The BIPM has had an eventful year. We have made significant progress in a number of scientific projects to improve and enhance our international reference facilities and the provision of services such as International Atomic Time (TAI). At the same time, there have been a large number of meetings of Consultative Committees (CCs), working groups and workshops. We have maintained our liaison with intergovernmental organizations and international bodies and have consolidated a number of joint activities, notably with the aim of increasing awareness and appreciation of the International System of Units (SI) and the associated concepts of traceability and uncertainty in measurement. This sets a sound basis for future work and collaboration, and should open up opportunities for National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) to respond through similar activities at the national level.
This annual report summarises a number of the main activities carried out at the BIPM and then goes on to give more detail of the scientific work.
The International System of Units (SI)
During the past few months there have been several scientific developments and meetings on possible redefinitions of base units of the SI, stimulated by the progress on a number of experiments which could lead to a redefinition of the kilogram. New results from the watt balance experiments and encouraging progress on the International Avogadro Coordination project now seem likely to provide an opportunity for the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) to take decisions on a redefinition of the kilogram in 2011.
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Stimulated by, and directly linked to the kilogram redefinition, there is also likely to be a simultaneous redefinition of the base units for electric current, and amount of substance. A redefinition of the kelvin is also likely, based on a fixed value of the Boltzmann constant k. The CIPM has encouraged CCs to consider the effects of these redefinitions and a number of CCs have set up specific working groups to discuss these issues and to develop a strategy for their implementation. As the redefinitions place more of the base units of the SI on fixed values of fundamental constants of physics, there will be a need for guidance on how to realize them in practice. The example being followed is that of the redefinition of the metre in 1983 based on a fixed value for the speed of light in vacuum. The approach adopted in this case was the creation of a Mise en pratique, or set of instructions and recommendations for a practical and universally followed way of realizing the definition. The Mise en pratique for the metre has stood the test of time and has been modified with the advent of new measurements, notably of laser-based measurement standards. The various CCs are following this approach and are preparing drafts to be finalized in the coming few years.
The Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities (CCM) held a special meeting with representatives of the electrical community in February 2007. This made considerable progress towards a common position, which would allow the kilogram to be redefined in such a way (by fixing the value of the Planck constant, h) that the present representations of the volt and ohm would become genuine SI realizations firmly based on fundamental constants, rather than be based on conventional values.
Several communities came together at the meeting of the Consultative Committee for Units (CCU) in June 2007 and reached the conclusion that a kilogram redefinition based on the Planck constant was to be preferred to one based on the Avogadro constant, NA. The CCU agreed with the Consultative Committee for Electricity and Magnetism (CCEM) that a definition of the ampere should be based on a fixed value of the elementary charge, e. The thermometry community reported that they expected new results for the Boltzmann constant in the next few years, which will allow a redefinition of the kelvin in 2011.
It is highly unlikely that these redefinitions will influence the vast majority of measurements made for industrial or scientific purposes; they will enhance the SI and bring benefits to metrologists and to the fundamental constant community through, in general, a reduction in uncertainties associated with the CODATA values. The CIPM and the CCs nevertheless believe that there needs to be an awareness campaign in the scientific and the industrial measurement community in order to alert them to these changes and their implications. Much of this effort will fall to NMIs at a national level.
The CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA)
The CIPM MRA continues to grow in strength as more new or revised calibration and measurement capabilities (CMCs) are entered into the BIPM key comparison database (KCDB). The KCDB itself has also been enhanced so as to make it easier to search for data, using a semantic search facility and to interpret text-based inquiries. These facilities will make it easier for assessors of accredited laboratories to check the details of their traceability to national realizations of the SI and to access the graphs of equivalence. The BIPM is taking every opportunity to promote the new facility through presentations, live demonstrations and the KCDB Newsletter.
Member States and Associates
The number of Member States which are signatories to the Metre Convention remains static at 51. However, there has been a rise in the number of Associate States and Economies of the General Conference to 22, with the accession of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Moldova during the year. The BIPM is in touch with a number of other States which have declared their intention to become Associates as well as with some current Associates which are considering becoming Member States.
NMI Directors' Meeting
Over 70 Directors from NMIs in Member States and from Associate States and Economies of the General Conference met at the BIPM in October 2006. The first day of the meeting focused on the preparations for the 2007 General Conference and contained a number of presentations, which set out the main themes of the CIPM report on National and International Needs in Metrology (the "Kaarls report") and which outlined the BIPM programme of work. The meeting concluded with a summary of the state of play of the potential redefinitions of a number of SI units.
