“Many organisations publish their thinking about potential futures but NPL, as the UK’s National Metrology Institute, has a unique perspective on technology changes and a key role to play in enabling them. Whether it’s driving the green recovery or ensuring intelligent use of data, the UK’s position as a science superpower depends on looking to the future and being one step ahead. Metrology, the science of measurement, continues to play a key role in innovation and has already enabled many new technologies to come to fruition, such as hydrogen fuel cells, radiotherapy, global satellite navigation and wireless communications.
The aim of this work was to explore the implications of new technologies and trends on the future of the measurement, which will help us set future research priorities for NPL. Therefore, we asked ourselves the questions:
- Which new trends will change why we perform measurements?
- Which new technologies will change how we perform measurements?
I hope that this Foresighting work will motivate discussions with colleagues, collaborators and stakeholders about the future of measurement and I invite you to contact us so that we may work together to realise this vision.”
Prof Jan-Theodoor (JT) Janssen CPhys FInstP FIET
Chief Scientist, National Physical Laboratory
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