The World Metrology Day 2024 Launch Event was organized by UNESCO in partnership with the BIPM and the OIML on 14 May 2024, marking the official recognition by UNESCO of 20 May each year as a UNESCO International Day. World Metrology Day is the annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations. The Convention set the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement and in its industrial, commercial and societal applications.

The Launch Event was an occasion not only to celebrate World Metrology Day but also to demonstrate how it aligns with UNESCO’s mission to construct a better world through science and education.

Keynote speeches focused on the 2024 theme “We Measure Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”, highlighting the pivotal role of metrology in advancing global endeavours toward establishing a sustainable economy and environment for future generations. The presentations featured various initiatives at both national and regional levels, offering insights into how metrology facilitates sustainable development.

A short video showcasing examples of everyday measurements and illustrating how metrology contributes to sustainable development goals was premiered at the event.

Approximately two hundred guests from the Permanent Delegations to UNESCO, Embassies of BIPM Member States and Associates to France, International Organizations and members of the metrology community have attended in person and online.

Throughout the journey to UNESCO proclamation, this proposal was strongly supported by the Permanent Delegation of Kazakhstan to UNESCO and by Her Excellency Gulsara Arystankulova, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to France. The BIPM expresses its sincere thanks to them and to all other UNESCO Member States having endorsed this initiative.

WMD Video

From left to right:
Ms Rahima Guliyeva (Institutional liaison and membership, BIPM), Mr Kangyoung Sung (Principal Officer, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science), Ms Dolores del Campo Maldonado (Chairperson-elect, European Association of National Metrology Institutes), Mr Shaofeng Hu (Director, Division of Science Policy and Basic Sciences, Natural Sciences Sector, UNESCO), Mr Martin Milton (Director, BIPM), His Excellency Askar Abdrakhmanov (Ambassador, Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Kazakhstan to UNESCO in Paris), Mr Anthony Donnellan (Director, International Bureau of Legal Metrology), Ms Maguelonne Chambon (Director, Research and Development, Laboratoire national de métrologie et d’essais), Mr Anderson Maina (Liaison Officer, BIPM).

It is with great sadness that we report the news that Dr John W. Lyons died on 14 March 2024.

Dr Lyons was elected to the CIPM in 1990 and played an important role in expanding the work of the CIPM to address measurements in chemistry.

Following his appointment as NIST Director, he attended his first CIPM meeting in September 1990. During that session he was appointed Chair of the ad hoc Working Group set up to advise the CIPM on “whether or not the BIPM should have a significant role in addressing the problem of providing uniformity and traceability in chemical and physico-chemical measurements”. The report produced by Dr Lyons and submitted to the 82nd meeting of the CIPM in September 1993, led the CIPM to establish a Consultative Committee for Chemistry, now called the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM). The Committee has gone on to become highly active and the largest within the BIPM thanks to the foresight and leadership of Dr Lyons.

An obituary was published by the NIST on 11 April 2024.

The BIPM is delighted to extend the collaborative initiative BIPM–TÜBİTAK UME Project Placements for two more cycles in 2024 and 2025, following the success of the previous six cycles. Applications for the seventh cycle (2024) are open until 12 May 2024, and successful applicants will be notified by 31 May 2024. The training sessions are set to commence on 2 September 2024.

This joint initiative by the BIPM and the National Metrology Institute of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK UME) offers metrologists the chance to explore specific subjects of interest within TÜBİTAK UME’s laboratories. The programme allows participants to increase their understanding of the CIPM MRA mechanisms through e-learning training and seminars led by experts from both institutions. The successful participants will benefit from professional development opportunities and the the contacts made during the training will form the basis of future collaborations.

The initiative has hosted fifty-six metrologists from thirty-one national metrology institutes, representing all regional metrology organizations since its launch in 2018. Each cycle, which lasts from 1 to 3 months at the TÜBİTAK UME laboratories, covers diverse activities tailored to individual needs. These activities span a wide spectrum, from reducing measurement uncertainties to refining measurement methods and contributing to research activities. Feedback from participants highlights the value of these placements in advancing both theoretical and practical metrological knowledge.

The BIPM extends its sincere gratitude to TÜBİTAK UME (Türkiye) for their invaluable contributions to the BIPM Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer (CBKT) programme.

The SI is the recommended practical system of units of measurement.

Following a landmark decision of the CGPM in 2018 (see Resolution 1), all SI units are now defined in terms of constants that describe the natural world. This assures the future stability of the SI and opens the opportunity for the use of new technologies, including quantum technologies, to implement the definitions.

Unit definitions

The BIPM is an international organization established by the Metre Convention, through which Member States act together on matters related to measurement science and measurement standards.

Vision

Our vision is to be the world focus for the international system of measurement.

Mission

Our mission is to work with the NMIs of the BIPM's Member States, the RMOs, and strategic partners world-wide, and to use our international and impartial status to promote and advance the global comparability of measurements for:

• scientific discovery and innovation
• industrial manufacturing and international trade
• improving the quality of life and sustaining the global environment.

Objectives

• To represent the world-wide measurement community, aiming to maximize its uptake and impact.
  • We liaise with relevant intergovernmental organizations and other international bodies in order to develop opportunities for the application of metrology to global challenges.


• To be a centre for scientific and technical collaboration between Member States, providing capabilities for international measurement comparisons on a shared-cost basis.
  • We coordinate international comparisons of national measurement standards agreed to be of the highest priority.
  • We establish and maintain appropriate reference standards for use as the basis of key international comparisons at the highest level and provide selected calibrations from them.


• To be the coordinator of the world-wide measurement system, ensuring it gives comparable and internationally accepted measurement results.
  • We coordinate activities between the NMIs of Member States and the RMOs, including the provision of technical services to support the CIPM MRA and the infrastructure for the development and promotion of the SI.

Fulfilling our mission and objectives is underpinned by our work in:

• capacity building, which aims to achieve a global balance between the metrology capabilities in Member States;


• knowledge transfer, which ensures that our work has the greatest impact.

The BIPM hosted a workshop focused on Accelerating the Adoption of Quantum Technologies through Measurements and Standards on 21-22 March 2024. The event convened keynote speakers and panelists from the CIPM, the broader metrology community, national industries, regional industrial consortia, and academia. Half of the 150 participants have joined online. The topics discussed included the metrology community's role in advancing emerging technologies such as quantum, the industrial needs for metrology and standardization dedicated to quantum applications, the NMI capabilities to meet those needs and the existing international collaborations among NMIs.

The workshop aimed to chart the course for a new CIPM initiative leveraging the collective expertise of NMIs and DIs to accelerate the development and adoption of quantum technologies. Specifically, it aimed to provide participants with the opportunity to:

• share information on priority activities to support quantum technology development and adoption.
• consider an initial strategy and framework for an ongoing quantum initiative, including industry engagement.
• establish collaborative structures in quantum technology areas enabling NMIs and DIs to accelerate the development of best measurement practices.

A document compiling the key insights from the event will be published. This document will serve as the foundation for a white paper analysing the current state of play and proposing paths forward at the intersection of the metrology, industrial and standardization sectors.

A paper in Nature explains how human-induced melting of polar ice sheets might delay the need for introducing a negative leap second. Dr Patrizia Tavella, Director of the BIPM Time Department, discusses the topic of timekeeping and the link to earth rotation in the associated edition of Nature News & Views Forum.

Leap seconds have been used since 1972 to maintain synchronization between UTC and Earth's rotation. For the first time since then, earth rotation specialists anticipate the possible need to use a negative leap second to compensate for the gradual acceleration of the Earth’s rotation. However, leap seconds - whether positive or negative - pose considerable risks to the synchronization of world infrastructures.

A thoroughly considered solution to this challenge was put forward by the CCTF and formally developed in Resolution 4 of the 27th CGPM (2022) deciding to extend the tolerance between UTC and the Earth rotational angle, to ensure the continuity of UTC for at least a century. Resolution 4 was subsequently endorsed by the Radiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunication Union at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference.

The vision of the BIPM is for the SI to be recognized world-wide as the basis for all measurements. Now we could go one step further and achieve recognition of the SI beyond our planet with a permanent presence on the Moon! This is being planned by a new project to place sapphire discs engraved with the SI logo on the surface of the moon.

The ‘Sanctuary on the Moon’ project is supported by UNESCO and is part of the NASA Artemis Programme. It aims to deposit a long-term stable capsule on the lunar surface, which will include information about humanity, such as mathematics, culture, palaeontology, art, science and the human genome.

Any (friendly) aliens will know what measurement units to use and can contact the BIPM for further information!

   

Mario Freese, artistic director, checking an excerpt of a disc on WILDER Wall, at INRIA Paris Saclay. ©Benedict Redgrove

The CIPM appointed Georgette Macdonald as President of the Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities (CCM) during Session III of its 112th meeting in October 2023.

Georgette holds a Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University. Since 2021, Georgette has been Director General of the National Research Council of Canada’s Metrology Research Centre.

The BIPM wishes Georgette success in the role and extends its warmest thanks to Philippe Richard of METAS (Switzerland) who held the position from 2012 to 2023.

Published on 3 April 2024

On behalf of the World Metrology Day Team, we are pleased to announce that the 2024 World Metrology Day resource website is now live.

WMD resource website

The theme this year is Sustainability. Our focus for World Metrology Day in 2024 is therefore on the numerous measurement opportunities that contribute to the establishment of a sustainable global economy and environment. This year also marks the official recognition by UNESCO of 20 May each year as a UNESCO International Day. This designation opens new avenues to promote metrology, aligning with UNESCO’s mission to construct a better world through science and education.

The 2024 poster was designed in association with EURAMET and TÜBITAK UME, Türkiye. The resource website additionally provides access to the Press Release, the Directors’ Message, and the official posters in both English and French.

The success achieved in the previous year lays a strong foundation, and we hope to exceed that accomplishment in 2024. Kindly assist us in promoting World Metrology Day and inform the WMD Team about the events you plan to organise, so that we can feature them on the website. To get inspired, explore the events organized in previous years.

We are delighted to announce the election of three new members to the CIPM:

The Consultative Committee for Time and Frequency (CCTF) has initiated in 2023 a capacity building project in cooperation with the Ultrasonic, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control (UFFC) Society, a part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The joint initiative aims to enhance the capabilities of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) laboratories, National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and the broader Time and Frequency (TF) community, interested in gaining more expertise in TF data treatment and in the realization of a time scale. The CCTF also plans to invite NMIs to share training resources, fostering a collaborative program to support national and international timekeeping.

Supported by Dr Bharath Vattikonda, seconded to the BIPM from NPL India, the first output of the project is an e-learning course designed to impart knowledge and processing skills related to time transfer through GNSS pseudorange measurements. The material comprises a tutorial and interactive open-source software, complemented by a dedicated user manual and video demonstration.

Additional resources will be made accessible throughout 2024, via the communication platforms of the BIPM and UFFC:

• a software and user guidelines enabling laboratories to check their clock behaviour and to simulate clocks and time scales;
• a collection of available resources, shared by NMIs, such as guidelines, standards and software modules covering the basic topics in TF metrology;
• a series of recordings of CCTF technical exchange meetings.

BIPM E-LEARNING PLATFORM

The BIPM-ITU Memorandum of Understanding was signed electronically by Dr Wynand Louw, President of the CIPM on 29 June 2020, and by Mr Mario Maniewizc, Director of ITU Radiocommunication Bureau on 30 June 2020.

The BIPM and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) cooperate to ensure coordination on issues related to UTC, realization and dissemination and that ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R)documentation including recommendations, reports and handbooks relevant to time and frequency dissemination signals, particularly when concerned with terminology, nomenclature, symbols and other conventions, is consistent with the SI.

The BIPM is a Sector Member of ITU-R. ITU and BIPM are both partners in the International Network on Quality Infrastructure (INetQI) and ITU participates in the CCTF.

Starting from March 2020, the Time Department is providing additional graphical information concerning the use of Primary and Secondary Frequency Standards (PSFS) in UTC. A graphical representation of all evaluations of PSFS reported since Circular T 190 (October 2003) is available at:

The plot will report the measurements carried out using PSFS and which are used for the steering of TAI. This information, updated every month, will help to evaluate the impact of PSFS in UTC, in view of a possible redefinition of the second.

According to the roadmap towards a redefinition of the SI second (CCTF 2016); a regular contribution to TAI by the new frequency standards is considered one of the criteria for a new definition of the second.

In July 2019 the BIPM, in collaboration with the Italian Physical Society organized the Metrology Summer School "New frontiers for metrology: from biology and chemistry to quantum and data science" in Varenna (Italy).

The Summer School was presented as a series of modules, with a 3-day core module on the "Fundamental Metrology" and a choice of two 3-day optional modules: "Physical metrology" and "Quality of life".

METAS, the Swiss NMI, supported the participation of three young metrologists with strong scientific ability/potential, who are expected to be the 'high flyers' of tomorrow under the auspices of the BIPM Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer Programme. The three award winners Rafidah Rosli from NMIM (Malaysia), Julián Gigena from INTI (Argentina) and Jorge Pereira from IPQ (Portugal) were able to combine their attendance at the Metrology School with a short placement at METAS. During their internship of two-to-four weeks, they received dedicated training and pursued a specific metrology topic of interest.

Brief reports from the participants are available from the METAS news.

The one-week course entitled "Optimizing the CIPM MRA - the KCDB 2.0", organized by the BIPM and sponsored by NIST, was held from 4-8 November 2019 at the BIPM and was attended by 27 CIPM MRA experts. The aim of the course was to equip those who operate the CIPM MRA CMC review processes with appropriate information, and to ensure that they will not learn the new KCDB 2.0 elements by 'trial and error'.

