Metrology is the science of measurement and its application. Metrology includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement, whatever the measurement uncertainty and field of application.
The St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards (SKNBS) is actively engaged in providing legal metrology services in the areas of mass and volume measurements. The International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) defines legal metrology as the practice and the process of applying regulatory structure and enforcement to metrology.
The scope of Legal Metrology services in St. Kitts and Nevis includes:
- Mass Metrology – Calibration and verification of Non-automatic weighing instruments
(e.g. scales at airports, supermarkets, healthcare facilities etc.) - Volume Metrology – Calibration and verification gasoline volume meters
(e.g. fuel stations pumps etc.)
What is a Calibration?
The International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM 2.39) defines the term Calibration as an “operation that, under specified conditions, in a first step, establishes a relation between the quantity values with measurement uncertainties provided by measurement standards and corresponding indications with associated measurement uncertainties and, in a second step, uses this information to establish a relation for obtaining a measurement result from an indication.
What is a Verification?
The International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM 2.44) defines a Verification as provision of objective evidence that a given item fulfils specified requirements.
- EXAMPLE 1. Confirmation that a given reference material as claimed is homogeneous for the quantity value and measurement procedure concerned, down to a measurement portion having a mass of 10 mg.
- EXAMPLE 2. Confirmation that performance properties or legal requirements of a measuring system are achieved.
- EXAMPLE 3. Confirmation that a target measurement uncertainty can be met.
