After reading a recent article in Sensors magazine in which the results of a study conducted by EMC Corporation indicated that almost two-third of companies surveyed were ill-prepared to take advantage of the explosion of digital data created by mobile sensors, social media, surveillance, medical imaging and smart grids. Although the article was not directly related to data acquisition as VDC defines it, I imagine that a larger number of companies are better prepared to deal with different types of analog data being collected from any one or more of a plethora of sensors that act as the "tip of the spear" in industrial automation and process automation applications across the world.
I imagine that a larger number of companies are better prepared to deal with the analog data being collected from any one or more of a plethora of sensors that are the "tip of the spear" in industrial automation and process automation applications. This blog will focus not just on the actual process and platforms used to acquire analog data so as to make actionable decisions based on digital information but the greater importance of what to do with the data once it has been collected.
Based on VDC’s recently published 2011 Data Acquisition Solutions Market Intelligence program, the global market for data acquisition solutions will likely exceed $1.5 billion in 2012. It appears on the surface that companies are investing in platforms such as paperless recorders, data loggers and plug-in cPCI data acquisition analog I/O boards designed to convert analog data into digital information which can then be, theoretically, used to make actionable decisions and effective action.
In my humble opinion, based on a quick 'back of the envelope' analysis, I estimate that probably less than 60% of the total available application opportunity for data acquisition solutions is likely being served by one or more of the product platforms under study; that still leaves a great deal of need, and opportunity, for data acquisition solutions which can more effectively enable users to acquire data and also process it into actionable information and action.
People seem to want more convenience, comfort and information about the world around them. The digitization of data through a growing number of platforms is providing that. As I have always said, be careful for what you wish for since you just may get it and the price we pay to get it may not be what we bargained for.
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