46.1 Introduction to Distributed Measurement Systems

Developments in the technologies of testing and measurement, computation, and networks have allowed them to converge and create a new capability in distributed measurement. This is the ability to have testing and measurement elements that are physically remote from each other and the user, organized, and controlled by computers to perform measurement and/or control functions. The networks that provide the communications between the testing and measurement elements and the computer can be of any sort, such as Local Area Networks (LANs) or public Wide Area Networks (WANs).

The issues associated with this capability include:

• The availability of testing and measurement devices, such as smart sensors that allow information or action, at a distance, to be controlled over a network by computers, combined with instrument drivers that provide the interface between an instrument and a computer.

• The availability of computers and software that can control the instrumentation through appropriate interfaces and languages.

• The availability of networks with sufficient bandwidth (information transmission capacity) to allow the timely transmission and reception of commands and information to and from remote locations.

These issues are described in greater detail in separate chapters of this book. This chapter describes the combined capability, which is defined as distributed measurement systems.

46.2 Distributed Computation System Characteristics

Distributed computation systems represent the general case of capabilities where groups of computing elements, including one or more computers and remote input/output devices,...