Vocabulary of metrology

In the various fields of technology, it is important to have a common vocabulary for simple, effective and unambiguous exchanges, and this is the aim of the 3rd edition of the VIM (ISO/IEC Guide 99:2007). The VIM is a terminology dictionary containing designations and definitions drawn from one or more specific fields. It enables all users to have the same meaning for a given term.

VIM is concerned with metrology, i.e. the science of measurement and its applications; it also covers the basic principles governing quantities and units.

It's important to understand that what's important are the concepts; then words are used to present, convey and summarize these concepts. The challenge of any technical vocabulary is to share and understand these concepts across cultures that are sometimes very different.

Bilingual publication in French and English is one of the factors ensuring the quality of the metrology vocabulary, as this method of producing the document forces the writers to be concise and very explicit in both languages. Unclear wording in either language can be seen as a sign of a lack of clarity in the concept. This vocabulary, published from the outset in two languages, will facilitate the work of translators who will have to translate it into other languages.

While the first edition of the VIM found its main sources in physics and legal metrology (metrology essentially linked to the regularity of commercial transactions and the safety of citizens), the third edition considers that there is no fundamental difference in the basic principles of measurements in physics, chemistry, medical biology, biology or engineering science. VIM has also attempted to cover the conceptual needs of measurements in fields such as biochemistry, food science, forensics and molecular biology.

This new vocabulary, whose title has also evolved, becomes "International Vocabulary of Metrology – Fundamental and General Concepts and Associated Terms (VIM)". Let's hope that it will serve as an effective exchange tool, and that it will be adopted by as many measurement and analysis practitioners as possible.