Metrology is the scientific discipline related to measurement and its uses in scientific fields, innovation, industries, trading and other fields. World Metrology Day is celebrated each year on May 20. The event highlights the necessity of precise measurement units and the contribution of every individual in metrology organisations and institutes. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Metrology in the Digital Era.’ Below, we share some key facts about World Metrology Day.
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World Metrology Day was established at the 21st General Conference on Weights (CGPM) in October 1999. This is where the May 20 date was chosen for the annual celebration of metrology.
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The May 20 date was selected to commemorate the signing of the Metre Convention or the Treaty of the Metre on the same date in 1875.
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Seventeen nations, namely Austria-Hungary, Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the then Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Peru, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States of America and Venezuela, signed the Metre Convention on May 20, 1875.
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World Metrology Day is organised as a joint effort of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML). National metrology organisations also participate.
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More than 80 nations participate in World Metrology Day celebrations to underscore the importance of measurements and their units in our everyday lives.
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The 2022 theme for World Metrology Day, ‘Metrology in the Digital Era,’ was selected to reflect the advances brought about by digital technologies and how it has helped metrology.
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The international treaty known as the Metre Convention is dedicated to creating a global uniformity on units of measurement.
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The signing of the Metre Convention led to the formation of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). It is an intergovernmental organisation of 59 member states.
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The BIPM enforces the goals set forth by the Metre Convention. It coordinates measurement comparisons by various national metrology institutes.
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International recommendations to create unified measurement standards across many fields, such as global trade, are provided by the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML).
