The document describes an Environmental Sensing Instrument (ESI) created using an Ubuntu operating system, Raspberry Pi hardware, C++ and Python programming languages, and sensors including a thermal infrared camera and Arduino microcontroller. The ESI is intended to gather environmental data for purposes such as personal weather forecasts, micro-climate sensing, and air quality measurement. Potential future uses of the ESI include characterizing micro-climates to assess risk of Zika virus and augmenting robotics with remote sensing capabilities. The ESI system design incorporates components like controllers, sensors for gases, radiation, luminosity, weather, and cameras to provide optical and thermal views.