必须系统地进行自动抄表（AMR）。实施AMR既不是工程项目，也不是信息系统项目；这是一个客户服务项目。本文概述了自动抄表，首先讨论了作为客户服务子系统的计量系统。AMR的历史追溯了从20世纪60年代到现在的演变。描述了许多AMR系统，包括:电话拨号，出站和入站；电话扫描；有线电视；无线电频率电话回拨；电力线载波；以及混合动力系统。图中显示了设备的照片以及此类系统如何工作的示意图。根据对93家公用事业公司的调查结果，讨论了有关AMR兴趣程度、当前工作、试验项目、实施困难（即部署、客户关系和系统集成）以及态度的问题。

Automatic meter reading (AMR) must be approached systematically. Implementing an AMR is not an engineering project nor an information systems project; it is a customer service project. This paper offers an overview of automatic meter reading, beginning with a discussion of metering as a system, a subsystem of customer service. A history of AMR traces the evolution from 1960s through the present. A number of AMR systems are described, including: telephone dial, both outbound and inbound; telephone scanning; cable television; radio frequency; telephone dial-back; powerline carrier; and hybrid systems. Figures show photographs of equipment as well as schematic drawings of how such systems work. Based on the results of a survey of 93 utilities, issues regarding level of interest in AMR, current efforts, trial projects, implementation difficulties (i.e., deployment, customer relations, and system integration), and attitudes are discussed.