Telemetry, literally meaning "remote measurement" or remote collection of data is the study and measurement of the transmission of data over certain mediums. Despite the wealth of probable applications the primary purpose of telemetry is automated data collection at a place, which is inaccessible, inconvenient or dangerous, such as satellites in orbit, and relay the data to telemetry receivers on ground where the data is monitored, interpreted and recorded. 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 telemetry receivers.
Telemetry is expected to replace bar coding when the price point reaches an affordable level. Product information can be stored on specialized telemetry tags that will track the product along the supply chain and relay the information to telemetry receivers. Combined with local technology, the company assets can be located at any point in time. Thus, telemetry monitor will allow companies to wirelessly access information and monitor status levels at all times.
Telemetry also permits the tracking of endangered land and aquatic species tagged with telemetry devices, in order to get information on their patterns of movement, dispersal and migrations, and habitat use. Telemetry receivers are also used as an aid to understand and identify the natural causes that are linked to habitat conditions of these animals, which in turn alter their behavior, and how such conditions affect their mortality rates.
Since the early 1970s, the use of telemetry receivers to provide real time physiological monitoring in coronary care units has become widely recognized. These systems are used for monitoring of the electro-physiological state of patients who are at risk of abnormal heart activity. These patients are outfitted with customized telemetry devices without any other control, except an On/Off button. This device comprises a wireless receiver for the long-distance telemetry and a GSM module. If the patient is suffering from a critical condition, alert messages are relayed via the standard SMS (short messaging system) protocol to the central database, where they are allocated to the healthcare professional in charge of the patient. Back a few years when I thought I was having a heart attack, the hospital attached one of these devices to me to monitor me while I was a patient in my small town hospital.
The use of telemetry is wide spread and beyond the scope of this article. Science has advanced greatly in the last 30 years and continues to progress at at great rate. |
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