The BIPM, in response to the recommendations from the CIPM ad hoc Working Group on Implementing the Recommendations from the Review of the CIPM MRA, developed and launched a new system - the KCDB 2.0 in October 2019. It integrates the whole CMC review process into a single platform - from development of CMCs to publication in the KCDB. The manual transfer of the CMCs' Excel files for review and publication is no longer required in the new system. The system also encourages the consistency of data from the beginning. In the original KCDB, the first of the two-tier CMC review process was organized remotely and was coordinated manually by the RMO TC Chairs at the regional level, and the inter-RMO review process was organized through the JCRB database. The CMCs themselves were developed using the Excel templates by NMIs/DIs, and communicated manually to the review processes.

Optimizing necessary competences

Operation of the CMC review process is complex and requires careful examination of NMI/DI capabilities submitted for publication in the KCDB. It was considered that the KCDB 2.0 could present a challenge if TC/WG Chairs and TC/WG Members were not familiar with the new menu of tools in the database; the course was designed to optimize their knowledge of these tools. Each practical exercise commenced with a demonstration of the relevant tools available in the KCDB 2.0. The "CMC review simulator" - a dedicated offline KCDB 2.0 learning tool - helped to reinforce the information acquired. The course participants wrote and submitted their CMCs as a Writer, acted as Reviewers, submitted comparisons as a Pilot, and finally managed the process as a TC Chair. The hope is that the participants will share experiences within their TC/WG community and explain the operation of the KCDB 2.0 to the NMIs.

Refreshing the knowledge about the CIPM MRA and sharing best operation practices

The course content additionally provided information to refresh participants' knowledge about the CIPM MRA requirements and its review outcomes. Each stage of the process during the practical exercises was supported with lectures describing the requirements.

The course content also addressed the different approaches taken by the Consultative Committees and RMOs for CMC review and comparisons. Their guidelines and templates ensure a reduced workload and harmonization of different RMO practices within their metrology area. With respect to this, Elsa Batista, a participant from EURAMET TC F CMC Coordinator group, stated in her feedback that:

"This was a very good opportunity to be informed about the organization of each CC and learn from other fields of activities. It was verified that there are guides and templates available on several committees webpages that can be adopted in my one area of work, Flow and Volume. I would suggest that the Chairs of each TC can meet more often in order to exchange good practices for a decreased workload of the MRA."

Support of NIST

The BIPM acknowledges the US Government Grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) which enabled the BIPM to run this course.

Feedback:

The new KCDB website (KCDB 2.0) went live on 29 October 2019 with extended search facilities. It is now possible to search on CMCs and comparisons using a free-keyword search - quick search - or by using a predefined menu - advanced search. You may also filter on CMC approval dates, combine an advanced search with free key words, filter CMC measurand values and uncertainties numerically, sort results and export search results to a spreadsheet.

A user platform with restricted access for creating and reviewing CMCs, and registering comparisons, will open in November 2019.

A new statistical tool is planned for the beginning of 2020.

The joint BIPM–TÜBİTAK UME initiative "TÜBİTAK UME project placements" has proven a great success. The BIPM collaborated with TÜBİTAK UME, the National Metrology Institute (NMI) of Turkey, to support young metrologists from 14 countries to gain in-depth knowledge and experience on a subject of scientific interest.

Over two cycles, organized in 2018 and 2019, the BIPM and TÜBİTAK UME initiative sponsored 20 participants from AFRIMETS, APMP, COOMET and GULFMET. All participants were from NMIs that have recently become a signatory to the CIPM MRA, or were inexperienced in the CIPM MRA processes. The placements, of between 1 and 3 months, hosted in the TÜBİTAK UME laboratories, allowed participants to focus on specific metrological projects, to learn the theory and to test it in practical situations in order to maximize the transfer of knowledge. In addition, participants were able to gain a better understanding of the international aspects of metrology during the seminars organized under the joint initiative and delivered by BIPM and TÜBİTAK UME staff.

Brief reports from the participants are available from the BIPM's CBKT pages.

The number of applications received for both cycles demonstrates the huge interest and demand for this joint initiative. The first cycle received 58 applications from 23 countries and the second 48 applications from 18 countries, competing for the 10 slots that were available in each cycle.

As a consequence of the success of this training initiative and the significant ongoing demand for capacity building and knowledge transfer training, we invite other NMIs to join this initiative. These actions reflect the encouragement to carry out knowledge transfer and mentoring activities that were underlined in the Recommendations from the Working Group on the Implementation and Operation of the CIPM MRA.

The BIPM acknowledges with thanks the major contributions of TÜBİTAK UME to the BIPM's CBKT activities.

Feedback:

The biennial international conference on radionuclide metrology (ICRM) was held on 27-31 May 2019 in Salamanca (Spain). The conference covered developments in primary standards and novel technologies for measuring radioactivity (for example, the use of unmanned airborne spectrometers for environmental measurements).

Staff from the BIPM contributed presentations on the international reference system for pure beta emitting radionuclides (the ESIR) and the first measurement of ¹¹C in the transportable instrument for short-lived gamma emitters (SIRTI).

The Chair of CCRI Section II gave a presentation on the long-term strategy for radionuclide metrology. The proceedings will be published in a special issue of Applied Radiation and Isotopes.

The IAEA organizes a major international symposium on standards, applications and quality assurance in medical radiation dosimetry (IDOS) about once every 10 years. The aim of the symposium is to disseminate advances in radiation dosimetry for medicine and radiation protection, summarizing the trends in the field and identifying areas for improvement.

The 2019 conference was held in Vienna (Austria) on 18-21 June, and was attended by more than 500 clinicians, medical physicists and metrologists from 105 countries. In addition to covering developments in dosimetry for external beam radiotherapy, radiography and radiation protection, the challenge of accurate dosimetry for molecular radiotherapy was discussed.

The BIPM was actively involved in the symposium, contributing to the organizing committee and presenting an overview of traceability in radiation dosimetry.

The CIPM appointed two new Consultative Committee (CC) Presidents at Session I of its 108th meeting (March 2019).

Dr Sang-Ryoul Park, President of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Republic of Korea, was appointed as President of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM) for a four-year term. Dr Park succeeds Dr Willie May, who has stepped down from the role that he had held since 2011.

Dr Noël Dimarcq, Deputy Director of the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, France, was appointed as the President of the Consultative Committee for Time and Frequency (CCTF) for a four-year term. Dr Dimarcq succeeds Mr Luc Érard, who had been CCTF President since 2007.

Both Dr Park and Dr Dimarcq were elected to the CIPM at the 26th meeting of the CGPM in November 2018. They took their seats at the CIPM for the first time in March 2019.

On 15 July 2019 the BIPM hosted a visit by a delegation from the Kingdom of Morocco composed of representatives from the Ministère de l'Industrie, de l'Investissement, du Commerce et de l'Economie Numérique and the Laboratoire national de métrologie, Laboratoire public d'essais et d'études (LPEE-LNM). The visit was joined by representatives from the BIPM, LNE, PTB (project coordinator for the Maghreb) and the BIML.

Dr Martin Milton, Director of the BIPM, welcomed the delegation and congratulated the Kingdom of Morocco on its recent accession to the Metre Convention. He gave a presentation on the activities of the BIPM. The LPEE-LNM gave a presentation that focused on their activities and future plans for successful involvement in the work of the BIPM.

The visit culminated with the signing of the CIPM MRA by Mr Mohammed Berrada, LPEE-LNM Director, and was followed by a tour of the BIPM's physical, chemical metrology and ionizing radiation laboratories with presentations by the scientific staff.

The Kingdom of Morocco had become a Member State on 24 May 2019, raising the number of Member States to 60.

Dr Patrizia Tavella, Director of the BIPM Time Department, has been awarded the European Frequency and Time Award 2019 "for her engagement and key achievements in time and frequency dissemination at both scientific and educational levels." The European Frequency and Time Award recognizes outstanding contributions in all fields covered by the EFTF.

A delegation from the Center for Research and Development Strategy (CRDS, Japan) visited the BIPM on 19 February 2019 on a fact-finding mission. The CRDS is an internal think-tank of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). The purpose of the visit was to better understand the activities of the BIPM and its role in the French science and technology landscape for inclusion in a forthcoming book. The delegation was composed of:

• Mr HAYASHI Yukihide, Principal Fellow, CRDS/JST
• Mr SHIRAO Takayuki, Visiting Fellow, CRDS/JST
• Ms YAGIOKA Shiori , Fellow, CRDS/JST
• Ms SUGAWARA Masae, Director of the JST Paris Office
• Mr TOMA Shigemitsu, Scientific attaché of the Japanese Embassy in France

The CRDS team plans to publish a book in Japanese regarding French Science and Technology in the past and today. The book will not focus on the contemporary state of science, instead it will look back over the past two decades. Publication of this book is planned for April or May 2019. The CRDS has previously published similar books on China and Germany.

Published on 26 January 2024

Published on 2 February 2024

The Inter-American Metrology System (SIM) formally signed the practical arrangement to participate in the BIPM e-learning platform on 16 March 2023. Since the launch of this capacity building resource in 2021, the training material made available by the BIPM and Regional Metrology Organizations and the number of learners has grown, reaching 17 courses and 840 registered users as of 16 March. The courses cover topics from technical guidance on calibration and uncertainty estimation to quality related aspects such as submission of CMCs and other CIPM MRA related processes.

Prompted by the travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the resource has grown into an inspiring example of adopting digital technologies for sustainable sharing of metrological knowledge. The online interactive activities have been developed using the Moodle learning management system, a fully customisable open-source system with a broad range of functionalities. Moodle allows the course providers to deliver contents and assign tasks in various formats for different learning styles, provide an overview of learning progress and keep users updated on newly available material.

Looking forward, the BIPM is happy to announce that the BIPM Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer Programme (CBKT) continues its efforts to bolster world-wide metrology capabilities. Most recently, a joint initiative was launched, together with the OIML, to develop an e-learning course and brochure based on the BIPM-OIML document National Metrology Systems - Developing the institutional and legislative framework. The project, financed by METAS (Switzerland) - aims to provide support to the broad metrology community and particularly to countries and economies with emerging metrology systems that are willing to implement sound metrological frameworks. Both deliverables are expected for later in 2023 and will be announced in due course.

Image top left © Carole Martin

Dr Patrizia Tavella, Director of the BIPM Time Department, together with NMI representatives, successfully contributed to the negotiation of several important outcomes for the global time metrology community at the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23), which was held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) from 20 November to 15 December 2023.

The negotiations centered around the importance of UTC becoming a continuous time scale and the revision of ITU-R resolution 655 (WRC 2015). Key outcomes included:

• Formal recognition of Resolution 2 of the 26th CGPM (2018) and Resolution 4 of the 27th CGPM (2022).
• Continuation of the fruitful collaboration between BIPM and ITU-R, in preparation for the decision at the 28th meeting of the CGPM (2026) regarding the new maximum tolerance for UT1-UTC and its application date.
• Provision for a potential delay in the transmission of UT1-UTC by radio stations providing time and frequency services, if essential equipment needs to be updated.

Dr Wynand Louw is Director of Regional, International Relations and Innovation at the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA). Upon his re-election as CIPM President, Dr Louw said:
"I look forward to position our international metrology organization as modern and universally representative, ready to take on the next 50 years".

Dr Takashi Usuda is Director General of the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ). Dr Usuda commented about his re-election as CIPM Secretary:
"The mission of the BIPM is changing significantly and in many ways. I am ready to work with other CIPM members to respond to these various demands".

Dr Philippe Richard is Director of the Federal Institute of Metrology in Switzerland (METAS). On his election to CIPM Vice-president, Dr Richard said:
"I will advance initiatives to further improve both the management of the CIPM meetings and the leadership of the CIPM. In particular, I will prepare the necessary steps to secure the long-term sustainability of the BIPM budget including the Pension Funds".

Dr James Olthoff is Chief Metrologist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Regarding his reappointment as CIPM Vice-president, Dr Olthoff said:
"My priority is to work with the CIPM members to completely fulfill the goals of the Resolutions passed by the last CGPM. Most importantly, to assist in preparing the vision and strategic plan necessary to keep the CIPM and BIPM Headquarters relevant and effective in the world metrology system".

From left to right:
Dr Usuda (Secretary), Dr Richard (Vice-President), Dr Louw (President),
Dr Milton (BIPM Director and ex officio member of the CIPM)
and Dr Olthoff (Vice-President).
© Laurence Honnorat/Innovaxiom

At the meeting of the CIPM held in October, Philippe Richard, Joachim Ullrich and Yuning Duan announced their retirement from the Presidencies of the CCM, CCU and CCT. The CIPM expressed its appreciation to all three for their work over the years and particularly for their actions to coordinate the work underpinning the new definitions for the SI base units.

The CIPM appointed Dolores del Campo as the new President of the CCT, and Georgette Macdonald as the new President of the CCM. It invited Richard Brown from NPL to Chair the meeting of the CCU that will take place in April 2024.

A news story has been published to introduce the new CCT President. Further news stories will follow.

The Partnership of international organizations for effective international rulemaking (IO Partnership) is a platform that brings together secretariat members of numerous International Organisations (IOs) alongside a broad range of stakeholders - including governments, the private sector, civil society and academia - to foster co-operation in international rulemaking. The IO Partnership aims to build greater confidence among domestic regulators and legislators. It also seeks to ensure that international instruments meet their policy aspirations and needs, while supporting their adoption in the national legal framework.

