| Data loggers are stand alone devices, gathering | | | | they need some sort of on board memory to |
| and organizing a large amount of data over long | | | | store collected data. While earlier models used |
| spans of time. While they are sometimes part of | | | | magnetic tape, punched paper tape, or even |
| a data acquisition system, data loggers can also | | | | charts printed on reams of paper, modern loggers |
| be independently used for getting information | | | | use RAM, flash memory or any one of the many |
| reliably and unattended. | | | | memory options available currently. |
| One aspect of the loggers is that they usually | | | | Sometimes loggers are left for months in hostile |
| have a time stamping mechanism and can match | | | | environments to collect long term data. Usually |
| data received to the time it was logged. If the | | | | battery power is used to keep them running, |
| logger has a built in real time clock, sometimes | | | | though some machines use solar power to assist |
| there is a bit of time drift however, the specifics | | | | the batteries. This limited power supply means |
| of a logger’s time drift are published and | | | | that the loggers are very efficient in their power |
| should be taken into consideration when choosing | | | | use, especially compared to a regular computer. |
| a machine. | | | | The operating system as well as the structural |
| Some equipment has very simple inputs and can | | | | make up of these machines is extremely |
| only accept one or two channels of information. | | | | dependable. Since a lot of the time the loggers |
| Other more sophisticated machines have intricate | | | | are operating without human supervision, they |
| combinations of channels that involve multiple | | | | have to be completely reliable. The instruments |
| inputs for sensors as well as specific information | | | | are designed so that as long as they have power |
| sources. Modern versions can interact with | | | | they will not fail to log data for any reason. |
| external computer programs and are even able to | | | | A data logger is dependable, accurate, and |
| automatically present collected information on a | | | | independent. These work horses of the scientific |
| web page for remote collaboration between | | | | and medical professions have been assisting |
| users. This ability to utilize data over the web has | | | | humankind for decades, and will continue to do so |
| been very useful for the medical profession. | | | | as long as we need reliable, well organized |
| Because data loggers are stand alone machines, | | | | information. |