Why do we need metrological traceability?
- there is a need for international consistency and comparability of measurements,
- measurement comparability is an essential characteristic of an international measurement system within which measurement results can be universally accepted,
- international consistency and comparability can only be guaranteed if measurement results are traceable to internationally recognized references, mainly the International System of Units (SI), but where such traceability is not yet feasible, measurement results should be traceable to other internationally agreed references (for example, hardness scales, and reference standards established by the World Health Organization).
Metrological traceability is therefore one of the elements that establishes international confidence in the world-wide equivalence of measurements. At the same time, the framework enables legislators, regulators and exporters/importers to take advantage of an international set of mutually supportive systems which demonstrate equivalence of measurements and therefore can significantly reduce technical barriers to trade (TBTs) which might result from lack of equivalence.
Joint BIPM, OIML, ILAC and ISO declaration on measurement traceability