The BIPM is member of the IO Partnership since 2016, serving as a co-focal point of the Working Group 5 on Maximizing the opportunities for co-ordination since 2019 and as the focal point of the Working Group 2 on Enhancing inclusiveness of international rulemaking since 2021. On 4-5 May 2023, Principal Liaison Officer Rahima Guliyeva attended the IO Partnership's technical meeting on behalf of the BIPM. Discussed topics included the future of the IO Partnership, the role of international rulemaking in a "disruptive" environment, overcoming barriers to collaboration among IOs, agility and impact of international instruments. At the meeting, Rahima moderated the exchanges on stakeholder mapping and the session on inclusiveness, which main objective was to share insights and best practice regarding operational challenges of stakeholder engagement at different stages of rulemaking.

 

The UNESCO General Conference held from 7 to 22 November 2023 adopted 20 May as a UNESCO International Day, following the proposal presented by Kazakhstan and supported by 43 additional nations, alongside the BIPM and the OIML.

The declaration of World Metrology Day by UNESCO, to be observed annually on 20 May, will significantly enhance global awareness of metrology's role in everyday life and will enhance BIPM’s actions in capacity-building with developing economies.

The BIPM expresses its sincere thanks to Ambassador Gulsara Arystankulova and the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Kazakhstan to UNESCO as the main sponsor of the World Metrology Day proposal, as well as the 43 UNESCO Member States who have given their written support following decision 41 at the 215th Executive Board meeting in 2022.

From left to right:
His Excellency Ambassador Askar Abdrakhmanov (Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Kazakhstan to UNESCO in Paris), Dr Martin Milton (Director, BIPM), Ms Rahima Guliyeva (Institutional liaison and membership, BIPM).

Published on 1 August 2023

During Session III of its 112th meeting in October 2023, the CIPM appointed Dolores del Campo as President of the Consultative Committee for Thermometry (CCT).

A graduate in physics from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Dr del Campo was awarded a PhD by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. She subsequently joined the Centro Español de Metrología in 1992, and now serves as Director of the Division of Mechanical Quantities and Engineering. In 2018 she was elected to the International Committee of Weights and Measures (CIPM) where she coordinates the Sectorial Task Group on Climate Change and Environment. Dr del Campo was elected EURAMET Chairperson in 2023.

The BIPM wishes Dr del Campo success in the role and extends its warmest thanks to Dr Yuning Duan (NIM, China) who held the position from 2012 to 2023.

The webinar, organized by the BIPM in conjunction with SciDataCon 2023, took place on October 12. As part of a series of webinars, this event was dedicated to the new digital services developed by the BIPM, IUPAC, and the Consultative Committees for Photometry and Radiometry (CCPR) and Ionizing Radiation (CCRI). The recording is available on the BIPM YouTube channel.

In the future, similar webinars will be organized to present and discuss the progress of digital transformation achieved within the Consultative Committees for Length (CCL) and Time and Frequency (CCTF), as well as the work envisaged to develop a machine-readable version of the VIM.

Since the launch of this capacity-building resource in 2021, both the quantity and diversity of training materials provided by the BIPM and Regional Metrology Organizations (RMOs) have expanded. As of 20 October 2023, the BIPM offers 20 courses that have attracted 950 registered users. These courses span a wide range of topics, encompassing technical guidance on calibration and uncertainty estimation as well as quality-related aspects such as CMC submission and other CIPM MRA-related procedures. A system upgrade, completed in August 2023, has improved navigation, introduced new functionalities, and enhanced both accessibility and security. The platform is now accessible to all six RMOs, allowing them to distribute training materials in their preferred languages.

Looking forward, the BIPM is happy to announce that the development of the e-learning course from the BIPM-OIML document National Metrology Systems - Developing the institutional and legislative framework is approaching completion. The material, comprising five interactive modules based on the Sharable Content Object Reference Model, will be launched in 2024.

The KCDB web portal 2.0 includes a unique and persistent identifier for each published CMC (and each version of a CMC). It is thus possible for users to incorporate these unique identifiers when required, for example in quality documentation or calibration certificates to establish a machine-readable link to the KCDB.

A Quick Start Document on using Unique CMC Identifiers is available on the KCDB help page.

The need for a statement about metrological traceability in digital calibration certificates (DCCs) was recognized through feedback to the 2022 survey organized amongst members of the Consultative Committees. The survey analysis, which is detailed in Rapport BIPM-2023/01, concluded the following:

• 56 % of all respondents have at least one digital project ongoing or intend to start one
• DCCs are the digital transformation topic of greatest interest to NMIs/DIs
• it is not clear how a statement of metrological traceability should be provided in the DCCs.

The BIPM is developing an Application Programming Interface to facilitate the retrieval of the CMC records for a specific identifier. This new service will be made available in the near future.

Prof. Neyezhmakov made a great contribution to international metrology. He was elected to the CIPM in 2018 a few weeks after Ukraine became a Member State.

He had a deep knowledge in the field of metrology, having devoted a 40-year career in length measurements, radiation dosimetry, photometry and radiometry. His PhD thesis was entitled “Scientific and Technical Principles of Reconstruction of Measurement Standards Base of Ukraine in Compliance with Reform of the International System of Units SI.”

In 2015, Prof. Neyezhmakov was appointed as General Director of NSC “Institute of Metrology” where he worked for many years. He was a member of the International Standardization Academy of Ukraine and involved in CIML and OIML meetings. He was Chief Editor of Ukrainian Metrological Journal and of the Information Bulletin on International Metrology and Associate Editor of NCSLI Measure for candela. He took part in many meetings at the BIPM during more than fifteen years. He was actively involved in the JCGM activities and was Chair of the CCU Working Group on Core Metrological Terms (CCU-WG-CMT).

He will be deeply missed by the world-wide metrology community, CIPM members and BIPM colleagues.

Prof. Bordé made many eminent theoretical contributions to atomic interferometry and fundamental measurement science. He published some of the first studies that would later underpin the use of fundamental constants as the basis of definitions for the International System of Units (SI). He chaired the Comité science et métrologie at the Académie des sciences of Paris and contributed for many years to the activities of the CCU (Comité consultatif des unités).

Prof. Bordé was elected a corresponding member of the Académie des sciences in 1997 and a member in 2008. He presided (by delegation of its President) over the meetings of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011.

His death has been announced in Le Figaro.

The BIPM hosted the forum “Supporting RMO Secretariats” on 27-29 September 2023.

The forum was developed for RMO secretariat staff and was organized as part of the CBKT programme. It focused on exploring an integrated mentoring tool that was envisaged in the BIPM 2024-2029 Strategy and addresses Resolution 6 On universal adherence to the Metre Convention, adopted by the 27th meeting of the CGPM (2022).

The objective of the forum was to deepen the secretariats' understanding of the BIPM's activities and services, empowering them to participate effectively in front-line tasks related to the international aspects of metrology. Lectures and discussions covered topics such as stakeholder engagement and global digital transformation, as well as RMO projects, interests and specific needs.

An online toolbox indexing various BIPM and RMO interfaces was made available to the participants at the conclusion of the event. It consolidates comprehensive information related to all the topics elaborated over the course of three days, addressed at the specific needs of the RMO Secretariats and the joint BIPM-RMO projects.

The BIPM is delighted to have fostered a platform for RMO secretariat colleagues to connect and to share expertise both professionally and personally.

Surface ozone is one of the major air pollutants, with mitigation strategies to reduce human exposure requiring continuous monitoring and reliable measurement data. The accuracy of ground-level ozone measurement results is about to improve, based on more accurate measurements of the cross section of ozone from the international metrology community. A campaign to adopt the new more accurate ozone cross section value throughout the world at the same time was initiated following the BIPM workshop on Accurate Monitoring of Surface Ozone (2020). This is being coordinated by the CCQM Task Group for Ozone Cross-Section, with input from key stakeholders including environmental agencies, regulators, standards writing bodies, instrument manufacturers, air quality laboratories and networks, atmospheric scientists and others.

A dedicated webpage has been established to inform the stakeholder community of the change and provide guidance on implementation. Interested parties are encouraged to Sign up now to be alerted when additional documentation becomes available.

The implementation of the new ozone absorption cross-section value is planned to start on 1 January 2025 with a transitionary period until 1 January 2026, at which time all stakeholders should adopt the new cross section value.

Ozone webpage

In March 2023, the CIPM decided to establish a cross-sectional Forum on Metrology and Digitalization to follow through on the mandate received from the CGPM in November 2022 to develop the SI Digital Framework. The new Forum will provide an opportunity for discussion between NMIs, RMOs, the CCs and the other stakeholders in the international science and quality infrastructure. It will advise the CIPM on matters related to digitalization, and on work to harmonize CIPM activities in consultation with its stakeholders.

Registrations are open for an Online Briefing on 22 May 2023, at which a roadmap to establish the Forum will be presented, and the best way to optimize interactions between the CCs (and other stakeholders) and the Forum will be discussed. Some digitalization projects under way at the BIPM and in the CCs will be presented. There will also be an opportunity for discussion to clarify the needs of the CCs with respect to digitalization, and possible ways to harmonize the digitalization efforts between the various CCs.

Published on September 14, 2023

Published on 5 September 2023

The 27th meeting of the CGPM (2022) adopted Resolution 4 On the use and further development of UTC. Subsequently, the CCTF Working Group on Strategic Planning established a task group (TG) in May 2023 to address the progress towards a continuous UTC.

The TG shall work together with the CCTF, laboratories that contribute to UTC, GNSS providers, International Organizations - such as the International Astronomical Union, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) - and other stakeholders to prepare a draft resolution for the 28th meeting of the CGPM (2026) including:

• the extended tolerance value of UT1-UTC*
• the procedure to align UTC to UT1 when the new tolerance is reached
• the revision periodicity of this decision by the CGPM
• the exact implementation date.

The TG aims to provide support to ITU delegations so that they are well prepared for the 2023 ITU World Radiocommunication Conference, where the update on UTC will be considered. Finally, the TG will foster communication efforts to increase awareness about this initiative, which will have profound implications for the future of reference time scales. Educational materials and promotional initiatives will be developed and shared over the coming years.

The TG looks forward to submitting a proposal to the 28th meeting of the CGPM that takes into account the requests and constraints of the different communities, while enabling UTC to be universally accepted, robust and useful.

* UTC - Coordinated Universal Time - is a time scale produced by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) with the same rate as International Atomic Time (TAI). It differs from TAI only by an integral number of seconds.

   UT1 is the time scale describing the angular rotation of the Earth.

The offset between the Earth rotation (UT1) and the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) over the past 10 years. When this quantity approaches 0.6 s, a leap second is inserted (vertical line). The previous leap second was applied in 2016. In the last three years the Earth has stopped decelerating and has started rotating faster. If this trend continues for the next 10 years, the need would arise to remove one second, instead of adding one. This has never been the case before and has never been tested. It is of concern due to potential system failures that could be caused by an incorrect application. https://eoc.obspm.fr/index.php?index=realtime&lang=en

Since the establishment of the CIPM MRA in 1999, the signatories have provided invaluable support by seconding personnel to the BIPM Headquarters to work as the JCRB Executive Secretary. For over two decades the secondees have ensured and promoted the efficient operation of the CIPM MRA as well as benefitting from the opportunity to expand their expertise across various domains that they may not encounter in their day-to-day roles. These include direct involvement in the coordination of international activities, the BIPM Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer Programme, and the advancement of digital transformation in metrology. This way of working exemplifies the BIPM's dedication to supporting developing countries, which are encouraged to express their interest in future engagement opportunities.

With a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Electrical and Communication Engineering from Moi University, Ibrahim Ahmed (KEBS, Kenya) joined the Metrology Department at the Kenya Bureau of Standards as Head of the Time and Frequency Laboratory in 2004. In this capacity he provided support to the Kenyan Accreditation Service and the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services as a technical assessor in the field of Time and Frequency metrology. Ibrahim was instrumental in establishing and maintaining the KEBS quality management system and was additionally involved in the capacity building programmes of developing NMIs from the Eastern African Region. Regarding his new position, Ibrahim said:

Dr Olav Werhahn (PTB, Germany) joined the BIPM in 2021 as the 10th Executive Secretary of the JCRB. He will return to PTB in August 2023 as Coordinator of the Innovation Cluster for Environment and Climate. Looking back at the BIPM experience, Olav explained:

The BIPM extends its best wishes to Ibrahim for success in his new role and expresses gratitude to Olav for his unwavering dedication to the benefit of the metrology community.

Published on 24 July 2023

Published on 24 July 2023

Published July 2023

The activities of the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector Working Party 7A (ITU-R WP 7A) are closely linked to the work of the BIPM, as this WP regulates time signals and frequency standard emissions. The BIPM hosted the 2023 annual meeting of ITU-R WP 7A in recognition of this synergy and to facilitate discussions on the necessary modifications to time signal broadcasts in order to maintain UTC in accordance with the Earth’s rotation, with an extended tolerance. This consultation was prompted by ITU Resolution 655 (WRC-15), CGPM Resolution 2 (2018) and Resolution 4 (2022), which emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between the ITU-R, BIPM and other relevant organizations to discuss expertise and various aspects of current and potential future reference time scales. The two parties look forward to their ongoing collaboration towards ensuring a continuous UTC that meets the needs of users. This topic will be considered at the upcoming World Radio Conference in November 2023 in Dubai.

