1、 1 中文 2600 字 The Future of Data Acquisition: Will the Internets Cloud-Computing Replace the Data Logger? Electronic data loggers have been integral in data collection since their inception with widespread adoption beginning in the early 1980s. Data loggers are used in a variety of industries and app
2、lications including remote water resource monitoring, weather condition monitoring, machine monitoring, gas and oil projects. A data loggers primary purpose is to automatically collect data points from sensors and make these data points available for review, analysis, and decision making processes.
3、Many data loggers can also be programmed for other purposes, such as alarm and control conditions. The microprocessor-based data logger was a revolutionary data acquisition tool that replaced most of the historical mechanical-based paper chart and punch tape recorders, which required either manual d
4、ata input from the charts or scanned data using special equipment that could create a digital file from the paper record. The data acquisition industry may be at the beginning of another revolutionary data acquisition change with the advancements of the Internets Cloud Computing. The Microprocessor
5、Revolution: Data Logging Goes Digital The computer microprocessor revolution in the 1980s advanced the efficiency, quality, and quantity of recorded data. Monitoring locations could be set up and left alone for extended periods of time. Telemetry (radio) systems at the monitoring location enabled tr
6、ansmission of data directly from the data logger back to a central location, where the data could be evaluated and analyzed. Data loggers with many different features and benefits are available and programmable to meet users specific data acquisition application. However, the physical data logger st
7、ill needs routine maintenance and has a risk of failure resulting in lost data. Like other technology, the rapid advancement in microprocessor technology can make a 2 new data logger designs obsolete in a short period of time. Data output formats from data loggers are not standardized, which often n
8、ecessitates a centralized network software program for collection, decoding and processing of the data. Data presented on-line via the Internet typically requires another software program designed to integrate with the data collection software program. These two programs are typically owned and main
9、tained by the owner of the data acquisition system. A data acquisition management revolution is emerging, with the movement of software programs from a personal computer or business network systems to the Internet, and integrating such software with other web services. This movement is reducing the
10、demand on individual networks hosting and maintaining software programs, and is poised to potentially revolutionize the current data logging and acquisition model. Two factors are currently converging that could make this revolution possible: 1.) the expansion of connections to the Internet from any
11、where, and 2.) the distributed computing power of the Internet that is being made available to users though easy-to-use web services (known as “Cloud Computing”). With this, the Internet has the potential to change data logging process the same way the microprocessor revolution did in the 1980s. Int
12、roduction to Cloud Computing on the Internet “Cloud computing” is a relatively new term, but the concept has been a long-held vision of Internet application developers. Now this vision is a reality and is rapidly growing in terms of availability and acceptance. Embracing the concept of cloud computi
13、ng is a paradigm shift on how software is accessed and where relevant data is collected, stored, and processed. Broken down to its simplest form, the Internet is simply a network of computers (called servers) that are accessed to store vast amounts of data and display such data in web sites, send an
14、d receive email, share photos, distribute movies, music, games, and any other on-line activities. Cloud computing is the concept of moving the localized computer processing, programs, and data to an Internet server for easier and more secure access. An analogy is every home and business having its o
15、wn localized electric power generation plant versus a 3 remote, centralized power generation plant that services multiple homes and business. Today, the power plants are the remote server farms and the transmission and distribution of data are the power lines. The trend is towards purchasing a data
16、plan service from maintaining powerful computing hardware and software programs for each location. Benefits of cloud computing include real-time access of information, scalability of processing power as the demand load increases, less risk of down-time compared to localized networks, and direct inte
17、raction with other web services thereby enhancing the quality and relevance of the information for better informed decision making. Software can be written to run “on the cloud” in much the same way as Microsoft Office runs its MS Office applications on a personal computer or localized network serve
18、r. Rather than running the software locally, the software and related data files are stored on a remote server accessible on the Internet. Many large companies run cloud computing services, such as Amazons S3 service, Googles App Engine, and Microsofts Windows Azure platform. Putting the Data Logger
19、 Online A data logger operates in a similar way to a computer in that a software program (known as embedded firmware) is stored on the data logger that controls the loggers processes some of which are defined by the user, such as the logging intervals from connected sensors. The data logger also has
20、 a data storage device similar to a computer, using FLASH memory to store files. This set of hardware and software work in tandem to collect and store data, control other instruments, and transmit data if the logger is connected to a telemetry radio device. A typical data acquisition application inc
21、ludes sensors connected or integrated with a data logging instrument at each physical location (See Figure 1). A telemetry modem (radio) is often connected to the data logger for wireless communication of the sensor data to a central office location. The central office location communicates with the data logger from the remote locations using a data management software program. Internet access is typically provided from a separate customized program that integrates with the data management software program.
