Embodiments of the present disclosure leverage near field communication (NFC) technology to provide dynamic and interactive monitoring of an environment. NFC devices may be used to check items in and out of a storage facility, obtain readings from instruments or other machinery present in the environment (e.g., to perform tests on the items, etc.), track movement of users and items within the environment, and to prompt users with information about the environment, such as information about the instruments or machinery currency being used to perform operations with respect to one or more items checked out to the user. Additionally, the NFC device may be used to configure the instruments with appropriate settings for the particular item(s) for which the instrument is currently being used or for other purposes.