Space organizations are starting to consider how to keep time on the Moon, which is a major undertaking necessary to underpin the growing number of lunar missions and settlements planned for the coming decades. Currently, NASA and ESA are planning to install satellite navigation systems to support the communication and navigation processes required for reliable and accurate real-time positioning. To maximize interoperability and facilitate cross-organizational endeavours, these systems should employ the same timescale. An internationally accepted lunar reference time would set a common framework for all lunar systems and users. Nevertheless, stable timekeeping on the Moon raises technical issues. Due to the different gravitational field, a clock on the Moon will not tick at the same rhythm as on the Earth; therefore, even the most perfectly synchronized clocks would quickly gain a considerable offset. This raises the necessity to settle aspects such as:

• Should lunar time be set on an independent basis, or should it be regularly synchronized with the UTC ?
• Should the atomic clock on the lunar surface or in orbit be the reference time scale ?
• How can clocks on the Moon be measured and converted into UTC in order to be compared with clocks on Earth ?

In its role as responsible for the realization and dissemination of the UTC and for the definition of measurement units and reference time scales, the BIPM was invited to join the international forum discussing this topic, together with the International Astronomical Union which fixes the conventional reference frames.

As part of a special issue Focus on Challenges in Time and Frequency Metrology, a paper was published in Metrologia discussing how the UTC serves the international community and the modern applications. The latest issue of the ITU News Magazine also focuses on The future of Coordinated Universal Time.

These two recent publications highlight the need for and steps towards a continuous UTC, an objective which is in line with the decisions made at the 2018 and 2022 meetings of the General Conference on Weights and Measures.

The BIPM/OIML jointly published a Brochure and six accompanying inserts on different aspects of the National Metrology Systems. The contents draw from the BIPM and OIML joint publication “National metrology systems - Developing the institutional and legislative framework” (OIML D 1:2020).

Written in an accessible way, the brochures are aimed at

• supporting countries and economies with emerging metrology systems in the implementation of this International Document,
• underpinning the 27th CGPM’s Resolution 6 “On universal adherence to the Metre Convention”,
• underpinning Objective 5 of OIML B 15:2011 OIML Strategy on raising awareness of the contribution that a sound legal metrology infrastructure can make to a modern economy.

The suite of brochures summarizes key elements that should be considered when producing policies aimed at developing national metrology systems, setting up institutions dealing with metrology, and drawing up national laws related to metrology.

• Umbrella brochure: The role of government in a National Metrology System
• Insert 1: The role of government in a National Metrology System
• Insert 2: International aspects of National Metrology Systems
• Insert 3: Assessing metrology needs that support national priorities
• Insert 4: Policy implementation options for Governments
• Insert 5: Legislating for metrology
• Insert 6: Developing a metrology system for the future

The material is available in English in a format that is suitable for printing. Files intended for professional printing are available through the BIPM and OIML secretariats.

METAS (Switzerland) is acknowledged by the BIPM and OIML for their generous contribution, as they have kindly provided the funding facilitated through the CBKT program. The content was prepared by Douglas A. OLSON (formerly NIST) and Chingis KUANBAYEV (BIPM) in consultation with Peter MASON (CIML), Andy HENSON (BIPM) and Ian DUNMILL (OIML).

The award is in recognition of Dr Karam’s distinguished achievements in the field of Ionizing Radiation Measurements and Standards since beginning her career as a research chemist at NIST in 1983. From 2003 to 2017 she served as Chief of the Radiation Physics Division, playing a pivotal role in NIST’s international interactions in radionuclide metrology. Her research interests encompass radioactivity and dosimetry measurements, particularly in nuclear medicine and radiation therapy, as well as the establishment of an international infrastructure for metrology of ionizing radiation. Dr Karam has co-authored over 65 peer-reviewed papers on the measurement, standards and use of ionizing radiation during her four decades of  activity.

The BIPM joins in congratulating Dr Karam for her extensive and successful involvement in ionizing radiation metrology research and development.

The BIPM Time Department launched a new prototype service on 19 June 2023. The list of recommended values of standard frequencies for applications, including the practical realization and secondary representations of the definition of the metre and of the second, have become machine-readable. Previously, the mises en pratique for the metre and the second were accessible from the BIPM website exclusively as PDF files.

The Consultative Committee communities in length (CCL) and time and frequency (CCTF) expressed the need * to access data in a machine-readable format. The BIPM Time Department consequently initiated a digital transformation project to automate the data retrieval process by means of a dedicated database and Application Programming Interface (API). The first phase of the project consists of the provision of data in XML format, including:

• values and uncertainties of the standard frequencies approved for the mise en pratique,
• authority approval,
• date of approval,
• requirements to achieve specified uncertainty levels.

The current version of the CCL-CCTF API web service is a prototype intended for thorough testing, and user feedback is highly encouraged.

The workshop (26-30 September 2022) attracted 1078 registered participants and 203 pre-recorded presentations and posters. Online questions for pre-recorded materials, interactive online poster sessions and specific topic discussion sessions resulted in 81 issues on key technical challenge areas being identified and 126 recommendations being made to address these. The themes covered were metrology in support of the physical science basis of climate change and climate observations as well as its role as an integral component of operational systems to estimate greenhouse gas emissions based on accurate measurements and analyses.

The workshop website provides a long-term record of the event, including numerous pre-recorded presentations and posters that are publicly available. Organized along two major themes, the workshop covered multiple topics.

Theme 1 addressed ‘Metrology in support of the physical science basis of climate change and climate observations’. It covered metrology in understanding our planet's climate, including measurements and monitoring of the climate system using various techniques. This theme also involved propagating uncertainties from measurements to derived products, modelling, reanalyses and Earth system models. It focused on global and regional observations to understand climate trends. Specific topics included:

• Atmospheric chemistry and physics
• Ocean and water chemistry and physics (including hydrology)
• Earth energy balance
• Biosphere monitoring
• Cryosphere monitoring

Theme 2 of the workshop addressed ‘Metrology as an integral component of operational systems to estimate greenhouse gas emissions based on accurate measurements and analyses’. It covered a range of activities related to accurately measuring and analysing greenhouse gas emissions, including targeting, quantifying, and tracking emissions at different scales. The theme also addressed the development of measurement data and tools to mitigate anthropogenic forcing and attribute emissions across various geographic scales. Additionally, it included the measurement of land-use, land-use change, forest fluxes, and urban fluxes. The topics covered within the theme were:

• Accuracy requirements for atmospheric composition measurements across economic sectors, and temporal and spatial scales
• State of play in integrated approaches for advanced greenhouse gas (GHG) emission estimates and the way forward to operational services
• Novel GHG concentration and flux methods and sensors
• Strengthening the linkage of remote sensing GHG concentration measurements to emission fluxes

The workshop was preceded by two events, one in 2010 on Measurement Challenges for Global Observation Systems for Climate Change Monitoring and the second in 2015 on Global to Urban Scale Carbon Measurements.

Follow up on the implementation and progression of the recommendations within the report is being coordinated by a Sector Task Group on Climate Change and Environment of the International Committee of Weights and Measures (CIPM).

Report available here

Atmospheric Inversion Approach discussed in Theme 2: Complex urban centres contain a range of emission and uptake sources (for example buildings, roads, industrial and power generation plants) located throughout. Incoming winds bring GHG’s into the region that mixes with those of the city. Networks of concentration measurement sites provide data that - coupled with numerical weather prediction and dispersion models and use of optimization methods - quantify incoming, outgoing and internally produced greenhouse gas emissions.
Credits: Whetstone, James R.

On 9 June 2023, Circular T no. 425 published by the BIPM Time Department featured, for the first time, a comparison of local time scales UTC(k) using measurement data obtained from Galileo, the European Global Navigation Satellite System.This type of measurement is one of the fundamental steps used to compare atomic clocks from around the world in order to compute Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Each UTC(k) time scale is measured with more than one technique to ensure redundancy and to provide the possibility to crosscheck and detect potential faults. The most stable and recently calibrated technique is then chosen as official, while all others are used as backup for monitoring purposes. The time comparison techniques used in UTC, starting with 1990, are based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as GPS and GLONASS, and later on the TWSTFT/SDR.

More recently, measurements based on Galileo have been introduced as a backup. Work is in progress for the calibration and characterization of BeiDou and optical fibre measurements for their full exploitation. For the computation of Circular T no. 425, one of the contributing laboratories was officially compared by using the Galileo measurements which were the most reliable for the month. The use of Galileo and the envisioned integration of other techniques is of major significance. The redundancy of measurement methods enables the detection of sudden anomalies or gradual long-term drifts, thus improving reliability and accuracy in the computation of UTC.

UTC time laboratories are compared by different techniques.

Dr Gopal Achanta is Director of the National Physical Laboratory, India since 2021. He obtained a PhD in Physics in 2000 from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India, for his work on exciton dynamics in low dimensional semiconductors. Dr Achanta was further awarded in 2006 a PhD in electronics by Tokyo University for his work on an ultrafast all-optical switch for a 1 Tbit/s optical time division multiplexing network. Since 2018 he is Professor within the Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He also serves as convenor of the APMP Digital Metrology and Energy Efficiency working groups. As a CIPM member Dr Achanta aims to promote the SI Digital Framework and help strengthen the CIPM as an organization.

With a background in materials characterization including synchrotron-based X-Ray absorption spectroscopy, Dr Victoria Coleman joined the NMI Australia in 2008 where she leads the nanometrology section since 2016. She is currently Chairperson of the APMP Lead Technical Committee. In respect to her new role, Dr Coleman said: “I am very excited to join the CIPM and work alongside distinguished colleagues to further advance international metrology. I am particularly interested in the forward CIPM strategy, to help guide universal adherence to the Metre Convention, and in ensuring an interdisciplinary approach to the key measurement challenges of our time”.

Dr Jan-Theodoor Janssen is the Chief Scientist and International Director of the National Physical Laboratory, UK. He served as UK Delegate to EURAMET for the last 6 years and was member of the EURAMET Board of Directors for 2 years. Dr Janssen explained: “My aims for the next 4 years are to contribute to the CIPM strategy and move the organization into a new phase as well as supporting diversity and inclusion in our community. I’m particularly excited about the 150-year celebrations and the young metrologist initiative and will work hard to make these a success”.

Ms Georgette Macdonald is since 2021 Director General of NRC Metrology (Canada). Regarding her new appointment, Ms Macdonald declared: “It is such an honour to have been nominated by Canada to stand for election to the CIPM and gratifying to receive the endorsement of the CGPM delegates. There are many exciting priorities that the CIPM will need to address, including defining the strategy, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the signing of the treaty and modernizing the governance structure. I look forward to representing the interests of all State Parties of the Metre Convention over the coming years”.

Dr Gustavo Ripper is Head of the Acoustics and Vibration Metrology Division at INMETRO, the Brazilian National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology. With a doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dr Ripper is an expert in the fields of vibration and shock metrology. He currently chairs the IMEKO Technical Committee 22 for Vibration Measurement, and is a long-standing participant at meetings of the CCAUV, where he has been involved with all three of its working groups. In his new role, Dr Ripper intends to contribute to the strategy and governance of the CIPM and BIPM through their connection to the world’s changing needs, in order to support the Quality Infrastructures of all economies.

The BIPM extends its congratulations and best wishes for success to all five new members.

From left to right:
Georgette Macdonald, Gustavo Ripper, Gopal Achanta, Jan-Theodoor Janssen and Victoria Coleman.
© Laurence Honnorat/Innovaxiom

The Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM) is celebrating World Metrology Day on 20 May 2023, and is happy to present a series of short recordings covering the importance of metrological traceability and equivalence of measurements in food safety, trade and authenticity. Topics include measurements, reference materials and interlaboratory comparisons related to: allergen detection, emerging contaminants, GMO detection, alternative proteins, food packaging, mycotoxins and pesticides. The activities support the global food system and compliance with high quality standards to protect the health of consumers and foster the global food trade.

The CIPM has elected Dr Jan-Theodoor Janssen as President of the Consultative Committee for Ionizing Radiation (CCRI) for a four-year term starting from 21 March 2023.

During the first session of its 112th meeting (21-23 March 2023) the CIPM elected Dr Jan-Theodoor Janssen as President of the Consultative Committee for Ionizing Radiation (CCRI) for a four-year term starting from 21 March 2023. Dr Janssen is the Chief Scientist and International Director at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the UK. In that role he is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the quality of the NPL’s science and engineering capabilities across a wide range of disciplines spanning physics, engineering, chemistry, material science, mathematics, medical and the life sciences. His 25-year research career has covered a wide range of topics in solid-state physics applied to metrology. Highlights include the behaviour of electrons in nanostructured devices with the aim of developing a quantum standard for electrical current, the quantum Hall effect in both traditional semiconductor systems as well as graphene, as a primary standard for resistance and the Josephson effect for a quantum voltage standard.

A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in the laboratory, Dr Janssen is the executive sponsor for the Institute of Physics JUNO project which aims to address the under-representation of women in physics and to encourage better working practices for both women and men.

Dr Vincent Gressier, director of the BIPM Ionizing Radiation Department has been the Executive Secretary of the CCRI since August 2021. Dr Gressier was awarded his PhD by The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission and the Joint Research Center (Geel, Belgium), before joining the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety in 1999. There he was in charge of neutron metrology and, in particular, the definition and operation of the dedicated AMANDE facility. Dr Gressier became Chair of CCRI Section III: Neutron measurements in 2015 and participated in the development of the CCRI 2018-2028 Strategy. He had been a member of CCRI Section III since 2005 on behalf of the French National Metrology Institute.

The BIPM wishes Dr Janssen success in the role and extends its warmest thanks to Dr Martyn Sené (NPL, UK) who held the position from 2019 to 2023.

