Industrial control and measurement requires a blend of precision and robustness. Industrial systems typically run 24/7, but are produced in low quantities. This means the development cycle must cost effectively ensure that the embedded software is reliable.

The answer: a test driven development methodology would be most suitable. This means that the tests are developed early in the development cycle, driving the design, ensuring reliability from the ground up.

Industrial measurement usually requires precision combined with an immunity to noise and interference, due to the typical environment. This is primarily a problem in the hardware domain, but there are software techniques that can also help this problem.

Industrial control software often requires a sound knowledge of the mechanics or the physics of the system. Armed with this and a good model industrial control becomes a straightforward task.

• Test Driven Development
• Precision and robustness
• Convolution
• Digital signal processing