlining and automating workflows. Python scripts
and applications are increasingly being used in scientific workflows, including for
instrument control and data processing. Interactive Python scripting environments
such as JupyterLab provide powerful tools for using Python. In some use cases, the
development of standalone applications with dedicated graphical user interfaces can
enhance the utility of the code and open it up to more users, including non-programmers.
Here, we describe a Python based application for communicating with, and displaying
data from, iTHX Temperature, Humidity, and Dew Point probes. We discuss the
set up and use of the application as well as its implementation. We also highlight
the use of Simulated probes to enable users and developers to familiarize with or
debug the application, even when they do not have access to the physical hardware
in the laboratory.