The comparison of nitrous oxide in air standards from ten laboratories has demonstrated reference value uncertainties of 0.1 nmol/mol to 0.3 nmol/mol, for the third most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Globally averaged atmospheric amount fractions have surpassed 334.5 nmol/mol and annual growth rates exceed 1 nmol/mol.

The results are published by the BIPM in the report of the key comparison CCQM-K68.2019 and its associated Pilot Study CCQM-P206. Participating laboratories included National Metrology Institutes and the Earth System Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA/ESRL). NOAA/ESRL has been the Central Calibration Laboratory for the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) programme of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) since 2000. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California San Diego (SIO/UCSD) participated as the calibration laboratory of the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) global measurement network.

Nitrous oxide is the third most important individual contributor to radiative forcing by long lived greenhouse gases (LLGHGs) and accounting for about 7%. It is emitted into the atmosphere from both natural sources (approximately 57%) and anthropogenic sources (approximately 43%), including oceans, soils, biomass burning, fertilizer use and various industrial processes. WMO has reported that recent increases in nitrous oxide amount fractions exceed the average annual growth rates over the past decade.

The comparison has demonstrated that standards that are currently used in monitoring networks for nitrous oxide agree within their stated uncertainties and SI traceable values, as determined by the key comparison reference values. The highest levels of internal consistency of standards used within monitoring networks are maintained through traceability schemes relying on one central laboratory maintaining an individual set of standards for N₂O in air. Networks report values on the same scale, to avoid uncertainties arising from the use of different standards, and with conversion and reporting of values on a common scale then possible. More information regarding the development, maintenance and comparison of GHG Scale Standards is available through the link below.

Key comparison reference function based on the amount fractions reported by the participants and the corresponding response ratios measured by the BIPM. The dark blue line with light blue shading represents the Bayesian EIV regression and associated uncertainty.

The CIPM has elected Dr Victoria Coleman as President of the Consultative Committee for Length (CCL) for a four-year term starting from 21 March 2023.

During the first session of its 112th meeting (21-23 March 2023) the CIPM elected Victoria Coleman as President of the Consultative Committee for Length (CCL) for a four-year term starting from 21 March 2023. Dr Coleman was awarded a PhD in Physics by the Australian National University in Canberra in 2006 for research on defects in semiconductor grade zinc oxide. She subsequently joined the Ångstrom Laboratory, Uppsala University (Sweden), as a postdoctoral researcher focusing on doping zinc oxide with cobalt for spintronic applications. In 2008 she joined the NMIA (Australia) as one of the founding members of the nanometrology section; Dr Coleman has been leading the section since 2016 with an emphasis on the development of a metrological scanning probe microscope and on particle characterization.

Dr Gianna Panfilo, principal physicist in the BIPM Time Department, responsible for the algorithm used for the calculation of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) has been the Executive Secretary of the CCL since 2018. Dr Panfilo received a Master's Degree in mathematics from the Italian University La Sapienza, Rome and a PhD in metrology from the Politecnico di Torino, Turin (Italy). Her doctoral research encompassed the mathematical model of the atomic clock error with applications to time scales and satellite systems. She is secretary of the CIPM Consultative Committee for Time and Frequency (CCTF) Working Groups on the CIPM MRA (CCTF-WGMRA), on the Primary and Secondary Frequency Standards (CCTF-WGPSFS) and of the CCL-CCTF Working Group on Frequency Standards (CCL-CCTF-WGFS). Additionally, Dr Panfilo has been Executive Secretary of the Consultative Committee for Acoustics, Ultrasound and Vibration (CCAUV) since 2015.

The BIPM wishes Dr Coleman success in the role and extends its warmest thanks to Dr Ismael Castelazo (CENAM, Mexico) who held the position from 2016 to 2023.

NCSL International signed the Joint Statement of Intent on the digital transformation in the international scientific and quality infrastructure in March 2023.

The joint statement provides an assembly point for the signatory organizations to indicate their support to the digital transformation, in a way appropriate to each organization, towards the development, implementation, and promotion of the SI Digital Framework. This work forms part of the wider digital transformation of the international scientific and quality infrastructure. The International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) and its Task Group on the Digital SI (CIPM-TG-DSI) established the joint statement as part of an initiative to develop and set up a data exchange format, based on the International System of Units (SI), which is both secure and uniform world-wide.

The BIPM in collaboration with NIM (China) and AIST/NMIJ (Japan) has published a new guidance document for the use of benzoic acid as an internal standard for the purity assignment of organic compounds by quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR). This reference document together with seven others provides guidance for the use of a universal suite of eight higher order SI-traceable primary standards, the Octad, for the purity assignment of essentially any organic compound using qNMR in any solvent.

Benzoic acid has historically been used extensively as an internal standard in qNMR due initially to the ready availability of highly pure and stable acidimetric standards, which could be assigned mass fraction content property values. Recently, SI-traceable benzoic acid reference materials, specifically for use as qNMR internal standards, have been developed. This guidance document is intended to describe specific properties of benzoic acid and considerations that are relevant for performing accurate, SI-traceable, qNMR measurements. Representative examples are given of its use in different solvents. These examples include the sources and magnitude of the combined standard uncertainty that can be expected for highly accurate purity assignments of organic substances for use as primary reference materials for the measurement of analytes important to the food, clinical and environmental sectors among others.

During the first session of its 112th meeting (21-23 March 2023) the CIPM elected Dr Wynand Louw as President and Dr Takashi Usuda as Secretary for another four-year term starting from 21 March 2023. Dr Louw is Director of Research, International and Infrastructure Development at NMISA, South Africa and Dr Usuda is Director General of the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ).

Dr Philippe Richard (METAS) and Dr James Olthoff (NIST) have been elected as Vice-Presidents.

The 112th meeting is the first to be held following the 27th meeting of the CGPM (November 2022), at which five new members were elected to the CIPM.

The BIPM extends its congratulations and best wishes.

From left to right:
Dr Usuda (Secretary), Dr Richard (Vice-President), Dr Louw (President),
Dr Milton (BIPM Director and ex officio member of the CIPM)
and Dr Olthoff (Vice-President).
© Laurence Honnorat/Innovaxiom

The CCRI 2018-2028 Strategy and underlying stakeholder consultation predicted a significant expansion of the therapeutic use of radiopharmaceuticals. This motivated an extensive analysis of the status of primary radioactivity standards underpinning metrological traceability for nuclear medicine. Recently published as a review in Metrologia, the study conducted by experts from the BIPM, NPL, NIST and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reached important conclusions regarding:

• the implementation by the radionuclide metrology community of a robust system to cross-check primary standards of radionuclides used world-wide in nuclear medicine.
• the realization accuracies of existing primary standards and their conformance probability with different tolerances required by medical imaging or therapy applications.
• the absence of comparisons for some radionuclides used for single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT-CT), for positron emission tomography (PET) and for in vitro diagnostics.
• in certain cases, the lack of formal evidence that primary standards have been realized.

This situation also applies to candidate species for next-generation radiopharmaceutical products. In this context, the opportunity is now with the radionuclide metrology community to collaboratively work with concerned parties to prioritize the study of these materials. In the same context, CCRI-Section II initiated the development of a new international reference system for α- and pure β-emitting radionuclides (ESIR). The ESIR enables metrology institutes to evaluate the international equivalence of targeted particles used in medical diagnosis and treatments. Based on liquid scintillation counting, the ESIR shall:

• for α-emitting standards (actinium, terbium, astatine) enable bilateral comparisons of low activity sources therefore reducing the amount of work required by the strict conditions for shipment and manipulation of radioactive solutions.
• for pure β-emitting standards (yttrium, strontium, scandium, erbium) enable bilateral comparisons hence reduce the drive for complex large-scale exercises that overburden the piloting laboratories.
• provide traceability services for standards employed in Auger-therapy (erbium, lanthanum).

Validation work on the ESIR is currently in progress, based on a CCRI(II) pilot study completed in 2023. A list of radionuclides is being established and will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of CCRI(II) and by its Key Comparisons Working Group to progressively open the new service.

Published on 16 March 2023

Published February 2023

Published February 2023

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry’s (IUPAC) guidelines for purity assignment of organic compounds have been updated with a newly published Technical Report on best practice. This is the first comprehensive review of the subject since 1970 and has been driven by the profound changes in analytical capability, broader scope of applications and greater focus on the metrology of these materials that have taken place over that period. The guideline was developed by a project team with experts from the CCQM Working Group on Organic Analysis, based on the on-going series of organic purity comparisons coordinated by the BIPM Headquarters’ laboratory, and value assignment procedures for certified reference materials employed by National Metrology Institutes.

Pure organic compounds provide the primary measurement standards that underpin the SI-traceability of measurement results in organic analysis in numerous application areas including quantification of clinical biomarkers, detection and quantification of contaminants in food as well as environmental analysis. The Technical Report has been written as a key reference on this aspect of metrological traceability and as a best practice guide for the delivery of SI-traceability for reference and working methods in organic analysis.

The document is published in the official Journal of IUPAC, Pure and Applied Chemistry.

Further information on purity evaluation guidelines for specific analytes important to food safety and on the application of quantitative NMR techniques for organic purity evaluation can be found at:

https://www.bipm.org/en/committees/cb/cbkt/wg/cbkt-mm-bipm

https://www.bipm.org/en/organic-analysis/qnmr

The BIPM welcomes Anna Cypionka as Director of the International Liaison and Communication Department (ILC), from 1 March 2023, following the retirement of Andy Henson. Referring to her aspirations in the new position, Anna commented: “The BIPM is unique in how it brings together world-wide communities through science – a spirit that I want to promote as ILC director”. Further considering the BIPM's top priorities, she explains: “We live in an era of constant change, hence the BIPM must keep up with the pace. The ILC department will play a key role in the coordination required to address the challenges related to the evolving needs in global metrology – together with our stakeholders and in transdisciplinary forums.”

Anna completed her university studies in chemistry at the Technical University Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig before securing a PhD in biophysics at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany. Her research focused on the development of a detection method for membrane fusion using single-molecule spectroscopy. She additionally holds a master’s degree in public management from the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin. Anna joined the German National Metrology Institute (PTB) in 2010 where she held various positions. As a project coordinator in the Department for International Technical Cooperation she managed projects with developing countries in the area of quality infrastructure and represented PTB in Asia-Pacific regional networks. In spring 2017 she was appointed Head of the PTB Presidential Staff. Amongst other tasks, she became responsible for the reporting to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate, the planning and evaluation cycles of the PTB work programme, stakeholder management and the secretariat of the PTB Advisory Committee.

Having dedicated more than two decades to the international liaison and global coordination of metrology, Andy Henson is proud of having assembled an effective and experienced  team, which is able to cover the extended breadth of activity that comes under the scope of the Department. Some of the initiatives with the greatest impact that he was directly involved in include: the CIPM MRA review and the related KCDB 2.0 platform development; the revision of ISO/IEC 17025; the establishment of the Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer Programme; intensified collaboration with the other pillars of the International Network of Quality Infrastructure and raising awareness to the importance of investing in metrological infrastructure through policy dialogue with government. Contemplating upcoming events, Andy concluded: “The BIPM's strength lies in its intergovernmental status, its impartiality, its role as custodian of the SI and its sound scientific and technical expertise. The BIPM is in a unique position to advocate for metrology and bring the community together creating fresh opportunities to meet scientific and societal challenges. Our 150th anniversary in 2025 will be the perfect occasion for a glimpse of the future.”

The BIPM wishes Anna plenty of success in this new role and extends its warmest thanks to Andy for his tireless diligence to the immense benefit of our community.

The new definition of the kilogram - based on the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant - came into force on 20 May 2019. It underpins the realization of the kilogram by National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and Designated Institutes (DIs) by means of the Kibble or joule balance, or by applying the X-ray crystal density technique. After reviewing the results from the different realization experiments, the Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities (CCM) decided in 2017 that the dissemination of the kilogram should initially be coordinated internationally, by basing it on the so-called Consensus Value, until such times when the dispersion between values realized by individual NMIs/DIs becomes compatible with their uncertainties^[1][2]. The Consensus Value can be seen as an internationally agreed mean of the kilogram realizations, determined by the Task Group on the Phases for the Dissemination of the Kilogram following Redefinition (CCM-TGPfD-kg) of the CCM. It is based on results of comparisons of kilogram realizations and is updated after each new comparison, organized roughly every 2 years.

The first Consensus Value was implemented on 1 February 2021, while the second Consensus Value will come into force on 1 March 2023. The final report of the most recent key comparison used for the 2023 calculation is available in Metrologia.

Subsequent data analysis has led to the determination of the mass of the International Prototype of the Kilogram (IPK) to be 1 kg - 7 μg, with a standard uncertainty of 20 μg. Consequently, NMIs/DIs shall have to reduce the mass value of their national as-maintained mass unit by 7 μg with respect to the mass value based on the IPK or by 5 μg with respect to the first Consensus Value. The adoption of the second Consensus Value requires no further adjustment to the published Calibration and Measurement Capabilities of NMIs/DIs.

The BIPM will continue to provide Member States with calibrations of 1 kg Pt-Ir prototypes and stainless-steel mass standards that are traceable to the Planck constant through the second Consensus Value.

^[1] CCM detailed note on the dissemination process after the redefinition of the kilogram

^[2] Dissemination from the Consensus Value for the kilogram

From September 2021 to January 2023, the BIPM organized the second CCM key comparison of realizations of the kilogram definition based on the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant, which came into force on 20 May 2019. The objective was to determine the level of agreement between realizations of the kilogram using Kibble and joule balances and the X-ray crystal density (XRCD) method and to provide input for the calculation of the second Consensus Value of the kilogram. The Consensus Value serves as the basis for an internationally coordinated dissemination of the kilogram and is updated after each new key comparison. Its use will continue until satisfactory agreement between realization experiments has been achieved.

