The Importance of Data Loggers

In business, money is the blood that flows through industries. In science, it is data. All fields of the natural sciences rely on data to understand everything that the human mind can comprehend. Thus, logging data is an essential part of basic and applied research. There is a data logger for different fields. Engineers and physicists may be more interested in a data logger for electricity and communications, while those in the biological, environmental, and chemical sciences may gravitate towards temperature and humidity. You also do not have to be a scientist to find a data logger useful. You may be an everyday person who wants to monitor the performance of a certain appliance or equipment in your home.

Data Loggers: Convenience

• Time

As important as data is in science and engineering, any scientist and engineer can tell you how much of a hassle recording data can be. The reason for this is the work of a scientist or engineer does not revolve around your typical 8-hour workday. Whatever data they may be recording, it does not stop when the official workday ends. It keeps going and going until the study itself ends. Some studies can last for days. Depending on how you set up the study, you may have to record data at varying time intervals. It can be every hour, every 2 hours, 4 hours, etc. Imagine starting a study, recording your first set of data at Time 0, and going back every hour to record temperature or voltage. Goodbye, lunch dates. Goodbye afternoon naps. Goodbye Friday night plans. It can ruin whatever routine or plans you have for the day because everything you will do will revolve around that study.

It is in this situation where a data logger can be a social lifesaver for scientists and engineers. Instead of having to watch over your study like a baby so you can record data, you can leave it be and let the data logger do the work for you. You can come now and then to check that everything is still running smoothly. You can make a final check right before you clock out. Thus, with a data logger, those in science and engineering can have a relatively normal social life.

• Efficiency

Some data loggers can integrate with your computer. The traditional way of logging data is by writing them by hand on a paper and encoding it on your computer. The data logger can automatically send the data to your computer in real-time. You can be at your computer, wearing pyjamas, and having a hot cup of cocoa on a rainy Sunday morning as you casually go over the data.

Data Loggers: Accuracy

Although some may put scientists and engineers on a pedestal as intellectual elites, they are actually some of the people who make the most mistakes. You do not gain all that knowledge without knowing how not to mess up. Even a veteran PhD can still have slipups. And when you are stressed with deadlines, low funding, and sleep deprivation, something as simple as writing down numbers can be prone to errors. Luckily, machines like a data logger do not have the same problems.

Whatever field you may be in, if you are in science or engineering, you will appreciate the benefits of a reliable data logger. By obtaining the ideal one for your study setup, you can save time and energy, but you can also get reliable data to contribute to human knowledge.

 

Author Bio:  Ellen Hollington is a freelance writer who offers to ghostwrite, copywriting, and blogging services. She works closely with B2C and B2B businesses providing digital marketing content that gains social media attention and increases their search engine visibility.