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IntroductionProf. Leslie Pendrill has been the Head of Research of the Meas-urement Division at the SP Technical Research Institute of Swedensince 1985. His research work is concerned with fundamentalmetrology, in particular optoelectronic, laser, length, and massmeasurements, while his applied metrology activities include opti-mized measurement uncertainty studies and the measurement ofperception. He is actively involved in several international metrol-ogy activities, holding leading roles such as currently the2009–2012 Chair of the European Association of National Metrol-ogy Institutes (EURAMET) and earlier as Chair (2006–2008) ofthe International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)Commission on Symbols, Units, Nomenclature, Atomic Massesand Fundamental Constants (SUNAMCO). He has just become amember of the NCSLI Board as EURAMET Representative.

Q. NCSLI is very pleased to interview you for its metrologyjournal measure. You have been a long time supporter of NCSLIand have attended many of the annual NCSLI Workshop &Symposiums, as well as the Measurement Science Conference(MSC), since the mid 1980’s. Since you have had leading rolesin international, European and Swedish national metrology foralmost 25 years, you have seen steady growth in both European

Metrology and Swedish National Metrology. What are yourcurrent views about the interplay between national, Europeanand international strategy in quality-assured measurement insupporting manufacturing and technology industries and inmeeting society’s challenges at large?

A Conversation with Leslie Pendrill,SP Technical Research Institute ofSweden and EURAMET

Leslie Pendrill, Head of Research at the Measurement Division,SP Sweden and EURAMET Chair.

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A. Business and society are making increasing demands onmeasurements in terms of complexity, combined with higheraccuracy, often in response to the global “Grand Challenges” oftoday’s society. The support that quality-assured measurement(‘metrology’) provides to sustainability and innovation is well-known and has a long history. Metrological traceability meansthat the results of measurements can be compared in an objec-tive way, both reproducibly and even amongst different meas-urement quantities. That in turns ensures that products andprocesses in a wide range of sectors can more efficiently worktogether. In addition, communication is improved so that prod-ucts can be traded, ensuring their safety, and that they are keptwithin specifications. Measurement uncertainty for its part givesan indication of measurement quality, which is essential inassessing the real value and impact of a measurement result.Metrology continues to support traditional sectors, including

global trade, which indeed stimulated the first international con-vention, namely the Meter Convention of 1875. During the 20th

Century, metrology increasingly supported the manufacturingand process industries. Now, a decade into the 21st Century,quality-assured measurement is additionally engaged with the‘emerging’ sectors, such as security, healthcare and climatechange. To have close and secure access to accurate measure-ments that are traceable to the International System of Units(SI) (meter, kilogram, second, etc.) is a prerequisite for amodern industrial society, whatever sector is considered.Thus, metrology is closely linked to industry and society. With

a small home market (8 million inhabitants in a land area similarto California), Sweden has always been a country with an inter-national perspective, be it in diplomacy or in major, multina-tional enterprises. The process industries, including forestry,paper and mining, are relatively strong in Sweden and havemajor international exports. Manufacturing industries in sectorssuch as the automotive, pharmaceutical, and information andcommunication technologies (ICT), include well-known brandssuch as Volvo, Saab, Ericsson, AstraZeneca, etc., with marketsfar larger than the modest domestic demands. Swedish enter-prises in the retail business, such as IKEA, TetraPak and H&MHennes & Mauritz, are globally renowned. Energy and the envi-ronment are always high on the Swedish agenda. Amongstcountries with research-intensive industries, Sweden has pro-portionally a rather high number of companies among the toprankings.Sweden can appear to be a bit remote, since it is located on

the Northern periphery of the Continent, and perhaps not themost Europhile of the European Union’s countries; it joined theEU as late as 1995 and is not yet in the Eurozone. Nevertheless,in the last quarter century, Sweden has become successivelymore an integrated part of Europe, most recently as host for thePresidency of the EU Council of Ministers in the 2nd half of2009. Of course, Europe is a major export market for Swedishindustry, but not exclusively since North America, Asia and thedeveloping world are at least as important. The Swedish aca-demic sector for its part can seem somewhat ambivalent to

European research integration, stating recently for example thatit is “more important what Member Countries do at home, whileEU’s research program constitutes only about 5 % of ournational budgets.”1