The comparison, organized by the BIPM, included nine participants:

• BIPM, France (LNE), Switzerland (METAS), USA (NIST), Canada (NRC) and Türkiye (UME) operating Kibble balances,
• China (NIM) using a joule balance,
• Japan (NMIJ) and Germany (PTB) using ²⁸Si spheres the masses of which had been determined using the XRCD method.

These techniques were used to calibrate 1 kg mass standards in vacuum or in air. Four types of travelling standards were used: five platinum-iridium (Pt-Ir) standards, nine stainless steel standards, a tungsten weight and a natural Si-sphere. The standards were sent to the BIPM where they were compared with each other (in the same environment as at the participants’ laboratories) and with the BIPM Pt-Ir working standards. The latter maintain traceability to the International Prototype of the Kilogram (IPK), the mass of which served as the definition of the unit kilogram until 20 May 2019.

The results of the weighings performed at the BIPM headquarters together with the measurement results communicated by the participants allowed comparison of the values attributed to 1 kg mass standards using the realization experiments of the participants (as depicted in the figure). The final report is available in Metrologia.

The key comparison reference value (KCRV) was calculated as the weighted mean of the results. It has a deviation of – 0.0152 mg with respect to the mass unit maintained by the BIPM working standards (traceable to the IPK), with a standard uncertainty of 0.0074 mg. The chi-squared test for consistency using the 95 % cut-off criterion is passed, however the two results with the smallest uncertainty are not in agreement with each other.

The BIPM Kibble balance participated in this comparison, with a deviation from the KCRV well within its standard uncertainty of 4.1 x 10^–8. The uncertainty was reduced from 5 x 10^–8 in the previous key comparison of kilogram realizations thanks to the refinement achieved on the voltage measurement.

Differences between mass values attributed to 1 kg mass standards using the realization experiment of the participants and the key comparison reference value, with associated standard uncertainty. The difference between mass values based on the BIPM working standards, traceable to the Planck constant through the IPK and those based on the reference value is indicated by the rightmost point.

Le Bureau International des Poids et Mesures vous présente ses meilleurs vœux pour la Nouvelle Année

400th publication of Circular T by the BIPM in 2021

The scientific and artistic experiment “Equation of Time”
has been created by Raphaël DALLAPORTA with researchers
from the LNE-SYRTE at Observatoire de Paris - PSL
and is reproduced with their permission.

The track of the Sun photographed over a year at the Observatoire de Paris - PSL illustrates the "equation of time". It is caused by the difference between the period of 24 hours indicated by a clock, and the duration of the day based on observation of the Sun at local noon.

In the 20th century, timekeeping passed from astronomical observations to measurements of atomic clocks, and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) was given the unique role of computing Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

In April 2021, the BIPM celebrated the 400th monthly publication of the reference values for UTC in its Circular T.

This international cooperation of more than 85 national institutes allows the coordinated dissemination of reference frequencies and time signals throughout the world.

Mr Andy Henson, Director of the BIPM International Liaison and Communication Department, is the winner of the 2022 NCSLI Wildhack Award. The award is for outstanding contributions to the field of metrology and measurement science. A full resume of Andy’s achievements can be found on the William A. Wildhack Award page of the NCSLI website.

Andy joined the BIPM in 2010 and became the Director of the International Liaison and Communication Department. He has been the driving force behind many successful projects, including a 25 % expansion in the number of Member States, which now total 64, the successful launch of the BIPM’s Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer programme, and boosting the recognition of metrology as being central to the international quality infrastructure. A full resume of Andy’s many achievements can be found on the William A. Wildhack Award page of the NCSLI website.

Andy will retire from the BIPM at the end of February 2023 and the award is a fitting tribute to his long and illustrious career. Previous BIPM staff who received the Wildhack Award are Dr Richard Davis (2018) and Professor Andrew Wallard (2009), then Director of the BIPM.

The 2023 World Metrology Day Resource Website is now live. The theme this year is Measurements supporting the global food system.

This theme was chosen because of the increasing challenges of climate change and global distribution of food in a world whose population reached 8 billion at the end of 2022.

World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations. The Convention set the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement and in its industrial, commercial and societal applications. The original aim of the Metre Convention - the world-wide uniformity of measurement - remains as important today as it was in 1875.

The World Metrology Day project is realized jointly by the BIPM and the OIML. We hope that you enjoy this site and that your Country or Metrology Organization will join us and participate in this year's event.

Further information on World Metrology Day, including a message from the Directors of the two organizations, posters, and a list of events, is available at:

The 21st edition of the International Metrology Congress - CIM 2023 - will be held in Lyon (France) from 7 to 10 March 2023.

The CIM is the one event where metrology meets science, industry and quality infrastructure bodies. The congress programme as well as all practical information about registration, venue and accommodation can be found at https://www.cim2023.com/en/.

The call for applications to the sixth cycle of the joint initiative “BIPM–TÜBİTAK UME project placements” has been launched and is open until 30 April 2023. The project placement training for the sixth cycle will start in September 2023.

This initiative, organized by the BIPM and the National Metrology Institute of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK UME), is designed to provide opportunities for metrologists to gain in-depth knowledge and experience by conducting research on a subject of their interest in TÜBİTAK UME's laboratories. In addition, participants are able to expand their understanding of the international aspects of metrology through intensive CIPM MRA e learning opportunities and seminars.

The initiative is aimed at young metrologists regardless of their level of experience of metrology.

Successful completion of cycle five (2022)

In 2022, the joint initiative hosted ten talented metrologists from ten different countries for a period of 1 to 3 months at the TÜBİTAK UME laboratories. The geographical coverage in this cycle was wider than in previous cycles, welcoming participants from all RMOs; AFRIMETS, APMP, COOMET, EURAMET, GULFMET and SIM.

The reports received from the participants on completion of their placements demonstrated that the projects they performed met their expectations. Their research projects covered a diverse range of subjects from decreasing the uncertainty of measurement standards through to expanding metrological capabilities in the laboratory to underpin scientific activities, healthcare, and industry.

Participants in the fifth cycle with their mentors at the TÜBİTAK UME laboratories

We would like to offer our sincere thanks to TÜBİTAK UME (Türkiye) for this joint initiative, and the valuable contribution towards strengthening the BIPM Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer (CBKT) Programme.

The BIPM participated in the OECD event "International organizations: Supporting Countries to Anticipate, React and Rebuild in the Face of Global Disruptions" for the heads of Secretariats of international organizations (IOs) on 5 December 2022.

The OECD established the Partnership of international organizations for effective international rulemaking (IO Partnership) as a voluntary platform for International Organizations (IOs), academics and delegates of the OECD Regulatory Policy Committee, to exchange good practices and promote greater quality, effectiveness and impact in international rulemaking. More information on the partnership can be found at https://www.oecd.org/governance/better-international-rulemaking/.

The event on 5 December gave Dr Martin Milton, Director of the BIPM, the opportunity to highlight future plans for universal adherence to the Metre Convention to ensure more inclusiveness and the importance of coordination among international organizations, to share the BIPM experience with its international liaisons, and to develop agile, effective and international instruments.

The Compendium of International Organisations' Practices : Working Towards More Effective International Instruments, available at https://www.oecd.org/governance/better-international-rulemaking/compendium/ was launched during the 8th Annual IO Meeting in September 2021. The compendium is the first common tool developed collaboratively by some 50 IOs to improve the quality of international rulemaking. The IO Compendium lists BIPM practices such as World Metrology Day, CBKT Programme, CIPM MRA Review, JCGM, etc. in five core focus areas.

The BIPM has been a focal point of WG2: Inclusiveness (stakeholder engagement and IO coordination) since 2021. It was a cofocal point of WG5: IO Coordination since 2019.

For more information on the 9th Annual Meeting of International Organisations (and also on previous annual meetings) please see:
https://www.oecd.org/governance/better-international-rulemaking/events/

A new tool is available from the Time Department, which allows the monitoring of the accuracy of the TAI scale interval with respect to realizations of the SI second by primary and secondary frequency standards (PSFS). The tool was developed with the support of Ms Nelida Diaz, a secondee from CENAM (Mexico). The plot reports the fractional deviation d over the last three years and the different PSFS input data can be inserted or excluded by clicking on the items in the legend.

The plot is automatically updated monthly and is available from the Time Department database at https://webtai.bipm.org/database/d_plot.html, reporting the data of Section 3 of Circular T. The monthly Circular T is available at https://www.bipm.org/en/time-ftp/other-products.

This tool will help with monitoring the mandatory criteria for the redefinition of the second (See Resolution 5 of the 27th CGPM (2022) “On the future redefinition of the second".

Published 20 December 2022

On 6 November 2022, the BIPM was admitted by the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) held in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, as an observer organization to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Admission as an observer organization to the UNFCCC is a one-off process, and the BIPM does not need to apply to attend any future sessions or meetings of the UNFCCC. The BIPM will be able to attend and submit statements to future COPs as well as to propose side events and/or exhibitions to represent the world-wide metrology community.

‘Climate Change and Environmental Monitoring’ is identified as one of the priorities in the BIPM Strategic Plan and in the strategic plans of four CIPM Consultative Committees (CCQM, CCAUV, CCPR, CCT).

The BIPM operates laboratories that have current and active projects specifically supporting climate monitoring. The BIPM coordinates key comparisons and pilot studies related to greenhouse gases including their isotope ratios and for atmospheric carbon dioxide.

A statement by the BIPM Director has been published under “Statements by Observer Organizations delivered at the resumed High-Level Segment – 16 November 2022” at COP27.

The UNESCO Executive Board took a key step towards recognizing World Metrology Day at their session on 13 October 2022, following the proposal presented by Kazakhstan and supported by the BIPM and OIML. The decision will need to be ratified by the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference to be held in November 2023. If all goes to plan, UNESCO will proclaim 20 May of each year as a UNESCO world day which will then be celebrated every year from 20 May 2024.

The recognition of World Metrology Day by UNESCO will open new opportunities for the BIPM and OIML to promote World Metrology Day. It has already raised support from a number of UNESCO Member States that do not currently participate in BIPM or Regional Metrology Organization (RMO) activities. This stimulates opportunities for the BIPM to explore their participation within the context of the mission towards “Universal adherence” proposed in Draft Resolution F at the 27th meeting of the CGPM in November 2022. It will also open the possibility for the BIPM to request part of its 150th Anniversary events in 2025 to be hosted at UNESCO and thereby opening it to a truly global audience.

The BIPM expresses its sincere thanks to Ambassador Gulsara Arystankulova and Counsellor Rysbek Alibekov at the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Kazakhstan to UNESCO in Paris who sponsored the proposal at the Executive Board and lobbied for support amongst Member States.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) signed the Joint Statement of Intent On the digital transformation in the international scientific and quality infrastructure on 24 and 31 May 2022, respectively. The joint statement had previously been signed by the BIPM, the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO), the International Science Council (ISC) and its Committee on Data (CODATA), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The joint statement provides a platform for the signatory organizations to come together to indicate their support, in a way appropriate to their particular organization, to the development, implementation, and promotion of the SI Digital Framework as part of a wider digital transformation of the international scientific and quality infrastructure. The addition of IEC and ILAC further strengthens the collaboration and global reach of the initiative.

Philippe Metzger, IEC Secretary-General & CEO, highlighted that “the IEC welcomes this initiative. The digital representation of quantities and units of measurement is a crucial step in progressing towards digitalization, ensuring data quality and the unambiguous use and exchange of data.”

Etty Feller, ILAC Chair, commented that “ILAC and BIPM have been working together for decades as part of the quality infrastructure community to enhance and strengthen international recognition and trust in accurate and traceable measurements that underpin science including in the medical, commerce, monitoring of the environment and the provision of safe food and water sectors. ILAC is working with our quality infrastructure colleagues and in particular BIPM, to ensure the effective delivery and implementation of the SI Digital Framework via the accreditation processes.”

Signing of the Joint Statement of Intent
by Philippe Metzger, IEC Secretary-General & CEO, and Etty Feller, ILAC Chair

The joint statement is part of an ongoing initiative by the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) and its Task Group on the Digital SI (CIPM-TG-DSI) to develop and establish a world-wide uniform and secure data exchange format based on the International System of Units (SI).

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) signed the Joint Statement of Intent On the digital transformation in the international scientific and quality infrastructure on 12 April 2022. The joint statement had previously been signed by the BIPM, the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO), the International Science Council (ISC) and its Committee on Data (CODATA).

The joint statement provides a platform for the signatory organizations to come together to indicate their support, in a way appropriate to their particular organization, to the development, implementation, and promotion of the SI Digital Framework as part of a wider digital transformation of the international scientific and quality infrastructure. The addition of ISO further strengthens the collaboration and global reach of the initiative. Sergio Mujica, ISO Secretary-General, commented that “Organizations in the International Quality Infrastructure must continue to transform to further embrace digitalization. ISO is fully committed to achieve further digitalization of standardization and we are working hard to implement our joint programme with the IEC on Standards Machine Applicable, Readable and Transferrable (SMART). The design and implementation of the SI framework will accelerate the positive changes in the ecosystem. Measurement is also an important topic for ISO, for example, when it comes to testing and conformity assessment. ISO will continue bringing its contribution, supported by the work performed by BIPM, to build the needed digital standards infrastructure of the future.”

