A Framework for Low Data Rate, Highly Distributed Measurement Systems

Specific types of distributed measurement and virtual instrumentation systems periodically acquire data from a large number of geographically distributed field terminal devices. Such systems are used in environmental monitoring or in monitoring of various commonalities such as electrical power distribution, gas or water networks. In this article we present a framework for low data rate, highly distributed measurement systems based on the publicly available GSM and GPRS services. By using the framework, it is possible to build a system which is capable to perform local measurements on a large number of geographically distributed measurement points, to collect measured data by using the mobile network, to store them on the server computer and to publish gathered data by providing XML web services interface. The framework is robust, scalable and suited for long-term autonomous operation. The tests showed that the framework is stable and operates properly.