Knut Birkeland in his paper Legal Metrology at the Dawn of the 21st Century defined our “Global Measurement System” as one that provides a coherent structure which ensures that measurements can be made on a consistent, appropriately accurate, transparent, and internationally recognized basis throughout the world. It comprises all activities that provide measurement data as a basis for decisions in many aspects of life – politics, commerce, industry, science, engineering, international trade, human health and safety, environmental, and resource protection. 

According to John Birch in his study Benefit of Legal Metrology for the Economy and Society, the major components of the “Measurement System” are the Economic Infrastructure and the Technology Infrastructure. 
The Economic Infrastructure has generally been defined as those industry sectors that support the market economy (i.e. energy, transportation, & telecommunications) and are underpinned by the Social Infrastructure (i.e. hospitals, fire, police).

Secondly, the “Measurement System” also includes a substantial Technical Infrastructure to support the consistency of measurements that are used for decision making in industry, science & technology, the market economy, government regulation, and the community.

This measurement infrastructure includes the International System of units of physical quantities (SI), the National Measurement Institutes that maintain and develop the national standards of measurement, the calibration laboratories that maintain the traceability path and the laboratory accreditation organizations, the pattern approval testing laboratories, the measurement legislation and the enforcement of  these measurement regulations, the scientific and technical committees that develop international measurement standards and recommendations and the training of metrologists and measurement engineers and technicians.

So where does the MSC fit in this Measurement System? The Measurement Science Conference was founded in 1970 to promote education and professionalism in the measurement sciences and other related disciplines.  The conference is an annual event that provides an excellent forum for professionals from all industries & disciplines to come together in a common location to learn new skills, introduce measurement or business solutions, network, see the latest Measurement & Test Equipment, and most importantly support the continuing education that is so vital to the sustainment of the talent pool whom are our future educators and measurement specialists.

In closing, I chose the theme “Global Measurement: Economy & Technology” because Measurement Science is not simply making measurements.  There is a strong interrelationship between the measurements we make and the impact they have on our economy.  More than ever, as professionals in the measurement community we need to consider not only the technical aspects of the measurements we perform, but the economic impact they relate to as well.  The Measurement Science Conference is an excellent forum for sharing your thoughts and I encourage your participation in the 2010 Measurement Science Conference
Hopefully you share my enthusiasm as I look forward to this conference.  See you there.

The Measurement Science Conference was founded in 1970 to promote education and professionalism in measurement science and related disciplines. The Conference has grown and matured to meet the needs of dynamic measurement technologies as well as to address pertinent national and global measurement issues. Based in California, the MSC has attracted experts from around the world as speakers, exhibitors and attendees.