1. Metrology sans Frontières: Measurements in the Global Village Dr Seton Bennett Deputy Director National Physical Laboratory UK

2. 2 “When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge of it is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind” (Lord Kelvin) Measurement has always been important “The Lord abominates a false balance, but a just weight is His delight” (Proverbs 11:1)

3. 3 …and was long ago enshrined in law in England Recognition of the need for standardised measures in England was reflected in King John’s Magna Carta in the year 1215 (35 th clause): “There shall be standard measures of wine, ale, and corn (the London quarter), throughout the kingdom. There shall also be a standard width of dyed cloth, russett, and haberject, namely two ells within the selvedges. Weights are to be standardised similarly.”

4. 4 … and in the United States In due course, the United States recognised the same need. The US Constitution Article I, section 8, clause 5, vested the US Congress with the power to … “… coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures.”

5. 5 Measuring in the village What time is it? How much have I got? Is it the right size? Does it meet my requirements?

6. 6 What time is it?  When to sow and when to reap?  Time to get up and go to bed  Religious ceremonies and astrology  Sunrise and sunset

7. 7 How much have I got? It mattered how much you got … … whether you were buying food for the family … … or fuel for the winter.

8. 8 Is it the right size? Whether it was to eat … … to wear … … or to ride on – size mattered.

9. 9 Does it meet my requirements? Shape, dimensions and materials all mattered … … in the home … … in the woods … … and in the fields.

10. 10 Measuring in the global village What time is it? How much have I got? Is it the right size? Does it meet requirements?

11. 11 What time is it? From atomic clocks … … to wristwatches … … to GPS … … we can measure time more accurately than any other quantity.

12. 12 How much have I got? It matters how much you get … … whatever you are buying … … and whoever is paying for it!

13. 13 Is it the right size? Whether it is to watch … … to wear … … or to ride on – size matters.

14. 14 Does it meet my requirements? You and I Regulators Doctors Science Industry Communications Environment Healthcare Food Health & safety Transport Metrology influences, drives and underpins much of what we do and experience in our everyday lives. Industry, trade, regulation, legislation, quality of life, science and innovation all have requirements which rely on metrology to a considerable extent.

15. 15 So what has changed in the (global) village?  Growth of international trade in agricultural and manufactured goods  One overseas trip per head (UK)  Interchangeability of complex manufactured parts  Science, healthcare and environmental measurement  Local trade in staple goods  No travel outside the village  Simple manufacturing to fit  No regulatory framework

16. 16 Metrology for industry, trade and commerce  Design and develop new products  Manufacture of products that meet specifications  Ensure compatibility and interoperability  Improve production processes  Reduce scrap  Ensure fair and equitable trade  80% of traded goods are based on standards and regulations where conformity assessment and hence measurements may be required.  Aim of “One standard, one test, accepted everywhere”

17. 17 Compatibility is an international issue The new Airbus A380 is manufactured in four countries and assembled in France. The wings are being made at Broughton in North Wales.

18. 18 Getting metrology wrong can be disastrous “Mission specifications called for using metric units, but the Lockheed group sent navigation information in English units. The mix-up meant that Lockheed engineers modelled navigation with pounds force (the English unit for measuring thruster impulse) while JPL did its calculations in newtons (the metric measurement). One pound force is equivalent to 4.45 newtons.” (Report on the loss of NASA’s Mars Orbiter spacecraft)

19. 19  Protect citizens  Medical treatment and diagnosis  Dose measurement underpins safe use of ionising radiation in medical exposure  Developments in technology  potential for improved diagnostics and treatment of tumours  Adoption of new practices will increase need for accurate dose measurement and require development of new dose measurement and calibration services Metrology for quality of life (health)

20. 20 Metrology in the global village  Legal requirements aligned  Session 8D – Legal Metrology Around the World  National coordination of measurement infrastructure  Session 6 – Reports from NMIs  Session 7D – Developments in National Measurement Systems  International collaboration  Session 3 – News from Headquarters: CIPM and OIML  Session 4D – RMO Reports  Session 5D – EUROMET and iMERA  International agreement on equivalence  Session 10D – Experience of the CIPM MRA  Traceability and uncertainty understood  Session 2D – Traceability Workshop  Session 9D - Uncertainties

21. 21 Metrology’s impact on society in the global village As the concept of society becomes less well defined in the global village, the impact of metrology continues to grow. It is more important than ever to ensure that metrology meets the needs of every villager and guarantees that he knows what time it is, how much he has got, if it is the right size and whether it meets his requirements!

22. Metrology sans Frontières: Measurements in the Global Village Dr Seton Bennett Deputy Director National Physical Laboratory UK