The joint statement is part of an ongoing initiative by the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) and its Task Group on the Digital SI (CIPM-TG-DSI) to develop and establish a world-wide uniform and secure data exchange format based on the International System of Units (SI).

Signing of the Joint Statement of Intent by Sergio Mujica, ISO Secretary-General.

The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) signed the Joint Statement of Intent On the digital transformation in the international scientific and quality infrastructure on 19 August 2022. The joint statement is part of an ongoing initiative by the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) and its Task Group on the Digital SI (CIPM-TG-DSI) to develop and establish a world-wide uniform and secure data exchange format based on the International System of Units (SI). It provides a platform for the signatory organizations to come together to indicate their support, in a way appropriate to their particular organization, to the development, implementation, and promotion of the SI Digital Framework as part of a wider digital transformation of the international scientific and quality infrastructure.

When CIE President Dr Peter Blattner signed the joint statement he stated that "Digitalisation is a profound change in our society. The International System of Units is the backbone for all areas of measurement and assessment. In order to transfer measurement processes into the digital world, harmonised approaches are needed to ensure traceability to the "digital SI" in a trustworthy way. The CIE supports this very important initiative and is ready to actively participate."

Signing of the Joint Statement of Intent by Dr Peter Blattner, CIE President

The other signatories to the joint statement are the BIPM, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO), the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Science Council (ISC) and its Committee on Data (CODATA).

The International Commission on Illumination – also known as the CIE from its French title, the Commission Internationale de l´Eclairage – is devoted to world-wide cooperation and the exchange of information on all matters relating to the science and art of light and lighting, colour and vision, photobiology and image technology. The Commission works with experts from National Metrology Institutes, calibration and testing laboratories, measuring instrument manufacturers and users to develop international standards and guidelines and has collaborated closely with the metrology community since its foundation in 1913.

On 18 November 2022 the 27th meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) approved the proposal to extend the range of prefixes for use with the International System of Units (SI). The prefixes for decimal multiples and submultiples of the SI units are, together with the definitions for the seven base units, an essential part of the SI. They allow an effective communication of technical and scientific information.

The prefixes for multiples of the units have been extended from 10²⁴, yotta, by adding ronna (symbol R) for 10²⁷ and quetta (symbol Q) for 10³⁰. These new prefixes are expected to find applications in the near future in the expression of quantities of digital information, which will require orders of magnitude well in excess of 10²⁴.

Prefixes for small submultiples of the units have also been added. These retain the “symmetry” of the large and small prefixes by introducing the ronto (symbol r) for 10^-27 and the quecto (symbol q) for 10^-30.

The authoritative document describing the International System of Units is the SI Brochure. It is available from the BIPM web site and has been updated accordingly.

Published 24 November 2022

Published 25 November 2022

On 18 November 2022, an election was conducted at the 27th meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) for all 18 seats on the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM). The new CIPM will start their term at the next session, which is scheduled for March 2023.

Thirteen current members were re-elected:

• Dr D. Del Campo Maldonado (Spanish)
• Dr N. Dimarcq (French)
• Dr Y. Duan (Chinese)
• Dr H. Laiz (Argentinian)
• Dr W. Louw (South African)
• Prof. P. Neyezhmakov (Ukrainian)
• Dr J. Olthoff (American)
• Dr S.-R. Park (South Korean)
• Dr M.L. Rastello (Italian)
• Dr P. Richard (Swiss)
• Prof. G. Rietveld (Dutch)
• Prof. J. Ullrich (German)
• Dr T. Usuda (Japanese)

Five new members were elected:

• Dr V.G. Achanta (Indian)
• Dr V. Coleman (Australian)
• Dr J.-T. Janssen (British)
• Ms G. Macdonald (Canadian)
• Dr G.P. Ripper (Brazilian)

Mr Xiang Fang, Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP), signed a practical arrangement with the BIPM to join the e-learning initiative on 7 November 2022. The purpose of signing the formal arrangement is to ensure the ongoing reliability of the e-learning platform and publication of up-to-date material.

At the time of signing, the BIPM e-learning platform contained 16 e-learning courses submitted by EURAMET, COOMET, GULFMET and the BIPM Scientific Departments. The e-learning platform is accessible around the clock on any device to provide learning support to metrologists as conveniently as possible.

The APMP courses to be posted on the platform will be announced in due course.

The Roadmap was developed in close collaboration with the measurement community, global policy and healthcare officials who were on the front line of managing national responses to Covid-19, and the wider community. The document sets out recommendations for specific measurement interventions that could enable a more rapid response and enhance clinical outcomes in a future pandemic.

In 2021 the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM) held a series of webinars and workshops to identify and characterize appropriate prognostic and diagnostic technologies, platforms and data management/integration approaches, and propose specific metrology interventions that could enable a more rapid response.

The recommendations that resulted will ensure that the metrology community is sufficiently prepared to support the key measurements that are needed, and at sufficient pace, to face the challenges posed by infectious disease outbreaks in the future. In addition, the Roadmap will provide the wider community with visibility of and guidance on the metrology interventions available. A CCQM Task Group has been established to oversee the implementation of the recommendations over the next 15 months.

The metrology community looks forward to working ever more closely with national and international stakeholders to ensure a faster and more integrated response to future pandemics.

The CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA) is the framework through which National Metrology Institutes demonstrate the international equivalence of their measurement standards and the calibration and measurement certificates they issue.

The outcomes of the Arrangement are the internationally recognized (peer-reviewed and approved) Calibration and Measurement Capabilities (CMCs) of the participating institutes. Approved CMCs and supporting technical data are publicly available from the CIPM MRA database (the KCDB).

About the KCDB

Since 8 February 2022 there are 63 States Parties to the Metre Convention ("Member States") and 40 Associate States and Economies.

Member States Associates

The video of the JCGM/WG2 VIM4 Webinar is now available on the BIPM YouTube page. The webinar gave an overview of the Committee Draft of the new edition of the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM4).

More than 400 attendees watched the webinar, which was held on 6 May 2021. The panel gave presentations on the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology (JCGM) and its Working Group 2 (WG2 - VIM Committee); the VIM4 Committee Draft; the significant changes between the VIM3 and the VIM4; and the new entries on nominal properties.

The presentations given at the webinar are available on the VIM4 webinar webpage

The theme this year is Metrology in the Digital Era. This theme was chosen because digital technology is revolutionizing our community and is one of the most exciting trends in society today. The adoption of digital technology is transforming metrology by improving processes and opening new opportunities.

World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations, which marked the beginning of formal international collaboration in metrology. It is organized jointly by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) and the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) to recognize and celebrate the contribution of all the people that work in the field of metrology in intergovernmental and national metrology organizations and institutes throughout the year.

Further information on World Metrology Day, including video messages from the Directors of the two organizations, posters and a list of events, is available at:

The BIPM is pleased to announce the publication of the first key comparison report embedding machine-readable (XML and JSON) versions of the document. Use of the PDF/A-3 standard in this way was originally suggested by METAS (Switzerland) in the context of Digital Calibration Certificates (DCC).^[1] The recent update of the BIPM.RI(II)-K1.Ce-139 comparison – using the BIPM's International Reference System (SIR) for radionuclide metrology – provided an opportunity to introduce this approach for the first time in reporting a key comparison.

In the context of international key comparisons, the PDF/A-3 format offers the possibility for machines to automatically retrieve key comparison data and the rich metadata associated with it. Key comparison metadata include administrative and technical details of the corresponding measurements, and in the digital world they provide a valuable means of identifying the individual results, and enable advanced data analyses that are not feasible based on a document designed to be read only by humans.

Pending the development of a digitalized KCDB, the adoption of the PDF/A-3 format for comparison reports is a first step towards achieving the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.

[1] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measen.2021.100282

The new version of the JCTLM Database of Reference Materials, Methods and Services for in vitro diagnostics went live on 3 October 2022.

The database is accessible through the JCTLM web portal with the new search engine available at https://www.jctlmdb.org/. The database has been upgraded with extended search functions for reference measurement components, using free-text search and additional options for filtering and exporting data.

The JCTLM Database lists higher-order reference materials, measurement methods and services to be applied following the models described in ISO 17511:2020, ‘In vitro diagnostic medical devices —Requirements for establishing metrological traceability of values assigned to calibrators, trueness control materials and human samples’, to establish metrological traceability for in vitro diagnostic medical devices.

The JCTLM Database contains information on: 265 Reference Materials; 215 Reference Methods; and 224 Reference Measurement Services from accredited calibration laboratories.

Database entries have undergone independent review and found to be compliant with the criteria in documentary standards developed by ISO TC 212 WG2 (Reference Measurement Systems), with reference measurements services listed for accredited calibration laboratories, as described in the JCTLM procedures.

An Application Programming Interface (API) is being finalized and will be released towards the end of October 2022.

JCTLM Database JCTLM Portal

The BIPM, the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO), the International Science Council (ISC) and its Committee on Data (CODATA) signed a Joint Statement of Intent On the digital transformation in the international scientific and quality infrastructure on 30 March 2022. The joint statement provides a platform for the signatory organizations to come together to indicate their support, in a way appropriate to their particular organization, to the development, implementation, and promotion of the SI Digital Framework as part of a wider digital transformation of the international scientific and quality infrastructure. Other international organizations are expected to sign the joint statement in the future.

The joint statement is part of an ongoing initiative by the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) and its Task Group on the Digital SI (CIPM-TG-DSI) to develop and establish a world-wide uniform and secure data exchange format based on the International System of Units (SI). Prof. J. Ullrich, Chair of the CIPM-TG-DSI, commented that the signing of the joint statement marks a ground-breaking step in transforming the highly successful international scientific and quality infrastructure, with the SI as an anchor of trust, into the era of digitalization.

To further reinforce the CIPM’s commitment to the digital transformation, Draft Resolution B On the global digital transformation and the International System of Units will be presented to the 27th meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in November 2022.

Signing of the Joint Statement of Intent. Clockwise from top left: Wynand Louw, CIPM President (on behalf of the BIPM); Mathieu Denis, ISC Science Director and Acting CEO; Barend Mons, CODATA President; Roman Schwartz, CIML President (on behalf of the OIML); Frank Härtig, IMEKO President.

Published August 2022

The BIPM Physical Metrology Department has developed two CBKT e-learning courses on the kilogram - the fundamental unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), which was redefined on 20 May 2019. The courses describe how to realize the mass unit and how the kilogram is disseminated following its redefinition.

Two e-learning courses are available:

• Dissemination of the kilogram following its redefinition. This course describes the different phases of the dissemination of the kilogram, from internationally coordinated dissemination, based on the so-called consensus value, to independent dissemination from local realization experiments. The determination of the consensus value and its consequences on mass dissemination from National Metrology Institutes is also covered.
• Realization of the kilogram following its redefinition.  This course discusses why the definition was changed and the benefits of the new definition. It explains the two methods approved by the Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities (CCM) for the realization of the kilogram: the Kibble balance and the X-ray crystal density (XRCD) method. The course also explains the benefits of the new definition for the metrology of masses much smaller than 1 kg.  The course consists of three parts:
  1. The new definition of the kilogram
  2. The operation of the Kibble balance
  3. The X-ray crystal density method

The courses are available at: https://e-learning.bipm.org/ and require self-enrolment. Interested participants can use their e-learning credentials (or create an account) to take part in the courses.

Nous avons l’immense tristesse de vous faire part du décès de Monsieur Georges GIRARD survenu le 23 mai 2022 à l’âge de 94 ans.

Georges Girard avait été engagé comme calculateur stagiaire en octobre 1945 à l’âge de 17 ans. Lors de la session du CIPM de 1946, Albert Pérard qui dirigeait le BIPM a déclaré à son sujet : « Le travail et le dévouement, de ce jeune collaborateur nous donnent toute satisfaction. »

Georges Girard débutait ainsi une longue carrière au BIPM. Après le départ à la retraite d’Albert Bonhoure qui avait assuré sa formation, lui était confiée la responsabilité des étalons géodésiques et des étalons de masse.

Nommé Assistant puis physicien, il a dirigé la Section Masse à partir des années 1970 et a achevé sa carrière en menant à bien la troisième grande vérification périodique des prototypes, entre 1988 et 1992.

Georges Girard a pris sa retraite le 31 mars 1993 après 48 ans de service.

We are very sad to inform you of the death of Georges GIRARD on 23 May 2022 at the age of 94.

Georges Girard was hired by the BIPM as a trainee to perform mathematical calculations in October 1945 at the age of 17. At the CIPM meeting in 1946, Albert Pérard, who was then Director of the BIPM, said of him: "The work and dedication of this young collaborator gives us great satisfaction". Georges had a long and distinguished career at the BIPM and following the retirement of Albert Bonhoure, who had trained him, he was given responsibility for geodetic and mass standards. Georges was subsequently appointed Assistant and then Physicist and he headed the Mass Section from the 1970s. He ended his career at the BIPM by leading the third major periodic verification of prototypes, between 1988 and 1992.

Georges Girard retired on 31 March 1993 after 48 years of service.

 

Georges Girard (dernier rang, troisième en partant de la gauche) lors de la réunion du CCM en 1988.
Georges Girard (back row, third from left) at the 1988 meeting of the CCM.

Published 24 August 2022

Published in July 2022

A suite of brochures has been published under the auspices of the BIPM CBKT programme to provide information and assistance on key roles and mechanisms within the CIPM MRA. The brochures have been written in accessible way for both metrologists and non-experts alike.

