This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| Key Comparison Database | |
|---|---|
| Name | Key Comparison Database |
| Established | 1990s |
| Type | International metrology database |
| Owner | International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) |
| Country | France |
Key Comparison Database
The Key Comparison Database provides consolidated information on international metrology activities including SI comparisons, mutual recognition arrangements, and calibration equivalence. It links results from comparisons coordinated by bodies such as the International Bureau of Weights and Measures and the International Committee for Weights and Measures to support mutual recognition arrangements like the CIPM MRA and to inform regional organizations such as the EURAMET, APMP, SIM, and AFRIMETS. The database underpins traceability for national metrology institutes including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, National Physical Laboratory (United Kingdom), and National Metrology Institute of Japan.
The database catalogs outcomes of international comparisons and key comparison reference values (KCRVs) originating from comparisons organized by the Consultative Committee for Thermometry, Consultative Committee for Length, Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities, and other Consultative Committees overseen by the International Committee for Weights and Measures. It interfaces with regional metrology organizations such as COOMET and bilateral arrangements among institutes like CSIRO and KRISS. Users consult entries to verify participant lists from institutes such as LNE, MKEH, INMETRO, CENAM, CENAM (Mexico), and VNIIM.
Initiated to implement the CIPM MRA adopted in 1999, the database evolved from earlier interlaboratory comparison records kept by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures and influenced by initiatives from OECD working groups and the ISO technical committees. Early contributors included NIST, PTB, NPL, and LNE, while regional frameworks from EURAMET and APMP shaped data submission practices. Successive software and policy revisions were informed by projects involving the European Metrology Research Programme and standards such as ISO/IEC 17025 and OIML recommendations.
Entries include metadata for comparisons, participant laboratories, artifacts, measurement standards, and reported degrees of equivalence between institutes such as KRISS, NPLI, INRIM, METAS, and SP. The schema records comparison identifiers, protocol documents from BIPM technical work, and published KCRVs with uncertainty budgets referencing committees like CCT and CCM. The dataset indexes comparisons by discipline—e.g., thermometry, mass, electricity—linking to participating institutes such as CENAM, INTI, NIMT, and MIRS and historic campaigns involving laboratories like BEV and SCL.
Methods recorded reflect consensus protocols developed by consultative committees including CCU, CCL, CCM, and CCEM, and align with international standards such as ISO/IEC 17025 and GUM. Statistical treatments include degrees of equivalence, weighted means, and outlier analysis consistent with procedures endorsed by BIPM and documented by groups including JCRB and regional bodies like APMP and SIM. Calibration chains reference primary realizations held by labs such as NPL, PTB, NIST, and BNM-LNE.
Access mechanisms support web-based query and download functions maintained by BIPM with contributions from regional organizations such as EURAMET and COOMET. The technical stack has evolved from bespoke databases to services integrating XML schemas and APIs influenced by projects involving European Commission research networks and tools from institutions like CIPM working groups. Data provenance practices trace submissions from national metrology institutes including INMETRO, NMi, MKEH, and VSL, with versioning and archival policies coordinated with the International Committee for Weights and Measures.
Primary stakeholders include national metrology institutes such as NIST, PTB, NPL, KRISS, METAS, CENAM, and accreditation bodies applying ILAC and IAF frameworks. Industrial users in sectors served by standards bodies like IEC and ISO consult the database for calibration traceability, while academic researchers in metrology and engineering reference KCRVs when publishing in venues connected to IUPAC and IUPAP activities. Regulatory authorities and standardization committees such as OIML and ITU use equivalence data to support conformity assessment schemes.
Governance is provided through oversight by the BIPM, endorsement by the CIPM and coordination with the JCRB, regional bodies like EURAMET and APMP, and consultative committees including CCM and CCL. Quality assurance relies on peer review of comparison reports, accreditation evidence per ISO/IEC 17025, and evaluation by review committees drawing experts from institutes such as NPL, PTB, NIST, INRIM, and LNE. Periodic audits and updates follow procedures agreed at meetings of the International Committee for Weights and Measures and associated technical working groups.