This paper outlines the three main field bus type standards: FOUNDATION Fieldbus; WorldFIP, and the CAN bus, each of which have great advantages over traditional instrumentation networking technology. The paper shows, using their specification, how they improve traditional control and data acquisition methods. By analyzing the main fieldbus types the paper shows how the are more robust, how the can be used to distribute data around the control system (rather than centralize it in traditional systems), provided increased diagnostic information, are easy to implement, fault confinement, and move simple control operations from the main controller to the local environment. This will help to segment industrial plants into zones, which can control themselves. The main control will then be responsibility high-level control, and inter-zone communications. The paper concludes by discussing how fieldbusses will answer many of the problems of previous control and data acquisition systems.