Mapping & Validation · Islandwide
Temperature Mapping Services in Singapore
Temperature mapping qualifies a warehouse, cold room or chamber by measuring how temperature varies across the whole space, using a grid of calibrated data loggers over a representative period. Unitest maps and documents your storage to WHO TRS 961 Annex 9, HSA GDP and GMP protocol, using loggers with SAC-SINGLAS-accredited traceability under our schedule LA-2023-0845-C.
What it is
What is temperature mapping?
It measures how temperature actually varies across a storage space, not just at one convenient point.
Temperature mapping profiles a warehouse, cold room, chamber or staging area using a grid of calibrated data loggers recorded over a representative period. It reveals the warmest and coldest positions and how they change over time, so you can qualify the space for its intended use and document that it holds the temperature band your products and regulators require.
This is different from instrument or chamber calibration. Calibration verifies one piece of equipment, while mapping qualifies the environment. Environmental qualification is exactly what cold-chain, HSA GDP and GMP requirements ask for when temperature-sensitive goods are stored or moved through a space.
The honest line matters here: the mapping study is a documented service, not an accredited test. What is accredited is the traceability of the loggers. We calibrate every sensor with SAC-SINGLAS-accredited traceability under our schedule LA-2023-0845-C, then run the study to recognised protocol. For the full background, read our guide on what temperature mapping is.
Why it matters
Why temperature mapping matters (GDP, GMP & HSA)
Meet HSA GDP expectations
Singapore's HSA Guidance on Good Distribution Practice (GUIDE-MQA-013, revised December 2023) expects storage of temperature-sensitive medicinal products to be qualified and monitored. A documented temperature mapping study is how you show a warehouse or cold room holds its required band.
Satisfy GMP and quality audits
Manufacturers and their auditors expect environmental qualification of storage and staging areas. Mapping gives your quality team the evidence that every position stays inside specification, not just the point where the wall thermometer happens to sit.
Protect product and reduce risk
Undetected hot and cold spots spoil batches, shorten shelf life and trigger deviations. Mapping finds those zones before your product, your customer or an inspector does, so you can act on measured facts.
For the regulatory detail, read our guide to temperature mapping for HSA GDP compliance in Singapore.
How it works
Our temperature mapping process
Survey & protocol
We assess the space and agree the mapping protocol with you: the number and grid placement of sensors, logging duration, the load and door conditions to capture, and the acceptance criteria the space must meet.
Sensor placement
Calibrated data loggers are positioned in a three-dimensional grid that includes likely hot and cold spots, such as near doors, ceilings, floors, cooling units and dead zones.
Logging
The loggers record temperature continuously over a representative period, capturing normal operation and, where relevant, worst-case conditions such as door openings or a power interruption.
Analysis
We analyse the full dataset, identify the warmest and coldest positions and the variation over time, and compare every logger against your acceptance criteria.
Report
You receive a documented mapping report with the sensor layout, the raw and summarised data, a pass or fail assessment, and the calibration traceability of every logger used.
Recommendations
Where a zone falls outside specification, we flag it and recommend practical corrective actions, then re-verify after the fix if you need us to.
How many loggers, and where? We follow recognised guidance, including WHO TRS 961 Annex 9 and its Supplement 8 on temperature mapping of storage areas, and we align chamber work with the performance-confirmation methods of IEC 60068-3-5 and IEC 60068-3-11. See our field notes on temperature mapping sensor placement.
What you get
Your mapping deliverables
Everything an auditor, a qualified person or a customer needs to see that the space is fit for purpose.
Mapping study report
A complete, audit-ready report documenting the protocol, method, dataset, results and conclusions for the mapped space.
Hot and cold-spot analysis
Clear identification of the warmest and coldest positions in the space, with the data that supports each finding.
Sensor layout record
The exact grid positions of every logger, so the study is repeatable and defensible for future qualification cycles.
Acceptance-criteria assessment
A pass or fail evaluation of every measurement position against the temperature limits agreed for your goods.
