Long-range data acquisition challenges

Data acquisition is principally the most important problem in the data processing stream. While there have been tremendous advancements in technologies and consortiums creating interoperable communication mechanisms, applicability, coverage, and scale are still not globally uniform. User adoption is also a key to the popularity of these protocols and vice versa, creating an infinite chicken-and-egg paradigm. The various technologies relevant to long-range data acquisition are plotted in Figure 11.2.

Figure 11.2 – Wireless transmission technologies based on distance and bandwidth

As can be seen, the range of transmission is plotted on the x axis, while the data bandwidth is on the y axis. Speed, bandwidth, and data volume are key parameters for choosing technologies for implementations, especially for remote locations, as they pose a significant architectural dilemma.

There is always a design decision that needs to be made...