On teaching measurement applications of digital signal processing Roman Z. Morawski * Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology, Institute of Radioelectronics, ul. Nowowiejska 15/19, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland Received 31 May 2006; received in revised form 19 June 2006; accepted 20 June 2006 Available online 21 July 2006 Abstract Intensified development of digital measurements by the end of the 20th century generated numerous applications of various types of digital processors in measurement instrumentation, and of sophisticated mathematical tools for extraction of desired information from measurement. As a consequence, the measurement applications of digital signal processing, i.e., the methods for measurement data processing (MDP), became a regular chapter of metrological knowledge. In this paper, an attempt is made to find an adequate educational response to this situation both at the undergraduate and grad- uate level. It is proposed to structure the MDP contents, according to a model of measurement, oriented on explaining the role of digital signal processing in the measurement process. Such a model is outlined and used for introducing a typology of MDP problems which is next applied as a basis for structuring the MDP-related contents. The productivity of the pro- posed approach is illustrated with numerous engineering examples. Extensive references, that may be helpful in practical implementation of the proposed teaching methodology, are provided. Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Metrology; Graduate engineering education; Digital signal processing; Measurand reconstruction; Calibration of measurement channels 1. Introduction Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is a branch of information science and technology, focused on the methods and techniques for processing digital signals by means of computers. It is a well estab- lished, but still quickly developing, field of knowl- edge with fuzzy borders differentiating it from many other fields of knowledge such as signals and systems, statistical inference, system identifica- tion, or time series analysis. As stated in the Preface of the renowned handbook of DSP [1]: ‘‘digital sig- nal processing is concerned with the theoretical and practical aspects of representing information bear- ing signals in digital form and with using computers or special purpose digital hardware either to extract that information or to transform signals in useful ways.’’ This general definition should be interpreted in the context of the multi-page table of contents of that handbook. The majority of items, which appear there, are well-known chapters of traditional DSP 0263-2241/$ - see front matter Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.measurement.2006.06.015 * Tel.: +48 22 660 7721; fax: +48 22 825 5248. E-mail address: r.morawski@ire.pw.edu.pl Measurement 40 (2007) 213–223 www.elsevier.com/locate/measurement