Data Collection and Device Control
Why Would I Need to Collect Data?
Modern Data Processing systems take input data, transform it, and combine it with existing data to produce results that can be used to answer business questions or feed other Data Processing systems. Sometimes the input data is generated by current business transactions, or is purchased from external sources. But other times the required data must be collected from external customers, from employees in the field, from the production floor, or from some other environment.
For example, to calibrate and manage the production processes in a factory, the manufacturer would collect production counts, Quality Assurance inspection results, environmental data, and automatic test equipment measurements. From this data, the manufacturer could create a short-term view of how the factory is operating, as well as run a long-term analysis of process quality and equipment behavior.
Some businesses collect data from customers or networks of data providers in order to track the behaviors and choices made in the marketplace. This data can be aggregated, statistically enhanced, and then sold back to the marketing departments of businesses in the associated markets.
Collecting data frequently implies interaction with either measurement instruments, production control hardware, or with remote software agents. Some of these devices need to be controlled explicitly, such as when commanding a lab instrument to take a particular type of measurement. Other times, the devices require implicit control, such as when automatically updating remote software agents in order to change the data they gather from the data providers. In all cases, the collected data must be carefully versioned and tied back to its source device or software agent configuration to ensure the accuracy and purity of the final data.
How Can Foundation Software Technology Help?
Foundation Software Technology has experience in several types of data collection scenarios, including:
- Shop Floor Data Collection
- Military Automated Test Equipment
- Laboratory Data Collection
- Data Collection from Remote Hardware Terminals
- Data Collection from Remote Software Agents
Please contact us to find out how we can help you design, develop and maintain a data collection system that suits your business needs.