Georgetown: The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) joins with other Metrology institutions across the world to commemorate World Metrology Day, 2014 on May, 20 under the theme “Measurements and the Global energy challenge”.
World Metrology Day (WMD) celebrates the signature by representatives of seventeen nations of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875. The Convention set the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement and in its industrial, commercial and societal application. The original aim of the Metre Convention – the worldwide uniformity of measurement – remains as important today as it was in 1875.
According to Director of International Bureau of Legal Metrology (BIML) Stephen Patoray, when the 2014 WMD topic was first proposed, he began to think about what the global energy challenge is, and the role that measurements and especially legal metrology play in it.
He explained that while measurements are central to most basic decisions on energy usage, there are many other aspects of the global energy challenge which are much more complex: global population growth; emerging economies; complex technologies; increasing consumer demands and higher quality of life.
These factors, Patoray said may result in significant increases in demand for all types of energy which in turn may result in environmental changes and pollution. This demand requires redistributing existing energy supplies, increasing energy production and developing alternative energies.
“It became clear to me that I needed to break this down into smaller, more manageable pieces of information so I could better understand the role of legal metrology. I began to realize that no matter how complex this challenge seems to be, it comes down to individual choices regarding the energy we use in our daily lives,” the Director Legal Metrology said “ It makes no difference whether we are talking about national or local governments, large or small companies, organizations or individuals. However, to make good choices we need information, much of which is based on measurements. For the results of these measurements to be useful we must have confidence in the instruments and the processes used. To ensure this confidence, the instruments must comply with performance requirements laid down in internationally recognized written standards.”
He further explained that many instruments under legal metrological control are linked to the consumption of energy: some are directly linked, such as gas meters, electricity meters and fuel dispensers; some are indirectly linked, such as the air pressure in car tires; and others are linked to the consequences of energy production, such as pollution from power plants, exhaust emissions from cars, and now, increasingly, the measurement of greenhouse gases.
“The vital role that measurements and especially legal metrology play in this global challenge is now very clear to me. As we join together to celebrate World Metrology Day, we should all be aware and be thankful that there are knowledgeable, highly skilled and dedicated people, not just in the legal metrology community but across the many businesses in the energy sectors, who are working every day to ensure that we have the systems in place to provide accurate, internationally accepted equipment and measurements.” He underscored.
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