What does telemetry mean?
Telemetry is the process of measuring, recording, and transmitting information from a distant source. It is commonly used for data sent by aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, vehicles, weather stations, medical monitoring equipment, and wildlife-tracking devices. The measurements may concern temperature, pressure, position, speed, power, or other changing conditions. In general usage, the word can denote either the remote measurement process itself or the resulting stream of data. Telemetry is especially associated with engineering, transport, space exploration, medicine, and scientific research, where continuous or automatic monitoring can be important. The term is also useful outside those fields whenever distant conditions or activities need to be represented through transmitted data. Its meaning depends less on the subject being measured than on the method: information is collected remotely and conveyed to a receiver, often automatically. The word's combination of Greek elements meaning “far” and “measure” captures this fundamental idea.
The automatic measurement, recording, and transmission of data from a remote location, or the data collected and transmitted in this way.
"The spacecraft's telemetry indicated that its solar panels were operating normally."
The noun is normally used in technical and scientific contexts and is generally uncountable.
To transmit measurements or data from a remote location using telemetry.
"The aircraft telemetered its position and altitude to the monitoring station."
This verb is specialized and much less common than the noun.
The plural is rare; telemetry is usually treated as an uncountable noun even when referring to multiple data streams.
"The engineers compared telemetries from several satellites."
Telemetry literally means “far measurement”: turning distant conditions into data we can read.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of telemetry
Telemetry was formed from the Greek tēle, meaning “far” or “at a distance,” and metron, meaning “measure.” It originally referred to the measurement of conditions at a distance and subsequently developed alongside systems that recorded and transmitted such measurements automatically. Related forms include telemeter and telemetric, while other words such as telephone and metrology preserve one of the same Greek elements.
Related word forms
How telemetry is actually used
Telemetry is strongly associated with engineering, aviation, spaceflight, transport, medicine, and other technical fields. In general writing, it usually refers either to the remote measurement process or to the resulting data; it is normally treated as an uncountable noun, although the plural is occasionally used in technical writing.
Easily confused with telemetry
Telemetry is the technological measurement and transmission of data, whereas telepathy is the purported communication of thoughts or feelings without ordinary physical means.