On sampled data approach to parameter identification of continuous linear systems

It is generally preferable to estimate unknown parameters in analog transfer functions by sampled data techniques. This approach calls for the derivation of an appropriate discrete model
D(z)
for a given analog system
H(s)
with undetermined parameters, and then the fitting of the sampled input-output data by
D(z)
to estimate these parameters. This correspondence presents a method for obtaining such discrete models. It also provides a more effective procedure for calculating the parameter estimates from the identified discrete transfer function
\hat{D}(z)
.