Data acquisition (DAQ) is the process of measuring an electrical or physical phenomenon such as voltage, current, temperature, pressure, or sound with a computer. Data acquisition systems have numerous applications. A DAQ System consists of sensors, DAQ measurement hardware, and a computer with programmable software. Compared to traditional measurement systems, PC- based DAQ systems exploit the processing power, productivity, display, and connectivity capabilities of industry-standard computers providing a more powerful, flexible, and cost-effective measurement solution. Data acquisition systems are principally in the business of measuring physical phenomena such as: temperature, voltage, current, strain and pressure, shock and vibration, distance and displacement, rpm, angle, discrete events and weight. The primary purpose of a data acquisition system is to acquire and store the data. But they are also intended to provide real-time and post-recording visualization and analysis of the data. Furthermore, most data acquisition systems have some analytical and report generation capability built-in. A recent innovation is the combination of data acquisition and control, where a DAQ system is connected tightly and synchronized with a real-time control system. You can read more about this topic in the related article: “Merging Data Acquisition with a Real-Time Control System”. Engineers in different applications have various requirements, of course, but these key capabilities are present in varying proportion: data recording, data storing, real-time data visualization, post-recording data review, data analysis using various mathematical and statistical calculations and report generation.
Data acquisition systems or DAQ devices are essential in the testing of products, from automobiles to medical devices - basically, any electromechanical device that people use. Before data acquisition, products were tested in an unstructured, highly subjective manner. For example, when testing a new suspension in an automobile, engineers often relied on the opinions of test drivers as to how the suspension “felt” to them. With the invention and development of data acquisition systems, which could collect data from a wide variety of sensors, these kinds of subjective opinions were replaced with objective measurements. These could easily be repeated, compared, analysed mathematically and visualized in many ways. Data Acquisition: Applications emphasizes on numerous applications in industrial applications, medical applications and scientific experiments. This book outlines the processes and applications of data acquisition in detail. It provides deep insights into this field. Itis a compilation of chapters that discuss the most vital concepts in the field. Different approaches, evaluations and methodologies have been included in it. Also included in this book is a detailed explanation of the various concepts of the area. This book is meant for students who are looking for an elaborate reference text on digital library.
Jone Branson pursued his Ph.D. in Computer Science from University College, Cork. He is a Guest Lecturer in many universities across Europe and teaches courses on data acquisition techniques. Branson is a veteran in the field of global positioning system and geographic information system with numerous revolutionizing texts, articles and research papers to his credit. His researches focus on control systems, communication engineering, low-power and secure routing for wireless sensor networks. He also won the “Distinguished Scholar” award twice.
