Polling

In telecommunication, the term polling has the following meanings:

1. Network control in which the control station invites tributary stations to transmit in the sequence specified by the control station.
2. In point-to-point or multipoint communication, the process whereby stations are invited one at a time to transmit.
3. Sequential interrogation of devices for various purposes, such as avoiding contention, determining operational status, or determining readiness to send or receive data.
4. In automated HF radio systems, a technique for measuring and reporting channel quality.

Source: from Federal Standard 1037C and from MIL-STD-188

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Also, polling can be done to survey the public opinion on a (usually political) certain issue.

See Also: poll