What it's all about

What is metrology?
A growing need for reliable measurement results
Duties of the National Metrology Laboratories
National measurement technology assisting society and industry
Sl (Systeme International)
Calibration service
International involvement in metrology

What is metrology? [Back to top]

Metrology is the field of knowledge concerned with measurement, and includes all aspects both theoretical and practical with reference to measurements, whatever their level of accuracy, and in whatever fields of science or technology they occur.

A growing need for reliable measurement results [Back to top]

Measurements play a key role in modern life - in industry as well as in trade and in society in general, in assuring quality and safety in assigning costs. In addition, there is a growing need in science and technology for increasingly accurate and more complex measurements.
In Ethiopia, the Government has authorized QSAE as the custodian of the National standards for the base (length, mass, temperature, etc) and some derived measurement quantities of the SI system.
The QSAE's responsibility as a National Metrology Laboratory is to meet the needs of industry and society for traceable measurements and to provide close access to measurement technology competence.

Duties of the National Metrology Laboratories [Back to top]

The duties of the National Metrology Laboratories involve maintaining and upgrading the national measurement standards and ensuring their international traceability, and provide calibration service to national customers.

National measurement technology assisting society and industry [Back to top]

With the national standards as our starting point, it is our task to ensure that measurement expertise and traceability find their way out to Ethiopian industry and society in general. In practice, this means that we calibrate measuring instruments, arrange technical training and assist industry in solving measurement problems. For these tasks, we possess advanced measuring equipment and measurement environments, together with skilled and experienced personnel.

Sl (Systeme International) [Back to top]

SI is a coherent system of units defined through international consensus. Whenever possible, the definitions are based on established laws of nature, and the units can be realized and maintained through primary standards constructed according to well defined procedure.

Calibration service [Back to top]

As mentioned earlier, one of the pillars of a standardization infrastructure is the metrological system in place at a national level. In this regard, QSAE has set as one of its core objectives the establishment of a sound metrological system nationally, and as a consequence spearheads this effort by providing traceable calibration service and assuming the custodianship of the Etalons (national primary measurement standards) in Ethiopia. This service to industry and others is in the following areas.

• Dimensional measurement
• Mass measurement
• Volume measurement
• Density measurement
• Pressure measurement
• Force measurement
• Temperature measurement
• Electrical measurement
• Frequency measurement
  

International involvement in metrology [Back to top]

Membership in international organizations

• The International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) promotes the global harmonization of legal metrology procedures. The OIML has developed a worldwide technical structure that provides its members with metrological guidelines for the elaboration of national and regional requirements concerning the manufacture and use of measuring instruments for legal metrology applications. Ethiopia is a full member of OIML.
• The Southern African Development Community Cooperation in Measurement Traceability (SADCMET) coordinates metrology activities and services in the Southern African Region, in order to provide regional calibration and testing services, including regulatory bodies, with readily available traceability to the SI units of measurement, through legally defined and regionally and internationally recognized national measurement standards. The Quality and Standards Authority of Ethiopia is an associate member of SADCMET effective 11 April 2002.

Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Metrology

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on April 16, 2002 between the Quality and Standards Authority of Ethiopia (QSAE) and the National Metrology Laboratory of the South Africa (NML-CSIR) on technical cooperation in metrology. This first international cooperation of its kind made by QSAE is a major milestone in the Authority's service quality improvement efforts, namely, achieving international recognition in the area of metrology.

Forms of cooperative activities under this Memorandum of Understanding may consist of exchange of information; reference data and reference materials; calibrations; standards; exchange visits; cooperative research between Metrologist of the parties engaged in metrology fields of mutual interest within the scope of programs of the parties; technical assistance; and other forms of cooperative activities mutually agreed upon.

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