Measurement 46 (2013) 2942–2945

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Measurement
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/measurement

Expanding needs for metrological traceability and measurement

uncertainty
H. Imai
National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In our daily life, numerical evaluation of a quantity is normally required not only for scien-
Available online 9 May 2013 tific decision but also for judgment of products. Under the Metre Convention, ideal system
of the International System of units (SI) is globally recognized and utilized in many fields of
Keywords: science and technology [1]. Some documented standards such as International Vocabulary
SI of Metrology (VIM) [2], and Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM)
Metrological traceability [3] are edited and published by the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology (JCGM) and
Measurement uncertainty
commonly introduced in the fields of metrology, science and conformity assessment in
JCGM
ISO/IEC Guide
connection with ISO/IEC 17025. This paper describes the recent situation in measurement
VIM science, and how to obtain a reliable measurement result using the expression of metrolog-
GUM ical traceability together with measurement uncertainty. In the paper, a response to Prof.
Ludwik Finkelstein’s message for ‘challenges and problems to future advancement in mea-
surement science’ is also reported.
Ó 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

1. Introduction

‘‘Metrology’’ is defined as ‘science of measurement and

Abbreviations: SI, International System of units; GUM, Guide to the
expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, JCGM 100 (ISO/IEC Guide 98-
3:2008); VIM, International Vocabulary of Metrology, JCGM 200 (ISO/IEC
Guide 99, 2007), corrected version: 2012; JCGM, Joint Committee for
Guides in Metrology; BIPM, Bureau International des Poids et Measures
(F), International Bureau of Weights and Measures (E) <http://www.bip-
m.org>; IEC, International Electrotechnical Commission <http://
www.iec.ch>; IFCC, International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and
Laboratory Medicine <http://www.ifcc.org>; ISO, International Organiza-
tion for Standardization <http://www.iso.org>; IUPAC, International
Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, <http://www.iupac.org>; IUPAP,
International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, <http://www.iupa-
p.org>; OIML, International Organization of Legal Metrology, <http://
www.oiml.org>; ILAC, International Laboratory Accreditation Coopera-
tion, <http://www.ilac.org>; CGPM, General Conference on Weights and
Measures; CIPM, International Committee for Weights and Measures;
MRA, Mutual Recognition Arrangement; NMI, National Metrology Insti-
tute; CMC, Calibration and Measurement Capability; IMEKO, Interna-
tional Measurement Confederation, <http://www.imeko.org>; JCRB, Joint
Committee of the Regional Metrology Organizations and the BIPM;
JCTLM, Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine; WMO,
World Meteorological Organization <http://www.wmo.int>.
E-mail address: imai.hidetaka3@gmail.com
its application’ in VIM3 (JCGM 200, ISO/IEC Guide 99:2007)
and it has wide meaning. Usually, measurement is carried
out by making a comparison between a target objective
and a measurand that is a quantity intended to be mea-
sured. Measured quantity value is finally obtained as a
measurement result. In the calibration, a measurement re-
sult can be expressed by metrological traceability together
with measurement uncertainty. By the expression of mea-
surement uncertainty, reliability of the measurement re-
sult can be reasonably confirmed and maintained. It is
desirable to introduce similar expression in accurate
measurement.
We have now three important international documents
such as SI brochure, VIM and GUM (JCGM 100: ISO/IEC
Guide 98-3:2008) to keep fundamental concepts in mea-
surement science.
Considering the reliability of a measurement result,
Prof. Ludwik Finkelstein introduced the following message
in his paper in Proceedings of XIX IMEKO World Congress,

0263-2241/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2013.04.046
 H. Imai / Measurement 46 (2013) 2942–2945 2943