Meeting of the CIPM
The 95th meeting of the CIPM was held in October 2006. The main business items were the preparations for the 2007 General Conference, finalisation of the BIPM programme of work and budget for 2009-2012, the Convocation and the Resolutions to be presented to the General Conference. In addition there were the usual reports from Presidents of Consultative Committees. The CIPM was pleased to note that the 8th edition of the SI Brochure was launched on World Metrology Day 2006. For the first time, the Brochure was complemented by two summaries for widespread distribution. All three documents can be downloaded from the BIPM website.
The CIPM also approved the use of a logo, in line with the recommendations of the Joint Committee of the Regional Metrology Organizations and the BIPM (JCRB) to be used by NMIs and Designated Institutes (DIs) that are signatories to the CIPM MRA. The aim is to make use of this logo so as to aid recognition of certificates which are issued within the CIPM MRA and which are, therefore, accepted by all other signatories.
The CIPM passed recommendations on the secondary representations of the second and on coordination of the development of advanced time and frequency transfer techniques.
The General Conference on Weights and Measures
The 23rd CGPM in November 2007 will be presented with a draft programme of work for the BIPM for the period 2009-2012. We have adopted a different style from previous draft programmes of work and will present a structured approach to the justification and impact of the programme, together with a clear statement of need for new activities and projects. The programme of work was presented to NMI Directors at their meeting in October 2006, and was then discussed by the CIPM in October 2006. The CIPM endorsed a programme of work that would require an increase in the BIPM dotation of 15 % from 1 January 2009. The key elements in the programme of work will enable the BIPM to continue its current programme of work, to make faster progress with its watt balance and other work in relation to the realization of the proposed redefinition of the kilogram. The programme of work also reflects the increased importance of optical clocks to TAI, and proposes work in support of key comparisons in chemical metrology. The CIPM also discussed the proposal of the Consultative Committee for Ionizing Radiation (CCRI), which strongly endorsed (as it did again in May 2007) a new project at the BIPM to address the needs of the dosimetry community based on high energy photons generated by linear accelerators. However, the CIPM took the view that the CGPM should be asked to support the start-up work for this project during 2009-2012 but that implementation would be deferred until the subsequent period.
The Convocation of the General Conference contains twelve Draft Resolutions which cover global trends in metrology, work in relation to the proposed changes to definitions of some SI units and a number of policy issues in relation to the operation of the Metre Convention. The Convocation was sent to Member States in January 2007.
The Joint Committee of the Regional Metrology Organizations and the BIPM (JCRB)
The JCRB met in October 2006 and May 2007. As always, the JCRB focuses on ways to speed up the efficiency of the intra- and inter-Regional Metrology Organization (RMO) reviews of Calibration and Measurement Capabilities (CMCs), and to develop international confidence in the reviews of Quality Systems by the RMOs. The October 2006 JCRB meeting finalized its review of the use of a logo on calibration certificates issued by NMIs within the framework of the CIPM MRA, and recommended the logo for acceptance to the CIPM. It also accepted the positive recommendations in the report of a special panel convened to study the Quality System of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a signatory to the CIPM MRA. In May 2007, the main topics were the evolution of a common definition, with the accreditation community, of the term CMC, together with supporting notes that would enable its widespread acceptance and implementation. The JCRB also agreed on a recommendation to the CIPM on the criteria to be used in the selection of peer-reviewers for Quality Systems at NMIs.
The Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology (JCGM)
A major achievement of the year was the finalization of the 3rd edition of the VIM – the International Vocabulary of Metrology, Basic and General Concepts and Associated Terms. This edition changes the treatment of measurement uncertainty from an error approach (sometimes called "traditional approach" or "true value approach") to the internationally adopted "uncertainty approach" and therefore necessitated reconsideration of some of the related concepts appearing in the 2nd edition of the VIM (1993). It also took the opportunity of including more terms which were of value to the chemical community. The "VIM 3" has been approved by all eight partner bodies. The BIPM will adopt the agreed text and place it on the BIPM website for access by the metrology community. The Working Group on the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, the GUM, also finalized its work on a supplement to the GUM which deals with Monte Carlo methods. This has also been approved by all partner bodies and will also be adopted by the BIPM and placed on our open website.
The meeting of the JCGM itself in December 2006 reviewed the JCGM "Charter" and identified a number of priority topics for the working groups, notably a study of uncertainty for use in conformity assessment.
The Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM)
The Executive Committee of the JCTLM met in December 2006 and agreed the timetables for the next round of nominations of higher order reference materials and reference measurement procedures, and for nominations of laboratory reference measurement procedures. The first list of reference measurement services offered by laboratories was published on the JCTLM website in June 2007.
The work of the Committee helps identify priorities for comparisons to be carried out within the broad remit of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM) and the JCTLM framework. It is increasingly seen as a model which could be used in collaborations with other intergovernmental organizations and international bodies as the BIPM continues to develop closer collaborations with them.
Liaison with intergovernmental organizations and international bodies
BIPM's liaison work is a major part of our activity. In the last year we have made progress on a number of fronts:
- Discussions are continuing with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) over their intention to become a signatory to the CIPM MRA. Unlike the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the WMO does not have its own laboratories and new arrangements need to be agreed so that the WMO can participate fully. WMO has also agreed to collaborate with the BIPM to arrange an international conference and workshop on the role of metrology in the study and observation of climate change. The meeting will probably be held in early 2009.
- BIPM representation on the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
- Further World Health Organization (WHO) collaboration in the work of the CCQM and the JCTLM.
- The signing of an Agreement between the CIPM and the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) which recognises the responsibilities and roles of the two bodies and sets up formal coordination mechanisms. These relate, in particular, to the need to ensure the SI traceability of data from the CIE's work on measurements of light, optical radiation, colour, optical properties of materials, photobiological and photo-chemical quantities.
- Continued collaboration with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and representation through BIPM's liaison status on ISO CASCO and ISO REMCO as well as their membership of the Joint Committee on Coordination of Assistance to Developing Countries in Metrology, Accreditation and Standardization (JCDCMAS).
- As a result of the Common Statement and Declaration by the BIPM, the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) on the relevance of various international agreements on metrology to trade, legislation and standardization, collaboration with the ILAC has been strengthened in several areas. In particular, the BIPM/ILAC Working Group had made good progress on a common definition of calibration and measurement capability (CMC) and on means of developing greater confidence in the uncertainty and traceability claims of accredited laboratories using the BIPM's key comparison database. The BIPM was represented at the ILAC General Assembly as well as at the Accreditation Issues Committee which held a meeting to discuss, and recommend, the common CMC definition. Recognizing that much of what the BIPM and ILAC work on the international level needs to be reinforced at the regional level, the second meeting of the Regional Metrology Organizations and the Regional Accreditation Bodies was held in March 2007. It is the only forum in which the two sets of bodies meet regularly and is helping to create stronger regional collaborations.
- Collaboration with the OIML is increasing. We have finalized a common document on the importance of metrology and the arrangements for a joint web portal on metrology (http://www.metrologyinfo.org/) which will present a general description of what the two bodies do, with links to each organization's web pages.
World Metrology Day (WMD)
The BIPM Director's message on 20 May, the anniversary of the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875, proved to be more successful than ever before. The theme, "Measurements in our environment", attracted a huge degree of attention from NMIs and other international bodies. Some 85 national events to mark WMD were held in 63 Member States and Associates as well as in States which have, as yet, no formal links with the BIPM. In partnership with the PTB and the NMISA for the basic version, and in collaboration with other NMIs, some 32 versions, in 18 languages, of a WMD poster were produced.
BIPM staff commissions
The BIPM Statute currently provide formally for four staff commissions, although two others advise the Director on a staff loans fund and on management of the medical insurance scheme.
The Commission for Information and Security had a broad remit to advise the Director on a number of matters and is responsible for organizing the annual staff meeting and elections of members of all the commissions. However, with the establishment of a formal committee responsible for health and safety at the BIPM, the role of the commission for Information and Security has been reduced. During the year, the Director also launched a review of the formal commissions so as to improve their effectiveness and efficiency. The review's recommendations include the merger of the two commissions concerned with the Staff Statute and salaries, and the remainder of the work of the Information and Security Commission.
As mentioned in the 2005-2006 Director's Report, the BIPM has initiated a review and updating of the Staff Statute. This has drawn heavily on the advice of the Statute Commission. The review is still in progress and is a major exercise which will result in a proposal to the CIPM for approval.
The Salaries Commission has maintained its regular reviews of the BIPM staff salaries in relation to those of the Paris-based "coordinated organizations" and the French public sector, and has been consulted on the procedures for improving the effectiveness and value of the annual appraisal of the staff.
The final formal commission is concerned with social affairs and has maintained an active programme of events aimed at improving the interactions between staff members through cultural visits and week-end excursions.
The two remaining commissions have met when needed.
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Summary