Logger traceability
Calibration traceability for each data logger, calibrated with SAC-SINGLAS-accredited traceability under our schedule LA-2023-0845-C.
Recommendations & actions
Practical, prioritised recommendations for any out-of-specification zone, so you know what to fix and where.
Who we map for
Industries we map for
Any operation that stores or moves temperature-sensitive goods in Singapore.
Pharmaceuticals
Qualify warehouses and cold rooms for storing and distributing medicines to HSA GDP and GMP expectations.
Biologics & vaccines
Prove that cold-chain storage holds tight temperature bands for temperature-sensitive biological products.
Medical devices & diagnostics
Document controlled storage conditions for devices and reagents that degrade outside specification, aligned with the GDPMDS (GN-33) expectations that govern medical-device distribution in Singapore.
Food & beverage
Verify chillers, freezers and ambient stores for food safety and shelf-life protection, supporting SFA licensing conditions and HACCP-based cold-chain controls.
Logistics & 3PL
Give your pharma, healthcare and F&B clients the qualified, mapped storage and documentation their audits demand.
Need a single instrument or chamber calibrated rather than a whole space mapped? See our temperature calibration and chamber & freezer calibration services, delivered under our SAC-SINGLAS accreditation. Storing moisture-sensitive goods too? Add temperature & humidity mapping.
Questions
Temperature Mapping FAQ
What is temperature mapping?
Temperature mapping is a documented study that measures how temperature varies across an entire storage space, such as a warehouse, cold room or chamber, using a grid of calibrated data loggers over a representative period. It identifies hot and cold spots and produces the evidence that the space holds the temperature band your products and regulators require.
Is your temperature mapping SAC-SINGLAS accredited?
The mapping study is a documented service, not an accredited test. What is accredited is the traceability of the measurement chain: every data logger we deploy is calibrated with SAC-SINGLAS-accredited traceability under our schedule LA-2023-0845-C, and the study is executed to WHO TRS 961 Annex 9, HSA GDP and GMP protocol. You get accredited traceability of the sensors plus a defensible, standards-based study.
Why do I need temperature mapping for HSA GDP compliance?
Singapore's HSA Guidance on Good Distribution Practice expects the storage of temperature-sensitive medicinal products to be qualified and continuously controlled. Temperature mapping is the recognised way to demonstrate that a warehouse or cold room actually holds its required temperature band across the whole space, which is what an HSA GDP audit looks for.
How is temperature mapping different from calibration?
Calibration verifies a single instrument or a single chamber against a reference. Temperature mapping qualifies an entire space using many loggers at once. They answer different questions and are often done together. For single-equipment work, see our temperature calibration and chamber and freezer calibration services.
How long does a temperature mapping study take?
It depends on the size of the space and your protocol. Logging usually runs over a representative period: per WHO guidance, that is typically 24 to 72 hours for a cold room and around 7 days for an ambient warehouse to capture a full working week, and sometimes longer for a full qualification or to capture seasonal and load conditions. We confirm the exact duration and sensor count when we agree the protocol with you.
How many sensors do I need for temperature mapping?
Sensor count depends on the volume and layout of the space, the number of storage levels and the risk profile of your goods. As typical guidance, a small chamber uses a minimum of around 9 loggers, a walk-in cold room around 9 to 15, and a large warehouse from about 20 upward. We follow recognised guidance and place loggers in a three-dimensional grid that captures likely hot and cold spots. We agree the exact number with you during the protocol stage, so the study is both thorough and proportionate.
Should I map temperature only, or humidity as well?
If your products are only sensitive to temperature, a temperature-only study is enough. In Singapore's climate, where ambient humidity is frequently above 75%, many warehouses and cold rooms benefit from mapping both parameters. If that is you, see our temperature and humidity mapping service.
What do I receive at the end of the study?
A documented mapping report: the protocol and method, the sensor layout, the raw and summarised data, a hot and cold-spot analysis, a pass or fail assessment against your acceptance criteria, the calibration traceability of every logger used, and practical recommendations for any out-of-specification zone.