1. A system, comprising: a monitoring device being disposed at a location and communicatively coupled to a communications network, the monitoring device including a sensor module that is configured to: sense an environmental parameter at the location; and generate sensor data that characterizes the environmental parameter; a host facility being communicatively coupled to the communications network, the host facility being configured to maintain information related to the monitoring device, the information including a device identifier of the monitoring device; and software executing on a handheld computing device that is communicatively coupled to the communications network; wherein the monitoring device and/or the host facility is configured to apply an algorithm to the sensor data to detect when an alert condition exists; wherein, upon detection of the alert condition, the monitoring device and/or the host facility is configured to transmit, via the communications network, alert notification content that corresponds to the alert condition; wherein the software is configured to cause the handheld computing device to output a visual or audible representation of the alert notification content so as to notify a user of the alert condition.