Development of a Data Collection Platform

This work describes the development of a DCP (data collection platform) which is used to transmit environmental data to a geostationary meteorological satellite. The satellite relays the data to a ground station which finally distributes the data to the end users, e.g., via the Internet. The developed DCP is a case study for a complex embedded system including a lot of analogue and digital components (two microcontrollers, a FPGA, a GPS receiver, a RF section and a CPU-controlled power supply). The paper describes all the units of the DCP and the design decisions which lead to the current system.