Accelerometer for data collection and communication

1. A method for communicating data, comprising:

collecting data associated with a mammal using an accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer is operable to monitor activity associated with the mammal; and

communicating the data to a computing device, wherein the accelerometer uniquely identifies the mammal, and wherein the accelerometer is configured such that a decision to display the data is executed by an administrator of the accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer is configured to provide feedback based on a combination of the collected data and additional data that is unique to the mammal, the additional data being associated with a profile of the mammal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the accelerometer is positioned on a collar to be worn by the mammal.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mammal is a pet selected from a group of pets, consisting of:

a) a dog;

b) a cat; and

c) a horse.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

maintaining the data such that it can be transmitted over a communication link, wherein the communication link is a selected one of a group of communication links, the group consisting of:

a) a universal serial bus cable;

b) a modem; and

c) a wireless connection.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data from the accelerometer is communicated to the computing device using an IEEE 802.15 protocol.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing the data such that it may be reviewed, wherein the stored data may be processed using one or more software applications.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

communicating a selected one of location information and activity information provided by the accelerometer using a selected one of a group of protocols, the group consisting of:

a) a global positioning system (GPS) protocol;

b) a geo-fencing protocol; and

c) a triangulation protocol.

8. An apparatus to be used in collecting data, comprising:

an accelerometer operable to monitor activity associated with a mammal, the accelerometer being operable to collect and to store data associated with the activity, wherein the accelerometer is further operable to communicate the data to a computing device, and wherein activity calculations made by the accelerometer are based on a conversion of gravity or of motion to an electrical signal, the accelerometer uniquely identifying the mammal, and wherein the accelerometer is configured to provide feedback based on a combination of the collected data and additional data that is unique to the mammal, the additional data being associated with a profile of the mammal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the computing device is a base station operable to receive the data from the accelerometer, the base station being further operable to relay the data to a next destination via a selected one of a telephone network and an Internet network.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the accelerometer is positioned on a collar to be worn by the mammal.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the accelerometer is operable to maintain the data such that it can be transmitted over a communication link.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the communication link is a selected one of a group of communication links, the group consisting of:

a) a universal serial bus cable;

b) a modem; and

c) a wireless connection.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the mammal is a pet selected from a group of pets, consisting of:

a) a dog;

b) a cat; and

c) a horse.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the accelerometer includes wireless technology that is operable to transmit the data to a next destination in a wireless fashion, the wireless technology being included in a group of technologies, the group consisting of:

a) IEEE 802.15 technology; and

b) infrared technology.

15. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the accelerometer is further operable to communicate a selected one of location information and activity information included within the accelerometer using a selected one of a group of protocols, the group consisting of:

a) a global positioning system (GPS) protocol;

b) a geo-fencing protocol; and

c) a triangulation protocol.

16. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:

a management server operable to receive the data from the accelerometer and to aggregate one or more sets of data collected by the accelerometer.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the management server is operable to be accessed by a selected one of a veterinarian, a pet owner, and an administrator who is authorized to have access to the data.

18. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the data is processed using one or more software applications at the computing device, and wherein the data may be displayed on the computing device using a selected one or more of a graph, a chart, a spreadsheet, and a graphic illustration.