The suite of brochures explain the benefits of the CIPM MRA as well as giving an overview of its mechanisms. The suite includes six individual inserts that give details of:

• participation and coordination within the CIPM MRA
• metrological traceability
• comparison activities
• calibration and measurement capabilities within the CIPM MRA
• CIPM MRA review processes
• quality management.

The suite of brochures are available online and hard copies are available from the Regional Metrology Organization secretariats or directly from the BIPM CBKT office.

The BIPM offers its thanks to NIST (USA) for providing the funds, via the CBKT programme, to prepare the suite of brochures. The content was prepared by Douglas A. Olson (formerly NIST and JCRB Executive Secretary) and Olav Werhahn (PTB), the current JCRB Executive Secretary, with input from Chingis Kuanbayev (BIPM) and Andy Henson (BIPM).

The BIPM hosted a webinar in March 2022 on the topic of Git for metrology, with a focus on the “git” free software, which is widely used for “version control” in software development.

The webinar was organized by the Consultative Committee for Ionizing Radiation (CCRI) and attracted more than 250 participants. It is now available from the BIPM YouTube channel.

It included five speakers who gave an overview of how version control promotes best practices in file management and why metrology is a field particularly suited to the adoption of its principles. It introduced version control using a methodology that originated in software development and which provides tools for the management of any document or project. The webinar included two case studies of metrology projects that are managed successfully using git.

The speakers were:

• Massimo Pinto (ENEA-INMRI, Italy) who gave an overview of software version control and its potential for personal and collaborative use.
• Frédéric Tessier (NRC, Canada) presented the philosophy behind version control and proposed a ‘fundamental mental picture’ to accelerate git learning.
• Reid Townson (NRC, Canada) demonstrated how to get started with git, create a repository and start making ‘commits’.
• Romain Coulon (BIPM) presented a case study using git and GitHub in the BIPM Ionizing Radiation Department to ensure version control of the database for key comparisons in radionuclide metrology.
• Frédéric Meynadier (BIPM) presented the application of GitLab in the BIPM Time Department and how it is used for collaboration with external colleagues, internal development of core software, and personal projects.

The detailed programme for the online BIPM-WMO Metrology for Climate Action workshop, which will be held on 26-30 September 2022, is now available. https://www.bipmwmo22.org/workshop-program

Experts active in climate science, observations, GHG mitigation and measurement, modelling and measurement science who are willing to contribute to the development of recommendations on key technical challenge areas for metrology in these fields are invited to register for the workshop before 14 September and join over 600 participants already registered for the event.

The opening online plenary session starts at 13h00 (UTC+2) on 26 September. https://www.bipmwmo22.org/keynote

To register, please use the link “REGISTER NOW” and contribute to the outputs of the workshop that will provide a set of recommendations on key technical challenge areas for metrology over the next decade.

Highlights are:

• Keynote speakers setting the scene for the workshop themes of ‘Metrology in support of the physical science basis of climate change and climate observations’ and ‘Metrology as an integral component of operational systems to estimate greenhouse gas emissions based on accurate measurements and analyses’.
• 198 presentation and poster contributions for the nine topics covered by the workshop.
• Pre-recorded presentations and posters now available for viewing via the workshop website, prior to the workshop week, with the opportunity for participants to post questions and comments.
• Two days of interactive online sessions via the Gather.town platform to meet and discuss presentations and posters in real time with authors and other participants.
• Meetings of nine topic groups over two days to develop and discuss issues and recommendations.
• A session to summarize outputs and key recommendations of the workshop.

The Kingdom of Morocco became a Member State on 24 May 2019

The Republic of Costa Rica, which had been an Associate since 2004, became a Member State on 5 September 2022.

The Republic of Estonia, which had been an Associate since 2005, became a Member State on 19 January 2021.

Published on 14 September 2022

Published on 8 September 2022

Published on 8 September 2022

It is with sadness that we pass on the news that Dr W.R. Blevin passed away on 11 August 2022.

Bill was for many years an active participant in the CIPM’s Consultative Committee for Photometry and Radiometry (CCPR). He played a key role in preparing the redefinition of the candela by the CGPM in 1979, and co-authored the BIPM guidebook “Principles Governing Photometry”. He was a member of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) for eighteen years, served as CCPR President from 1982 to 1994, CIPM Vice-President from 1992 until 1997, and CIPM Secretary from 1997 until 2000. He was the main author of the “Blevin report” submitted by the CIPM to the 21st General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1999: “National and International Needs relating to Metrology: International Collaborations and the role of the BIPM”.

During the course of his career he held positions as the chair of the National Standards Commission, CSIRO’s Chief Standards Scientist, and Chief of the CSIRO Division of Applied Physics.

Bill was aged 92 and passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family.

An extension of the international reference system (ESIR) for radionuclide metrology has been developed and put into operation at the BIPM following three years of joint effort. The ESIR allows measurement of radionuclides that could not be measured by the existing system and thus makes it possible for degrees of equivalence to be obtained for these specific isotopes by NMIs/DIs. An article has been published in the Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, which describes in detail the liquid scintillation counting system and the liquid scintillation source preparation facility that have been developed for this new BIPM measurement service. Its development has been supported by the crucial scientific expertise of our partners LNE-LNHB (France), PTB (Germany), POLATOM (Poland), and NIM (China) who are at the forefront of this technique.

Prof. Dr Lothar Siekmann has been awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by the Federal President, Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier. It is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellectual or honorary fields. Dr Ursula Sautter, Mayor of the city of Bonn, bestowed the award during a Ceremony in the historic Old Town Hall on 17 June 2022.

Prof. Siekmann was a founding member of the Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM) and a distinguished scientist in the field of quality assurance and metrology for clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. As a member of the medical faculty of the University of Bonn for clinical and chemical analysis until his retirement in 2007, he undertook ground-breaking work in improving the quality of measurements in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. This included pioneering work in the introduction of isotope dilution mass spectrometry as the basis of reference methods for clinical analytes, enabling equivalence of measurement results for in vitro diagnostic test kits to be established through metrological traceability.

Prof. Siekmann served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), represented the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) at the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM), and was a founding member of the IFCC Committee on Traceability of Measurements in Laboratory Medicine (C-TLM) and the Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM).

He has received two other awards for his special achievements: the Gábor Szász Prize from the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) in 1991; and the international Robert Schaffer Prize from the IFCC and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2008.

The BIPM adds its congratulations to Prof. Dr Siekmann in recognition of his achievements and contributions to the development of metrology in laboratory medicine and its impact on ensuring the quality and equivalence of in vitro diagnostic testing world-wide.

The BIPM has expanded its e-learning platform to allow RMOs to publish their training material on the site, complementing the BIPM material. The aim of the BIPM e-learning platform is to facilitate online training and assistance to increase the effectiveness of the world-wide coordinated metrological system. 

This initiative will enable cross-RMO access to courses, increasing the suite of materials available and reducing the likelihood of developing duplicate material. Over time it will encourage the delivery of knowledge in a coordinated way, as well as facilitating joint development of courses.

The e-learning platform was launched in April 2021 with four courses related to the scientific activities of the BIPM and the CIPM MRA mechanisms. Since its launch more than 400 metrologists from the global NMI and DI community have participated in the open and restricted access courses available on the platform. The platform is accessible around the clock and is optimized for desktop and handheld devices to provide learning support to metrologists as conveniently as possible.

Driven by the initial success of the platform, the BIPM explored the possibility of expanding its capabilities to host RMO e-learning material. The RMOs responded positively to this proposal and indicated their intention to join the initiative. This initiative meets the requirements outlined in the BIPM Strategic Plan (2018) which states “…To work towards a long-term integrated “training platform” shared between the BIPM and the RMOs…”

The update was tailored to the needs of the RMOs, and the newly created ‘RMO Sectors’ allow them to appoint/assign their course creators, create courses and enroll participants, as well as generating reports on the e-learning courses.

Participation in this initiative requires signing of a formal arrangement between the BIPM and RMOs to ensure the ongoing reliability of the e-learning platform and publication of up-to-date material.

Signing of the practical arrangement with the BIPM. Clockwise from top left: Valery Hurevich, COOMET President; Jörn Stenger, EURAMET Chairperson; Martin Milton, BIPM Director; Amina Hassan Al Bastaki, GULFMET President.

As of today, EURAMET, COOMET and GULFMET have signed the practical arrangement with the BIPM. This formal step will be followed by training of RMO course creators on the mechanics of producing interactive learning courses. It is hoped that RMO course content will be available within the first half of 2022. Discussions are at various stages with the other RMOs.

We would like to offer our sincere thanks to METAS (Switzerland) who sponsored the extension of the BIPM e-learning platform and training for the RMOs that have joined the initiative.

The extended platform is available at: https://e-learning.bipm.org/. The RMO Sectors will be made live as soon as the arrangements are agreed, and material is made available. New courses that are posted on the platform will be announced in due course.

Published on 10 March 2022

Published on 16 May 2022

Published on 7 March 2022

CENAM (Mexico) has successfully installed a frequency comb, which was built and operated by the former BIPM Length Section’s laser laboratory.

The equipment installed by CENAM is the second of two frequency combs that were identified as being worth offering to NMIs for use in their work programmes, following the dismantling of the former BIPM Length Section’s laser laboratory. Information about the frequency combs was circulated among the NMIs after consultation with the Consultative Committee for Length (CCL). The first comb was successfully installed by INTI (Argentina) in 2019. The two frequency combs had originally been built by the BIPM and are used in comparing microwave to optical frequency radiations.

The second comb has been installed in the CENAM frequency comb laboratory and initial tests were carried out at the end of 2021. The tests proved that each of the systems is operating correctly, and an optical supercontinuum was generated. The CENAM length group expects to start using the frequency comb to provide calibration services, mainly to dimensional metrology laboratories, in the second quarter of 2022.

The installation of the former BIPM frequency combs by CENAM and INTI demonstrates the successful transfer of equipment, developed by the former BIPM Length Section, and which is now being used to support length metrology in different NMIs.

The BIPM offers its best wishes to the CENAM length group for the new activity.

The former BIPM frequency comb installed in the CENAM length laboratory

Published on 25 April 2022

The BIPM-SIM Training course: KCDB 2.0 was held on 20-22 April 2022 and welcomed more than 160 participants from 20 countries over the three days. The online course was organized for member NMIs and DIs of the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM).

The three-day (3.5 hours/day) online training course was designed to deliver information for those who: write CMCs in the KCDB; review the CMCs; pilot comparisons; and for TC/WG Chairs who operate the CIPM MRA processes. The programme was organized to cover three main topics:

1. CIPM MRA Environment
2. Intra-RMO review of CMCs
3. JCRB review of CMCs

The content was delivered following a logical sequence, starting from the CIPM MRA requirements, and including case studies on how these requirements were implemented, practical exercises and discussions. The practical exercises were sent to registered participants one week ahead of the training course, so that they could follow the exercises and practice in advance if they wished. The practical exercises were organized using the KCDB CBKT training platform. Participants had opportunities to write CMCs directly on the training platform, review CMCs, register comparisons, and act as a TC/WG Chair for the exercises.

Comments from participants:

Dr Gérard Petit from the BIPM Time Department has been awarded the 2022 Marcel Ecabert Award by The European Frequency and Time Forum (EFTF). The citation recognised his “long-standing involvement and key contributions in the timing activities of the BIPM and more generally in International time and frequency metrology."

The EFTF Marcel Ecabert Award is a lifetime award and honours the excellent achievements of the recipient in the field of time and frequency. It is named after the late Marcel Ecabert, founding member of the EFTF and member of its Executive Committee.

The awards ceremony took place at the 2022 joint conference of the EFTF and the IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (IEEE IFCS), which was held on 24-28 Apr 2022 at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris (France). The joint congress was held in-person for the first time in 3 years, gathering together more than 400 people.

The BIPM joins in congratulating Gérard for his long and fruitful involvement in time metrology research and development.

Published on 16 June 2022

Published on 24 June 2022

The Republic of Zimbabwe was reinstated as an Associate of the CGPM on 8 February 2022.

Published on 1st February 2022

The Kingdom of Cambodia became an Associate of the CGPM on 1 January 2021.

Ecuador, which has been an Associate since 2000, became a Member State on 6 August 2019.

Dr Stéphane Solve has been appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Consultative Committee for Thermometry (CCT). He took over the role from Dr Susanne Picard, who stepped down as Executive Secretary at the end of the 30th meeting of the CCT in February 2022.

Stéphane is a physicist in the Electrical Metrology area of the BIPM Physical Metrology Department with a background in thermometry, including having worked on the CCT-K7 comparison of water triple point cells, piloted by the BIPM.

The CCT President, Dr Yuning Duan, and the BIPM Director, Dr Martin Milton, thanked Susanne at the CCT meeting for her invaluable contributions since 2014 and welcomed Stéphane into the role.

Carine Michotte, a Physicist in the BIPM Ionizing Radiation Department, was elected as a Vice-President of the International Committee for Radionuclide Metrology (ICRM) on 15 June 2021, along with Raphaël Galea, NRC (Canada). The ICRM Executive Board is composed of the President, three Vice-Presidents and the Secretary.

Carine coordinates the SIR activity comparisons with the Ionizing Radiation Department’s radionuclide metrology group and led the development of the SIRTI. She has travelled to 14 different NMIs from five RMOs to run SIRTI activity comparisons of short-lived radionuclides, which are of major importance in nuclear medicine.

Carine has been involved in the activities of the ICRM since 1997, participating in ICRM conferences and working group meetings. She is a member of the Programme Committee and Scientific Committee for the ICRM 2023 conference that will take place in Bucharest (Romania).