Data evaluation is crucial for gaining information from sensor networks. Main challenges include processing speed and adaptivity to system change, both prerequisites for SHM-based weight reduction via relaxed safety factors. Our study looks at soft real time solutions providing feedback within defined but flexible, application-controlled intervals. These can rely on minimizing computation/communication latencies e.g. by parallel computation. Strategies towards this aim can be model-based, including inverse FEM, or model-free, including machine learning, which in practice bases training on a defined system state, too, hence also facing challenges at state changes.