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Telemetry Systems and Equipment
Telemetry, derived from the Greek words, tele meaning remote, and
metron meaning measure, is the technology of automatic measurement
and transmission of information by wire, radio, or other means from
remote sources, as from space vehicles, to receiving stations where
the data may be evaluated. The primary purpose of telemetry systems
is to collect data at a place that is remote or inconvenient, and to
transmit the data back to a point where the data is recorded and
analyzed. In general, these systems are used in the analysis of
moving vehicles such as cars, aircrafts, missiles and orbiting
satellites. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),
European Space Agency (ESA) and other space agencies use telemetry
systems to gather data from orbiting spacecraft and satellites.
Telemetry systems are a special set of communication systems
possessing a wealth of applications. Biomedical telemetry is one
such application. Biotelemetry provides a means for transmitting
physiological or biological information from one site to another for
data collection. Technically, it refers to
such systems that require no mechanical connection. Biotelemetry
studies in the last three decades have permitted many areas of
physiological and behavioral monitoring in diverse conditions, both
for humans and animals, without the encumbrance and restriction of
wires connecting the transmitter and receiver. The most widespread
use of biomedical telemetry is the monitoring of biological
information from animals and man.
In wildlife study and management, the importance of telemetry
systems cannot be overstated. Telemetry
permits the tracking of animals and endangered species tagged with
such instrumentation, in order to get information on their patterns
of movement, dispersal and migrations, and habitat use. The daily
positioning of these animals to the scientists, regulators, or other
human agencies, coupled with continuous tracking gives an explicit
representation of the way they utilize their environment. Telemetry
systems are also used as an aid to understand and identify the
natural causes that are linked to habitat conditions of wild
animals, which in turn alter their behavior, and how such conditions
affect their mortality rates. These
systems also provide a means to
examine and forecast the effects of environmental changes such as
thermal, chemical pollution and other geophysical changes.
Equipment
Communication channels are a major part of any telemetry system.
When telemetry was relatively new, information was relayed over
wires. Today it uses radio transmissions and GSM (Global System for
Mobile communication) technology for data transmission. Telemeter is
the apparatus used for recording the readings of an instrument and
transmitting them by radio. A telemetry handler, collects, formats
and stores the data in a dedicated buffer, and then relays it to the
receiving station. The type of telemetry equipment required depends
on the type and amount of data to be transmitted and whether remote
control capability is desired. In the simplest system, the data are
simply displayed on annunciator, indicator, and recorder. In larger
systems, video display terminal and data logging is frequently used.
The contribution of telemetry to basic biological and medical
research cannot be overstated. Discoveries
made during manned space programs led to development of complex
physiological monitoring and telemetry equipment, typically to gauge
the health and well being of
astronauts. Since early 70s, the
use of these devices to provide real time physiological monitoring
in hospitals has become widespread. Cardiac patients are equipped
with automatic recording, measuring, and transmitting devices.
Incase of an emergency, an alerting function instantaneously summons
the healthcare professional in charge of the patient. Telemetry also
permits the tracking of endangered land and marine species tagged
with customized telemetry equipment. These devices collect data on
their patterns of movement, dispersion, and migrations. The daily
positioning of these animals, coupled with continuous tracking gives
an
explicit representation of the way
they utilize their habitat.
RFID
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is an automatic identification
method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using
devices called RFID
tags or transponders. The
technology requires some extent of cooperation of an RFID reader and
an RFID tag. An RFID tag is an object that can be
applied to or incorporated into a
product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and
tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several
meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. Most RFID
tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for
storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a
radio-frequency (RF) signal, and other specialized functions. The
second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal.
There are generally two types of RFID tags: active RFID tags, which
contain a battery, and passive RFID tags, which have no battery.
Today, RFID is used in enterprise supply chain management to improve
the efficiency of inventory tracking and management.
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