The analogue signal could be either voltage or current (there is also frequency and

PWM, but we'll ignore those for now).

If for example you are measuring pressure the instrument could send a voltage or
current that is proportional to the pressure.

A voltage signal is simple to create and measure electronically. If the signal

doesn't have to go very far, people will typically use voltage.

Current on the other hand is a bit more difficult (but not really that hard).
However, it has the advantage that current signals are less sensitive to distance
or electrical noise.
The idea is that the transmitter will automatically crank up the voltage as much as
necessary (up to the limit of the power supply of course)
to send out the correct current.
That means that it will inherently compensate for the resistance in the wires.

This is why current loops are preferred over voltage signals for instruments that
have to transmit signals a relatively long distance.
Since many process instrument are distributed over large systems, current loops are
the preferred analogue signal in process industries (oil, water, chemicals, paper,
etc.).