September 6-11, 2009, Lisbon, Portugal (Chapter 10, Physics Electricity Chemistry
UNCERTAINTY AND ERRORS) [4]. Biology Clinical Food
‘The problems of uncertainty in measurement and of er- Voltage Resistance
rors arising in measurement systems are most characteris- Length Mass
tic area of Measurement Science. A major and influential Optical Radiation Amount of substance
Temperature
advance has been the publication of GUM. This has defined Ionizing radiation

the problem and presents a systematic treatment of the to-

pic on a sound scientific basis. However, GUM does not ex-
haust the field. There remain challenges and problems to
be addressed. Among these is firstly the consideration of
dynamic measurements and uncertainty. Secondly there
is the analysis of error source in instrumentation using
mathematical models. There is the related problem of error
avoidance and compensation. Sources of error in digital
instruments await further study’.
In the present paper, concepts how to express the reli-
ability of measurement result can be described based on
the consensus in JCGM documents and some concerns with
Prof. Finkelstein’s views mentioned above. Furthermore,
fundamental considerations from the viewpoint of safety
and security of a measurement result are given by intro-
ducing recent hot issues in the field of modern science.
2. Present situation of global activities in measurement
science
In order to have reliable measurement standards, SI is
composed and defined based on the Metre Convention in
1960. This SI has been developed significantly by introduc-
ing modern theories and technologies. At the 24th CGPM
(General Conference on Weights and Measures) held in
October 2011, they discussed on the possible future revi-
sion of the SI. This means that the concepts of fundamental
physical constants will be introduced for the definition of
SI base units in the near future.
In Table 1, proposed future definition of SI base units
based on physical constants are shown together with their
anticipated measurement uncertainties. In the present def-
initions of base units, mass has no uncertainty because the
definition is the prototype of the kilogram itself. The metre
is defined through the speed of light and this physical con-
stant has no uncertainty. In the near future, even physical
constants, they must be clarified their measurement
uncertainties.
Usually, metrology is divided into three categories as
scientific, legal, and industrial. However, if we consider
the importance of safety and security, additional field such
as life metrology can be considered.
Sound/Ultra-Sonics/Vibration Reference Materials
SI : International System of Units
Legal metrology
Legal Metrology Testing Verification
Fig. 1. Fields of measurements.
In Fig. 1, fields of measurement to be covered for our life
are shown mainly based on quantities in the SI.
As for documents used in the field of metrology, we
have now two important ISO/IEC Guides. These are VIM
and GUM developed in JCGM. Both documents are edited
in JCGM and published as ISO/IEC Guide. Today, there are
a lot of liaison works between the BIPM and other interna-
tional organizations including National Metrology Insti-
tutes (NMIs) and Accreditation Bodies (ABs).
They utilize above mentioned international documents
effectively in their cooperative works such as Mutual Rec-
ognition Arrangement under the Metre Convention (CIPM-
MRA), ILAC-MRA, and OIML-MAA (Mutual Acceptance
Arrangement).
In JCGM, they published a document concerning to con-
formity assessment in 2012. Table 2 shows list of docu-
ments already published and in edition by JCGM.
The first edition of VIM was published in 1984 and its
second edition (VIM2) was published in 1993. The third
edition (VIM3) was published in 2007 as ISO/IEC Guide
99. Table 3 shows the comparison of VIM3 and VIM2. Main
difference in VIM3 is that there introduced many new
terms concerned with measurement uncertainty.
In the first and second edition of VIM, the title was
‘International vocabulary of basic and general terms in
metrology’, but it is changed to ‘International vocabulary
of metrology – Basic and general concepts and associated
terms (VIM)’ in the third edition. Another revolution is
the introduction of Uncertainty Approach (UA) instead of
Error Approach (EA) in both VIM and GUM.

Table 1
Future definition of SI base units (draft proposal).

