1. What are the advantages of such ‘distance monitoring’ to the people or operations being monitored, and to those doing the monitoring? Monitoring the performance of equipment at a distance was once confined to checking up on computer-based systems. Internet technology has changed all that. It is now far easier to link up widely distributed equipment with a central monitoring and diagnostics facility. Here are two

(very different) examples.

Rüdiger Kapitza is the chairman of Gildemeister, a German machine tool company. With an advertising campaign based on images from Star Trek, the company has launched a service where customers can link their Gildemeister machines through the internet to one of three special service centres. For an initial payment and a small monthly subscription, customers can download new software from the service centres as well as have their machines checked and talk to the company’s technical experts about any programming or mechanical difficulties.

Given that machines can cost up to [€]3 million, it is important that they are kept running. Says Mr Kapitza: