The article discusses NIST’s efforts to harmonize measurements across global laboratories through standardized procedures and tools. Key points include:
1. Measurement harmonization is crucial for ensuring reliable, comparable measurements across different labs and countries. NIST collaborates with labs worldwide to compare measurements of the same materials/equipment using standardized protocols.
2. The NIST Decision Tree is a web-based tool that helps labs determine how to handle interlaboratory study data. It recommends data modeling and analysis approaches based on questions about the data, assisting labs in agreeing on data comparison and analysis methods.
3. Consistent measurement practices are essential for global commerce, science, and technology. They ensure measurements are reliable across cultural and jurisdictional boundaries, such as a German patient’s blood test results in Vietnam matching those at home.
4. NIST’s standard reference materials ensure measurement calibration accuracy and reliability, important for applications ranging from medical tests to industrial processes.
5. Antonio Possolo, NIST Fellow and chief statistician, has dedicated his career to developing data analysis methods to support NIST’s measurement services. His work on statistical modeling and analysis has been critical in refining tools like the NIST Decision Tree and advancing measurement harmonization efforts worldwide, as seen in chemistry, temperature measurements, and international environmental studies like GEOTRACES.
Keywords: measurement harmonization, standardized procedures, comparison results