Bas units (symbol) Present Future (proposal) Constant Uncertainty

Second (s) Dm133(Cs)hfs Dm133(Cs)hfs (Cs) 1014
Metre (m) c c Speed of light in vacuum 1012
Kilogram (kg) m(K) h Plank constant 5.0  108
Ampere (A) l0 e Electric charge 6.8  1010
Kelvin (K) TTPW k Boltzman’s constant 1.7  106
Mole (mol) M(12C) NA Avogadro constant 1.4  109
Candela (cd) kcd kcd 103
2944 H. Imai / Measurement 46 (2013) 2942–2945

Table 2
Present status of documents under JCGM.

Title of document JCGM ISO/IEC Note

number Guide
International Vocabulary of Metrology – Basic and general concepts and associated terms (VIM) JCGM 99 Published (2007)
200 (corrected 2011)
Guide to the expression of uncertainity in measurement, GUM 1995, with minor modifications JCGM 98-3 Published (2008)
100
Supplement 1 to the ‘‘Guide to the expression of uncertainity in measurement’’ – Probagation of JCGM 98-3/ Published (2008)
distributions using a Monte Carlo method 101 Supplement
1
Supplement 2 to the ‘‘Guide to the expression of uncertainity in measurement’’ – Extension to JCGM 98-3/ Published (2011)
any number of output quantities 102 Supplement
2
Supplement 2 to the ‘‘Guide to the expression of uncertainity in measurement’’ – Developing and JCGM 98-3/ In preparation
using measurement models 103 Supplement
3
An introduction to the ‘‘Guide to the expression of uncertainity in measurement’’ and related JCGM 98-1 Published (2009)
documents 104
Concepts, principles and methods for the assessment of measurement uncertainity JCGM 98-2 In preparation
105
The role of measurement and uncertainity in conformity assessments JCGM 98-4 Published (2012)
106
Applications of the least-squares method JCGM 98-5 In preparation
107

3. Expression of measurement uncertainty is a key role
for measurement results
In the process of a measurement, it is necessary to con-
sider variations of measured data. Metrological traceability
and measurement uncertainty are key factors to be consid-
ered in the evaluation of measurement data [5]. ‘‘Metrolog-
ical traceability’’ is defined as property of a measurement
result whereby the result can be related to a reference
through a documented unbroken chain of calibrations,
each contributing to the measurement uncertainty in
VIM. ‘‘Measurement uncertainty (uncertainty of measure-
ment, uncertainty)’’ is also defined as non-negative param-
eter characterizing the dispersion of the quantity values
being attributed to a measurand, based on the information
used.
Under the Metre Convention, it is required to clarify the
Calibration and Measurement Capability (CMC) of each na-
tional measurement standard in order to submit to the Key
Comparison Database of the BIPM (KCDB). It is also recom-
mended in ISO/IEC Directive Part 2:2011 [6], that results of
measurement or testing can be followed by VIM and GUM
together with ISO/IEC 17025.
In the next meeting of JCGM-WG1 and WG2, they are
planning to discuss on the results of surveys. Other targets
of JCGM are to edit and publish future GUM (GUM2) and
future VIM (VIM4). In JCGM, they have already started dis-
cussion on these subjects.
As for JCGM-WG2 (VIM), in order to explain the con-
cepts of VIM3, further rationale papers shall be published
in each area of interests. Also, by the proposal from IFCC
and IUPAC, how to include terms concerning nominal
properties will be discussed in the following meetings of
JCGM-WG2. Another target of WG2 is to make clear the
consistency with terms between VIM and GUM.
In the present GUM, it focused mainly on the physical
quantities which can be characterized by an essentially un-
ique value and it has barrier for other fields. Therefore,
when considering the revision of the present GUM, it is
necessary to spread the fields to be covered in chemistry
and biology including clinical laboratory science, environ-
mental science, food science and forecast of global climate
change, in which resent GUM does not provide suitable
guidance. Another problem is to solve the conflict between
frequentist (classical statistics) and Bayesian. Therefore, in

Table 3
4. Future VIM and GUM Comparison of VIM3 and VIM2 (number of terms).