In their role as national metrology institutes (NMIs), organi-zations such as SP Sweden emphasize that they are neitherindustries nor academies, but something in between. Insteadthese institutes have a unique, intermediary position in the inno-vation value chain linking academic research and ordinary, com-mercially provided measurement services. The institute’s goalsare based on and declared in terms of a proven competency bal-anced against explicitly expressed needs for quality-assuredmeasurement. From the picture I have given above of Swedishindustry, one can draw parallels between industrial allegianceswith national and international stakeholders to the correspon-ding allegiances in metrology. Swedish national metrology(which is mainly concentrated in SP Sweden) has a clear role insupport of local industry and society as an essential, albeit ‘invis-ible,’ part of the country’s technological infrastructure. Butincreasingly, the ever growing demands for metrologicalresources in response to global challenges are best met withtransnational cooperation.At the moment, there is much discussion and debate in

Europe about finding a balance between national and Europeanresearch efforts, with concepts such as ‘smart specialization’ inthe European Research Area and in encouraging researchermobility. Swedish national metrology aims at creating a localcritical mass in a small country so that it can attempt to createseveral European centers of excellence in metrology in the ‘FarNorth.’

Q. What are your major goals for the Measurement Divisionduring the next 5–10 years?A. In formulating goals for national metrology, one can usefullyplan in terms of technological foresight, including roadmapsextending perhaps 15 years into the future. However responsivewe are in setting goals in terms of the needs of industry andsociety, institutes like SP, with their unique, intermediary rolediscussed above, need nevertheless to look beyond immediateneeds and plan long-term. The immediate requirements forquality-assured measurement are best provided by the com-mercial sector. Almost all countries support a national metrol-ogy program with government funds and one often talks of‘market failure’ in national metrology. The ‘competency’referred to here means the ‘best’ metrology can offer – otherwisesomeone else can just as well provide it, and the ‘needs’ referredto here means the long-term requirements of society and indus-try. This is not say that national metrology institutes are ‘aloofivory towers’ as some might see us, since we are in constant,daily contact with society and industry. Institutes disseminatetraceability and metrological know-how to secondary calibra-tion laboratories, that do the ‘real, frontline’ job.In the coming years, our goals will be set in three ways: (i)

meeting the Grand Challenges mentioned already; (ii) measur-ing ‘domestic’ measurement needs; and (iii) last but not least,

Continued on page 241 Chairman of Board of the Swedish Research Council,www.sulf.se/templates/CopyrightPage.aspx?id=10430 (in Swedish).

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increasing our outreach and metrological knowledge exchangein its broadest meaning.Speaking of metrology outreach, I’ve been inspired by activ-

ities that the NCSLI is doing so well in this area and was proudto share the NCSLI best invited paper award with GeorgiaHarris a couple of years back where we compared and con-trasted European and North American approaches to metrologyknowledge exchange. [1]Sweden is well-known globally for its long history of support

for international development through programs such as theSwedish International Development Cooperation Agency(SIDA). And as part of this, SP Sweden is known as a small, butreliable, actor in quality infrastructure programs in the devel-oping world, be it in Africa, Central America or in the neigh-boring regions of Europe. I personally enjoy teaching, at theuniversity level, as well as in industry, and readers are welcometo try our on-line (free) Internet based handbook “Applicationof Statistical Methods in Measurement & Testing” athttp://metrology.wordpress.com.Another important component in metrological outreach is

making visible the role of metrology in the wider context of con-formity assessment of products and services of all kinds.National metrology is a key player in providing proactive policyadvice to regulatory bodies where new technology and newmetrology need to be developed in order to meet emerging chal-lenges, such as safe nanoproduction.One main, determining factor in deciding the major goals for

Swedish metrology in the next 5 to 10 years is the emergence ofa major European metrology research program, the 400 M€European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) [2] wherethere might be a chance to create European centers of metro-logical excellence in Sweden.

Q. SP Sweden is a very active and important national metrologyinstitute in Europe. It has collaborated with the European Asso-ciation of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET), and sup-

ported the European MetrologyResearch Program (EMRP). Canyou provide some recent highlights

of these collaborative activities?A. What is exciting just now in European metrology coopera-tion is that members of EURAMET are not merely addingtogether their national metrology programs but are indeed, atleast partially, integrating resources into a truly regionalprogram. Recent developments in European metrology – thedramatic growth of EURAMET to over 100 member organiza-tions in 34 countries and the start of a 400 M€ EuropeanMetrology Research Program (EMRP) – mean that nationalmetrology programming increasingly includes European, as wellas national, aspects as one of the most advanced examples of theflagship European Research Area. We estimate that as much as25 % of national metrology research budgets will now be trulyEuropean. You can read more about the EMRP in AndyHenson’s recent NCSLI Measure article. [3]It is important to realize that this development of European

metrology is not dominated by a few, large European countries,and by far the majority of EURAMET members by number are

