Gas detection device and gas detection process with automatic zero point correction

A device 100 and process for automatically monitoring a spatial area for a target gas G. A sensor 10 of the gas detection device used has a detection quantity that is affected by the concentration of target gas. A detection quantity sensor measures this detection quantity. The influence of a slower influencing quantity and the influence of a faster influencing quantity on the detection quantity are computationally compensated so that an influence-corrected detection quantity is determined. Depending on the influence-corrected detection quantity, the target gas concentration is determined. For computational compensation, the time course of the respective influence of the two influence quantities is estimated, for which a measured value series from the detection quantity sensor is used. The time course is determined in such a way that the change per time unit of the influence lies within a given change tolerance band for this influencing quantity.