ABSTRACT
There is an additional way of discussing the conditions in which the data are obtained for a given characterization technique. This refers to the time in which the data are obtained. There are two possibilities. One possibility is that data collection was performed while the sample was being exposed to the desired conditions. This type of analysis shall be referred to as in situ analysis (a.k.a. real-time analysis). The second possibility is that the analysis was performed after the conditions of processing were applied. This type of analysis shall be referred to as postmortem analysis. Table 1 illustrates the matrix of data acquisition with examples for the four cases using temperature as the main variable. It is important to point out that, although temperature is a very popular variable to measure, others, such as pressure, atmosphere, relative humidity, electric or magnetic fields, or combinations of variables, can be discussed in like manner.
