Distributed Measurement Systems: Advantages and Challenges of Wireless Sensor Networks

In general, a distributed system can be considered as an aggregation of several units which, even though physically located in different positions, are able to jointly carry out some specified tasks, communicating together by means of a suitable network infrastructure. This type of system was born with the introduction of the first communication networks, and it started growing quickly with the establishment of the first world-wide network: the Internet. As a matter of fact, the spreading of the Internet provided developers with a new and almost-ubiquitous network that is able to connect virtually any kinds of devices and make them operate together.