A two day training course on understanding and evaluating measurement uncertainty. The course includes an introduction to the philosophy behind the Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM) and the first Supplement to the GUM concerned with using a Monte Carlo method for uncertainty evaluation, and covers material contained within those documents.

Objectives

The aims and objectives of the course are to:

• Give improved understanding of measurement uncertainty, methods for measurement uncertainty evaluation and the circumstances in which those methods apply
• Support the provision of scientifically defensible results
• Emphasise model-based uncertainty evaluation
• Help make better use of the GUM
• Help tackle more challenging uncertainty evaluation problems than those covered directly by the GUM

Course Content

The course is based on the considerable experience gained by the presenters of the needs of practitioners in the area of measurement uncertainty evaluation. The course covers:

• Underpinning statistical concepts
• Developing and using a measurement model
• Formulating a problem of measurement uncertainty evaluation
• The conventional approach to uncertainty evaluation of the GUM
• Other approaches to uncertainty evaluation, including a Monte Carlo method
• Extensions to problems with more than one measurand
• Examples and case studies
• Current international work on the GUM including the GUM Supplements

Delegates are encouraged to bring their own problems of uncertainty evaluation, for which there will be ample discussion time.

Intended Audience

The course is intended for those involved in measurement wanting to gain an understanding of methods for evaluating measurement uncertainty and the circumstances in which those methods apply. It is also intended for practitioners having problems in uncertainty evaluation that are not immediately or conveniently handled by the GUM, and who wish to learn about the current international work on the GUM including the Supplements to the GUM.

Prior Knowledge

The course is complementary to other courses on measurement uncertainty, such as that offered by UKAS. Attendees would benefit from having previously attended one of those courses or having had experience in the application of the GUM or UKAS M3003 or a comparable document.

Documentation

Attendees will receive hard copies of the current edition of an NPL best practice guide on uncertainty evaluation, the current edition of an NPL report on software specifications for uncertainty evaluation, and the course presentations.

Lecturing Team

The course will be given by NPL's Professor Maurice Cox, Dr Peter Harris and Dr Ian Smith. They have considerable experience of working with NPL's scientists and others on problems concerned with modelling and uncertainty evaluation in a wide variety of measurement applications. NPL has membership of JCGM, ISO and BSI committees concerned with measurement uncertainty and related statistical topics. NPL makes a major contribution to the JCGM's development of the GUM and Supplements to the GUM through the work of the lecturing team.

Further Information

For further information or enquiries about this course, please contact: Dr Peter Harris

Next scheduled dates: 14-15 May 2013

View NPL's upcoming training courses and a full list of available courses

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This course has been endorsed by the Institute of Physics (IOP):

• If you are a member of the IOP, you will receive a 10% discount on the course fee
• CPD points will be awarded on this course at a rate of 3 per hour