Comparing Overall PDV System Development Cost with An Open Platform and Modular Based Approach

When designing and building PDV systems, there is a wealth of literature on how to build PDV systems and the components to use. However, it is often important to take a broader perspective on solution selection. Beside just considering components costs and the development hours, it is also important to evaluate the hidden opportunity costs, such as the development time for the control system, resources needed in maintenance and calibration. Furthermore, the system needs to be well-packaged and supported in order to reduce often costly unexpected down time, as well as thoroughly documented to ease the impact of end-user training. Here we present and evaluate the overall cost of building a PDV system against a commercial-of-the-shelf (COTS) approach to PDV that leverages an open and modular platform to reduce the hidden cost in developing, using, and maintaining PDV systems.