Martin Milton
KEYNOTE
The SI Reference Point: a digital reference for measurement units and quantities
Martin Milton
Bureau International des Poids et Mesures
ABSTRACT
The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, BIPM) is developing digital implementations of its services and supporting the work of the CIPM in coordinating a digital transformation of metrology world-wide.
The foundation of the new digital services from the BIPM will be the SI Reference Point, which will be a machine-actionable service providing authoritative information about the SI as currently published in the SI Brochure. The SI Reference Point will provide digital references for the SI units and prefixes, as well as the associated defining constants and kinds of quantity. It will include links to external references for kinds of quantities, made available by CIE and IUPAC, for example, or developed in collaboration with ISO/IEC, and a digital reference for the fundamental constants that will be developed in collaboration with CODATA.
The functionality of the SI Reference Point will be presented together with information about other new services from the BIPM. These will include machine access to the universal coordinated timescale (UTC) which is disseminated by the BIPM and its underpinning data.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Dr Martin Milton received a BA in Physics from Oxford University in 1981 and a PhD in Laser Physics from Southampton University in 1990 followed by an MBA from the London Business School in 1991.
Dr Milton joined the BIPM in October 2012 as Director Designate and became Director on 1 January 2013. Before his move to the BIPM, Dr Milton spent 31 years at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), United Kingdom where he was a Fellow in the Analytical Science Division.
As Director of the BIPM he manages 71 staff and oversees the impact of the programme of work and relations with stakeholders, including principally the 64 Member States and 36 Associates States and Economies.
During his term as Director, the BIPM has introduced the new definitions for the SI base units which has changed the global perspective on metrology at the highest level. He is now driving forward the digital transformation of metrology and of BIPM’s services. In 2022, he sought the approval of Member States a new initiative to increase participation in the work of the BIPM to reach the goal of universal engagement conceived by the founding nations in 1875.
Dr Milton has published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has received several awards including most recently the Finkelstein Medal of the Institute of Measurement and Control for notable contributions to measurement internationally.
