Sensor fusion and data fusion – Mapping and reconstruction

Data mining is a term frequently used in sociological, economical and military fields. But since many of these data stem from the technological field of sensors and sensor nets, it is worth investigating if the ideas, tasks, and tools of data mining can be integrated in a common framework of metrology.The paper starts with a short excursion to the philosophical concepts of real and virtual worlds in order to clarify ideas and terms of sensing, modelling and data processing. Using graphic-based tools of signal and system theory the main structure of every measurement process is emphasized. It consists in the actual case of a multidimensional, multivariate, dynamic sensor process and a corresponding reconstruction process. It will be worked out that data fusion and data mining can easily be discussed in the well-known framework of this reconstruction process and therefore should be considered as integral parts of metrology.