countries of comparable size to Sweden. As EURAMET Chairduring the next three years, I am responsible for leading activi-ties that EURAMET coordinates and for encouraging coopera-tion throughout Europe. [4] Of course, there are still somepurely national concerns and, from a Swedish point of view, itis important that Sweden is given a chance to be an active partof the European metrology, so that:• Swedish companies should not be at a competitive disadvantage.• Swedish skills will be made available to Europe.But as Chair, I don’t solely represent Sweden: Making sure the

voices of all European NMIs are heard, irrespective of whetherthey are from large or small countries, I see as one of the mainhallmarks of my Chairmanship. And this is no mean challenge,bearing in mind the enormous differences, by almost a factor200, between the largest and smallest EURAMET members.I suppose I’m a Europhile, but this does not mean that I’m in

favor of a fully centralized European Bureau of Standards!There has been much talk about eliminating unnecessary redun-dancy amongst the different NMIs and letting ‘market forces’find the optimum sharing of metrological resources and servicesin Europe. As a counterweight, in my Chairman’s editorial in thelatest EURAMET Newsletter [5], I remind readers of the oldadage about the composer Schubert who might have finished his“Unfinished Symphony” had he used modern quality assurancemethods – you know, all those unnecessary ‘demi-semiquavers’so typical of the national metrologist! I believe metrology is aclassic area where the market ‘fails.’ Instead, organisations suchas EURAMET can be described as composing a Symphony ofExcellence, to echo a recent issue of the EU Commission’s mag-azine “research*eu” [no. 61, July 2009], but with many instru-ments in each part of the orchestra.EURAMET and the EMRP are enabling even the smaller

countries to aim at becoming ‘Centers of Excellence.’Metrology in Energy has been the topic for the first

announcement in 2009 of the EURAMET EMRP Article 169Research Program, and the preliminary outcome of proposalevaluation indicates considerable support to Swedishresearchers. Amongst the projects proposed by Sweden, SPSweden aims to coordinate a project on Metrology for HVDC,i.e., high-voltage direct current electrical energy transportsystems as part of the establishment in Sweden of a Europeancenter of excellence in this field. SP Sweden already has inter-nationally unique measurement skills in the field, and, at thesame time, unique efforts in the development of this kind ofnovel energy system are at present being made in Sweden,including the so-called South-West link which is using some ofthe most modern dc high-voltage technology.During this Spring, EURAMET is also announcing EMRP

Calls for Metrology in Industry and the Environment, and SPSweden aims to be proactive even in these areas. Everyone iswelcome to suggest Topics for Research – see www.euramet.org!

Q. The accreditation system in Sweden is operated by theSwedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment,SWEDAC. What is SP Sweden’s role supporting the accredita-tion of calibration and testing laboratories in Sweden?A. I’ve been in metrology long enough to remember the time

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before accreditation. Indeed, manyaccreditation bodies such as SWEDACwere ‘spawned’ from national metrologyinstitutes. So relations between NMIsand accreditation bodies over the yearsmight be described as typical of siblings!SP Sweden is happy to provide many ofthe technical experts used in the assess-ment of Swedish accredited calibrationlaboratories.I promote more generally the role of

quality-assured measurement in Con-formity Assessment: NMIs provide invalu-able support to Conformity Assessment

bodies, in terms of dissemination of theSI; guidance in best measurement prac-tices and how to evaluate and use meas-urement uncertainty in decisions ofcompliance. And the NMIs have uniqueresources to track technological develop-ments in order to provide policy adviceabout new approaches to conformityassessment in many areas of Grand Chal-lenge. We are happy to join our colleaguesin Accreditation, Legal Metrology, Stan-dardization and Regulation, in providingthe necessary technological Quality Infra-structure for modern society.

Q. SP Sweden has concentrated effortson developing new mathematicalmethods that support measurement tech-nology. This work has ranged from devel-oping algorithms for combiningmeasurements from different clocks inorder to obtain better time and uncer-tainty estimates to developing method-ologies to balance the cost of ameasurement against the cost of the con-sequences of wrong decisions, all as afunction of measurement uncertainty.Can you provide a status report on thesemathematical methods?A. SP has developed algorithms for com-bining measurements from differentclocks in order to obtain better time esti-mates and to provide an associateduncertainty estimate. The algorithms arebased on several interacting Kalmanfilters, giving at any time the best possi-ble time estimate together with ameasure of its associated quality. Thetechnique is used today to maintain theSwedish national time scale UTC(SP)which is a national realization of theCoordinated Universal Time (UTC).In addition, we have recently devel-

