Programmable instruments, virtual instruments, and distributed measurement systems: what is really useful, innovative and technically sound?

This article is directed to discuss the fundamental characteristics of measurement systems based on digital processing, with specific focus on virtual instruments and distributed measurement systems. Its goal is to point out the characteristics and the features related to issues of accuracy, precision and sensitivity, so as to achieve a better understanding of the effective usability of these technologies, avoid problems due to their superficial application, and promote the best use of these advanced, powerful methods. Finally, we consider the problem of the traceability of the measurement results coming from the instrumentation based on digital signal processing.