Ground Truth & Field Measurements
When a technician physically inspects a steam trap, you can record what they found directly in Shoplogix IMS. This ground truth measurement ties the field result to the trap's sensor history and can trigger downstream actions like work orders in partner systems.
Why Record Ground Truth
- Creates an audit trail of inspections correlated with sensor data
- Confirms or disputes what the platform detected (e.g., verifying a suspected blowthrough is real)
- Feeds back into cost analytics — verified failures are reflected in realized savings calculations
- Triggers Armstrong SAGE work orders when the integration is active
How to Add a Ground Truth Measurement
- Open the steam trap's detail page in Shoplogix IMS
- Select Add Ground Truth (or the equivalent measurement action in the trap's action menu)
- Fill in the measurement form
Required Fields
| Field | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trap state | Blowthrough, Cold, Good, Intermittent, Leaking By | What the technician observed |
| Certainty | 1–10 | 1 = least certain, 10 = most certain; use lower values when conditions made inspection difficult |
| Inspection timestamp | Date and time | Defaults to now; cannot be set in the future |
Optional Fields
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Sensor service needed | Check if the Eversensor itself needs attention (loose mount, damage, etc.) |
| Sensor state | If service is needed, select the current sensor condition |
| Condensate temperature threshold override | For traps in Good state — override the condensate threshold used for steam on/off detection. If left blank, the 24-hour average condensate temperature is used automatically. |
| Notes | Free-form text for inspection notes, technician name, or context |
Temperature Context
The form displays the trap's 24-hour average temperatures (ambient, condensate, steam) immediately before the inspection timestamp. This helps you contextualize the measurement — for example, confirming that the sensor was reporting plausible values before the technician arrived.
After Submitting
The ground truth record is saved to the trap's history. It does not automatically change the trap's current condition state (the platform's analytics engine continues to drive the condition) but the record is visible in the trap's condition and inspection history.
If you have the Armstrong SAGE integration enabled, adding a ground truth measurement for a trap in a failed state can automatically generate a work order in SAGE. See Partner Integrations for details.
Who Can Add Ground Truth
Users with the Customer User role and above can add ground truth measurements for traps within their assigned account.