Title of chapter VIM3 VIM3 VIM2

As mentioned before, VIM and GUM are edited and pub- (new)a
lished by the JCGM and known as ISO/IEC Guides. However, 1. Quantities and units 30 12 22
there is some criticism by the CIPM that concepts of VIM 2. Measurement 53 33 9
are too much spread and GUM is too difficult to be under- (Result of measurement: VIM2) 16
stood. Therefore, in the JCGM, they are collecting opinions 3. Devices for measurement 12 1 31
4. Properties of measuring devices 31 10 28
of users on the present VIM3 and GUM through the home-
5. Measurement standards 18 6 14
page of the BIPM. Also in the JCGM, they are discussing the (Etalons)
outline and concepts of future revision of VIM and GUM by
Total 144 62 120
taking the results of surveys and criticism into
a
consideration. Number of new terms in VIM3 (VIM2 ) VIM3 number of delete: 38).
 H. Imai / Measurement 46 (2013) 2942–2945
Fig. 2. Flow of measurement: expression of uncertainty.
the new edition, concepts and terms such as coverage
interval and value can be fully understood.
5. Requests for fundamental physics
Nowadays, the area to be covered by measurement
standards is extending from physics to chemistry, biology,
clinical laboratory science and food science. Even in the
forecast of global climate change and forensic science, they
are considering the introduction of measurement uncer-
tainty. In 2011, some topical reports appeared in modern
physics as follows:
(1) Is the speed of neutrino faster than that of light?
(2) Is the existence of Higgs boson proved to be surely
confirmed experimentally?
There are a lot of discussions about the above men-
tioned topics, and finally the answers have been reached
in 2012. Concerning the speed of neutrino, it is confirmed
not faster than that of light. There was certain mistake in
the usage of GPS. On the other hand, experimental results
were reported in July, 2012 by European Organization for
Nuclear Research (CNRS), that Higgs boson could exist in
probability of 99.9999%. In both cases mentioned above,
the expression of measurement uncertainty for the mea-
2945
surement results is extremely important and must be rea-
sonably calculated and confirmed.
Fig. 2 illustrates the flow in measurement by the follow-
ing five steps:
(1) Modelling.
(2) Collection of data.
(3) Calculate standard uncertainty.
(4) Calculate combined standard uncertainty.
(5) Determine expanded uncertainty.
This flow is followed by the present GUM, and espe-
cially useful in calibration and testing.
At present, Prof. Finkelstein’s remarks are suitable on
the shift from EA to UA. Other subjects in dynamic mea-
surement and counting (digital instruments) will be con-
sidered as future targets of JCGM-WG1 (GUM) and JCGM-
WG2 (VIM).
6. Conclusions
In this paper, present situation of measurement science
is introduced and what is required for the result of mea-
surement is briefly described. In measurement science,
modern theory in physics and application from other fields
of science are introduced effectively. SI, VIM and GUM are
basic international documents in these fields and they can
be updated timely. In fact, the discussions of the edition of
VIM4 and GUM2 have already started in JCGM.
References
[1] International System of Units (SI), BIPM, 8th Version, 2006.
[2] VIM: International Vocabulary of Metrology – Basic and General
Concepts and Associated Terms, ISO/IEC Guide 99, 2007. (JCGM 200).
[3] GUM: Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, 1995,
firstst ed., ISO/IEC Guide 98–3, 2008. (JCGM 100).
[4] Ludwik Finkelstein, in: Proceedings of XIX IMEKO World Congress,
September 6–11, 2009, Lisbon, Portugal (Chapter 10, UNCERTAINTY
AND ERRORS).
[5] H. Imai, How to express the reliability of measurement results – the
role of metrological traceability and measurement uncertainty, in:
Proceedings of 2nd IMEKO TC11 International Symposium, Cavtat,
Dubrovnik, Croatia, June, 2011.
[6] ISO/IEC Directive Part 2, 2011.