A cable including an integrated intelligent cable module. The module preferably includes an integral instrument package. The instrument package may assume many forms and may serve many purposes. In a preferred embodiment, the module includes a position- determining system and an on-board processor. The processor determines a current location in space for the module based on the information it is receiving. This positional information may then be transmitted to an external receiver. The module also preferably includes load- monitoring and recording features. These features act as a "black box" for the cable, monitoring its performance and reporting (in real-time or at a later time) any exceedances or any deterioration in performance or structural integrity.
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