oped a new methodology that combineseconomic factors with measurementuncertainty. The cost of measurement isbalanced against the cost of the conse-quences of wrong decisions, as a functionof measurement uncertainty. This workgrew out of my realizing, after givencourses of twenty years for industrial andlaboratory metrologists in how to evalu-ate measurement uncertainty, that therealways remained the question: What isthe right ‘fit-for-purpose’ level of meas-urement uncertainty? No measurement ismade purely for its own sake. And weoften get the question: What is theimpact of your measurements? There isno point in making highly accurate meas-urements or spending a lot of time andeffort analyzing different components ofuncertainty, if the job at hand doesn’trequire such sophistication. On the otherhand, a sloppy measurement with largeuncertainties will cost much more interms of bad decisions than any savingson measurement.Luckily, I found that a group of

chemists and statisticians in London UK

Continued on page 26

Swedish Power Network [Svenska kraftnät, www.svk.se/Start/English/Press—Information/Annual-report/]

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had in the mid-90’s developed a so-called‘optimized uncertainty’ methodologywhich they applied to analytical meas-urements. I took up their approach tenyears later and extended it to a wholerange of measurements as a type of pro-totype study on the role of quality-assured measurements in conformityassessment of all kinds of product.One basic example is an analysis of fit-

for-purpose measurement uncertaintywhen testing the contents of a wide rangeof consumer products, such as pre-pack-aged cheese, coffee powder, shampoo,etc. Here the approach works well bothwhen testing by variable as well as inclassical statistical acceptance samplingby attribute (that is, ‘go/no-go’ deci-sions). I have added a third dimension tothe optimized uncertainty methodologyby including a new kind of tool: the costcharacteristic power curve. Many exam-ples have been analyzed in legal metrol-ogy, arguably the first formalizedapproach to general conformity assess-ment, where challenges such as ‘fit-for-purpose’ testing of measuring instrumentsfor metering energy or environmentalemissions have been successfully dealtwith. [6]

Q. SP Sweden, as other NMIs, is heavilyinvolved in supporting the Key Compar-isons as part of the Bureau Internationaldes Poids et Mesures (BIPM) Interna-tional Committee for Weights and Meas-ures Mutual Recognition Arrangement

(CIPM MRA). Can you summarize yourviews of the status of the calibration serv-ices of SP Sweden that are currentlylisted in Appendix C of the CIPM MRAand SP Sweden’s future plans for therecognition of additional calibrationservices under the MRA?A. Since SP Sweden bases its nationalmetrology on a balance of needs andcompetence, our calibration servicesshould in principle reflect these. The Cal-ibration and Measurement Capabilities(CMC) declared in the CIPM database,together with the results of key compar-isons, are, as you know, under constantreview by the regional metrology organi-zations. There is ideally a chain of activ-ities linking research to the end-users, inwhich new measurement know-how isimplemented in improved calibrationand measurement capabilities. Part of myown research recently has in fact beenaimed at going beyond just the numbersand focusing on a modeling of ‘fit-for-purpose’ Calibration & MeasurementCapabilities, using the optimized uncer-tainty methodology described above tobalance the costs of maintaining CMCsagainst the needs of testing, and hasrecently been published, together withSlovenian colleagues. [7] So hopefullythe Swedish CMCs should in principlenot only be validated but also be ‘fit-for-purpose’!Of increasing concern to me is that it is

at least as equally important to promoteKey Comparisons – proficiency testing, if

you will - at the secondary calibrationlaboratory level, so that industry’s ownlaboratories can declare reliable andproven Calibration and MeasurementCapabilities for their customers.

Q. SP Sweden is in the process of devel-oping new metrology capabilities in avariety of non-traditional areas, such asnanotechnology, surface analysis, inor-ganic and organic chemical analysis, andbiological analysis. Can you highlightsome of Sweden’s needs in these areasand projects that will address them?A. As is well known, nanotechnology ispromising a spectacular innovativegrowth of a wide range of novel prod-ucts. Nanometrology, which is defined asthe measurement and characterisation ofstructures with at least one dimension inthe range 1 to 100 nm, can provide anessential infrastructure to support sus-tainable growth in nanoproducts.Quality-assured measurement, i.e.,metrological traceability and measure-ment uncertainty, ensures quality-assuredproducts since it is a key step in assessingproduct quality characteristic compliancewith specifications, e.g., in a regulatorycontext. This is particularly importantwhere product characteristics at thenanoscale are of concern, for example,potential health risks or other perform-ance requirements.Sweden is relatively strong in aca-

demic nanoscience, but, like other coun-tries, seems to be less successful intransferring and exploiting nanotechnol-ogy into innovative products.SP Sweden is part of a European

project, called CO-NANOMET [8] Coor-dination of Nanometrology in Europe,which is formulating a European strategyand action plan in support of improvedtransfer and exploitation of nanotech-nology into innovative products throughbetter quality-assured measurement. SPSweden has two main roles in the CO-NANOMET project: (1) leading a studyof industrial exploitation of nanometrol-ogy and (2) the creation of a EuropeanNanometrology Action Group in Nano-biotechnology defined in this instance asthe application of nanosciences, nano-scale phenomena or nanotechnologies inbio- and life-science and technology, ini-tially focused on the health care sector,

