1. An apparatus for sensing parameters and for controlling the transfer of data representing such sensed parameters, the apparatus having limited data computation and storage capability and being located remotely from a base computing station having substantially greater data computation and storage capability, the apparatus comprising: a data acquisition controller which controls the operation of one or more physical parameter sensors and stores acquired data in progressive data representation format; a data transmitter which transmits data representing parameters sensed by the one or more parameter sensors to the base station; an in-situ progressive decision support module which directs the data acquisition controller to obtain data representing one or more physical parameters determined to have relatively highest utility to a decision maker given processing constraints of the control apparatus, and which assigns a transmission priority to such data in its progressive representation format and directs the data transmitter to transmit such data to the base station given the assigned priority, the in-situ progressive decision support model including means for receiving feedback from the base station to adjust the relative utility of data describing physical parameters for use in subsequent data sensing and transmission.