An Assessment of the United States Measurement System: Addressing Measurement Barriers to Accelerate Innovation NIST Special Publication 1048 (9C Nisr a57 ^J ^ TNeacthinoonlaolgyIAndsmtiintiustteraotfioSnt,aUn.dS.arDdespaarntdmeTntecohfnCoolmomgeyrce Dr. DennisA. Swyt, Director NIST USMS Program NIST USMS Report Editorial Committee I MarkBello I Jacqueline Calhoun I Kari Harper I Mary Saunders I James Whetstone I I NIST USMSTask Group I JamesAdams I ThelmaAllen ClareAllocca Frank Barros Herbert Bennett Jacqueline Calhoun Leslie Collica HunterFanney Barbara Goldstein Prasad Gupte Kari Harper Cameron Miller Thomas Rhodes Mary Saunders John Slotwinski I James Whetstone i http://usms.nist.gov NIST Special Publication 1048 An Assessment of the United States Measurement System: Addressing Measurement Barriers to Accelerate Innovation Dr. DennisA. Swyt Office ofthe Director National Institute ofStandards andTechnology MD Gaithersburg, 20899 August 2006 U.S. Department ofCommerce CarlosM. Gutierrez, Secretary TechnologyAdministration Robert Cresanti, UnderSecretary ofCommerceforTechnology National Institute ofStandards andTechnology WilliamJeffrey, Director Certaincommercialentities,equipment, ormaterialsmaybe identified inthisdocumentinordertodescribeanexperimental procedureorconceptadequately.Such identification is not intended toimplyrecommendationorendorsementbytheNational Institute ofStandardsandTechnology, noris itintendedtoimplythatthe entities, materials,orequipmentarenecessarilythebestavailable forthe purpose. National Institute ofStandards and Technology Special Publication 1048 Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ. 1048, 64 pages (August 2006) CODEN: NSPUE2 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR 'To measure is to know." And knowledge - whether aimed at unraveHng afundamental law ofnature or ensuring that a manufactured part will fit into its assembly - is critical to continued technical progress, to innovation, and ultimately to the economic security ofour nation. The requirement to measure things more accurately, faster, and at smallerdimensions is now pervasive throughout U.S. science and industry. Whether designing complex nanostructures. exploiting fundamental quantum properties ofmatter, or probing the chemical pathways inside acell -the demand for more and better measurements is unrelenting. Progress to date has been phenomenal. We can now measure time with an accuracy ofbetterthan 1 second in 60 million years, measure force to a nanonewton (roughly equal to the force required to severa single chemical bond between two atoms), and count single electrons and photons. But as the magnitude and quality ofglobal competition has increased, there is a greater urgenc) in ensuring thatthe measurement capabilities required by science and industry are addressed or are in development. This report documents the breadth ofthe U.S. Measurement System (USMS). It also documents current unmet measurement needs that pose immediatebarriers totechnological innovation across a numberof industry and technology sectors. The measurement needs identified in this initial assessment are compelling evidence that new or improved measurement capabilities are required. Meeting this requirement is necessary ifwe are to continue "ro generate andharness the latestin scientificandtechnologicaldevelopments andto apply these developments to real worldapplications," as called for in President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative. This report shouldbe viewed as a beginning, not as an end product. At NIST. we will use this assessment as a means to focus ourown work in support ofU.S. innovation and competitiveness. We also will partner with other stakeholders in both the public and private sectors to focus organizational, sectoral, and cross-sectoral attention on overcoming the most significant measurement-related barriers to innovation. I want to extend my sincere thanks to the hundreds ofparticipants from industry, universities, and government whocontributed to the development and authentication ofthese measurement needs. Yourcontributions were invaluable. Ensuring that the nation's measurement infrastructure is robust and forward-looking is ajob for all ofus. Yourcontinued participation is important as we establish and implement a shared measurement innovation agenda. William Jeffrey Director tWilliam Thomson (Lord Kelvin) 1824-1907 AnAssessmentoftheUnitedStates MeasurementSystem:AddressingIVIeasurementBarrierstoAccelerateInnovation Table of Contents Foreword iii Executive Summary v I. Introduction 1 II. Purpose and Elements of the USMS 4 III. Focus on Innovation: The importance of Measurement 11 IV. IVIethodology of the Assessment 15 V. Results of the Inferential Analysis .20 VI. Summary of the Assessment of the USMS 36 VII. Next Steps 44 Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations 48 Endnotes 50 References 51 A Descriptions of NIST USMS Workshops \ B Case-Study IVIeasurement Needs: A Compilation I C .Technology Roadmap Review: Summary Report ] . . D Contributors to the 2006 Assessment of the USMS by NIST i E NIST's Realization and Dissemination of the Units of the SI i F The IVIethodology of the Inferential Analysis I G .Descriptions of Selected Broad Technologies \ H Analysis of Case-Study Measurement Needs: Summary Report \ Summary Results of Inferential Analysis of Measurement Needs I I All Appendices are contained on the accompanying CD, along with an electronic copy of this document. Guidelines for users on searching and navigating the appendices are included in the main directory of the CD. AnAssessmentoftheUnitedStates MeasurementSystem:AddressingMeasurementBarrierstoAccelerate Innovation iii Foreword The creation ofthe Wright Flyerof 1903, the world's first airplane, is a story ofa measurement barrier to technological innovation overcome. TheWright Brothers had been vexed by the under-performance ofa wing they had designedbased on datapublishedby Otto Lilienthal, the foremost glider expert ofthe day The lift generatedby the wing was but one-third ofthat expected, and, to their consternation, they were forced to con- clude that the measurement data were wrong. To solve the problem ofthe inaccurate measurement data impeding their innovation, they built a balance forthe pre- cisemeasurement ofthe aerodynamic lift ofwings ofdif- ferentprofiles. Based on the accurate measurement data theyproduced, they designed the wings andpropeller of what came to be recognized as the worlds first powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flying machine. This report is about measurementbarriers to potential technological innovations that are pendingtoday. Some ofthese innovations, for example, those ofnanotechnology, bio-medicine, and intelligent machines, have the allure and promise that flying machines had a century ago. The measurement barriers impeding these innovations are as vexing as those encountered by the Wright Brothers. The science and technology enabling these innovations are more complex. The dependence ofwould-be innovators on the technical infrastructure ofthe nation, including its measurement system, is, as a result, greater. Thetechnological innovation that the flying machine was in its day benefited this nation immense- ly. Other innovations pending today couldbenefit it as well. This report is an assessment ofthe nation's measurement system, aimed at addressing measure- ment barriers with the goal to accelerate U.S. innovations. NIST hopes through this assessment to contribute to the realization ofthat goal. I hope that your reading ofthis report will lead in some way to your contributing to the realization ofthis goal as well. Dr. DennisA. 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