Optimizing measurement uncertainties, umeasure, by balancing costs of testing against con-sequence costs in conformity-assessment decisions (MPU, Maximum Permissible Uncer-tainty, is a target uncertainty). [6]

Optimised Uncertainty MethodologyDecision-Making and Risks

EconomicLoss(€)

Measurement Uncertainty (%)

umeasure MPU/2600

400

200

00.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09

←← Too much testing Too little testing →→

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but the food sector is also addressed to some extent. This workis extending nanometrology beyond dimensional metrology toalso include quality-assured measurement of the chemical andbiological properties of nanosystems.

Q. Are there some other new or exciting metrology or meas-urement activities at SP Sweden that you would like to com-municate to the members of NCSLI?A. Traditional physiological metrology needs to be comple-mented in several ways, as it is becoming increasingly recog-nised that psychophysical, mental and behavioral processes areknown to affect significantly the human response to variousstimuli, take pain as an example. Quality-assured measurementin measurement systems where human being plays a key role isrelatively underdeveloped, despite great potential for innovationand particularly in applications where humans are an importantcomponent of critical systems, where for instance health andsafety are at stake. [10] As part of the European ‘Measuring theImpossible’ Network, MINET, which promotes new researchactivities in measurement dependent on human perceptionand/or interpretation, my colleagues and I at SP Sweden have

led a series of think tanks and Internet-based repositories inmetrology (quality-assured measurement) in the last three years.An example is an interdisciplinary glossary of concepts and ter-minology in Perceptive Metrology developed by this consortiumof physicists, metrologists, medical scientists, neurologists, andscientists from psychology and sociology. [11]

References[1] G. Harris and L.R. Pendrill, “Comparing and Contrasting Studies

of Metrology Education and Training in Europe and NorthAmerica,” NCSLI Measure, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 38–45, 2008.

[2] EMRP 2009, “Decision No 912/2009/EC of the EuropeanParliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009 on theparticipation by the Community in a European metrologyresearch and development programme undertaken by severalMember States,” Official Journal of the European Union, L 257,vol. 52, pp. 12–25, 30/09/2009. (See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:257:0012:0025:EN:PDF)

[3] Andy Henson, Michael Kühne and Luc Erard, “The EuropeanMetrology Research Programme in Action,” NCSLI Measure,vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 26–33, 2009].

[4] L.R. Pendrill, “EURAMET: European Association of NationalMetrology Institutes,” NCSLI Measure, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 40–44,2009.

[5] EURAMET Newsletter, Issue II, November 2009.See www.euramet.org/index.php?id=euramet-newsletter

[6] L.R. Pendrill, “Optimised Measurement Uncertainty andDecision-Making in Conformity Assessment,” NCSLI Measure,vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 76–86, 2007.

[7] G. Beges, J. Drnovsek and L.R. Pendrill, “Optimising calibrationand measurement capabilities in terms of economics inconformity assessment,” Accred. Qual. Assur., 2009. DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00769-009-0599-3.

[8] CO-NANOMET 2009 Coordination of nanometrology inEurope. See www.co-nanomet.eu/

[9] “MINET 2007–2010 Measuring the Impossible: Network,”NEST Pathfinder project Contract No. 043297, 2010.See http://minet.wordpress.com

[10] L.R. Pendrill et al., “Measurement with Persons: A EuropeanNetwork”, NCSLI Measure, in press.

[11] MINET Glossary, 2009.See http://minet3repository.wordpress.com/measurement-domains/measurement-concepts-terminology/minet-glossary-of-perceptive-metrology/

Prof. Leslie Pendrill

EURAMET Chair & Delegate for SwedenHead of Research, Measurement TechnologySP Technical Research Institute of SwedenPO Box 857SE-501 15 BoråsSwedenEmail: leslie.pendrill@sp.se

Scanning electron microscopy image of nanostructures of a tita-nium human implant that will influence the tissue response to thematerial.

‘Measuring the Impossible’ Network (MINET). [9]