World Metrology Day on 20 May 2022 commemorated the day when, in 1875, the Treaty of the Meter was signed by representatives of 17 nations who agreed on one uniform measurement system – a global system for common measurements, based on constants of nature.
Over the years, this system has been adjusted and adapted to changes in technology. Throughout the first three industrial revolutions, metrologists have been able to become more and more precise with their measurements, which helps technology continue to advance. The digital era, or the fourth industrial revolution, is no different. Metrology plays a huge role in IoT (Internet of Things) technology and digitalisation. Indeed, the theme for this year’s World Metrology Day was ‘Metrology in the Digital Era’.
Over the last couple of years, top metrologists from all around the world have been collaborating on building this system that allows for a seamless transition, from digital calibration, to certificates from the calibration laboratory, to the end-customer.
The digital arena is moving more toward digital certificates. Typically, certificates are very long (up to 20 pages of data) and people have had to make a spreadsheet in order to look at what the instrument is doing over time. This is a cumbersome process, so today, when a Fluke certificate is produced, there are only three things that happen:
1. Fluke prints a paper certificate, just like before.
2. A searchable PDF is provided.
3. An XML file is created with all the data, which can easily be imported into Microsoft Excel or other tools for people to analyse their devices.
A digital repository of all this information advances not only the calibration laboratory's access to information, but also enables every downstream process to be digitalised.
Think, for a moment, what the future of metrology will look like… it will not look like it does today, and certainly not like it did in the past. Metrology is really all around us and involves everything we do daily. It might be invisible, or we may be unaware of it, but in reality, measurement and measurement sciences are a part of every act of commerce, our safety, everything around technological advancement, as well as progress.
Visit https://bit.ly/3Mp4qfO to watch a brief ‘Metrology in the Digital Era’ summary video produced by Fluke and its official South African partner, Comtest.
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