Learned more about SCADA and ModBus today!  What are those you ask?  SCADA is used in the Oil/Gas world for Gas Measurement Data collection among other things.  ModBus is a technology / communication protocol utilized within SCADA to pass that data along to interested parties.  It was released in 1979.  I was two years of age hahah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCADA