The digital revolution in measurements

This paper considers what it means to make a measurement, and the changes in measurement technology over the years. The impact of the latest changes, which have resulted in most electrical measurements being done digitally, is explored. It is argued that the process of measurement can be considered equivalent to one of data compression. The smart grid will certainly result in many more signals being made available, and therefore a great deal of data compression will be taking place. Measurements will be made in parts of the power system presently unmonitored, as well as parts that are already well covered by instrumentation. The smart grid engineer must decide what it means to have “useful” information. Unless care is taken, the signal processing may furnish information that is not useful, and may not even make sense. The paper concludes by examining the possibilities of data compression from multiple separate signals.