In society, trust is like lubricating oil in a car's gearbox: it reduces friction and makes the system last. When you trust a scale at a grocery store, there will be no disagreement about the price of oranges at the checkout. When the measurements used in the manufacture and maintenance of the aircraft are reliable, the captain will take your flight safely wherever you intended. Data that turns out to be worse than expected erodes trust – as does deliberate distortion and questioning of research data. Metrology services build trust and the resilience of society by ensuring measurement quality.
About 40 years ago, I was on an airplane for the first time. I still remember well the unpleasant feeling in the bottom of my stomach when the Defence Forces' transport plane carrying my conscript group took off from Oulunsalo Airport towards Tampere. Even though I felt the world tilting and saw something of it through a tiny window, all I could do was trust that the plane was working and that the pilots knew their job. At the time, I had no idea how central metrology would become in my life and how important metrology is for safe aviation.
Why metrological traceability matters in aviation
Whether the aircraft is in civilian or military use, it can only be operated reliably and safely if reliable measurements prove that the parts and tests used in its manufacture and maintenance meet the requirements set for them. The same applies to the instruments that keep a plane under control: Metrological traceability from the aircraft's altimeter to internationally accepted realisations of kilogram and metre must be in order, and an accurate time signal that enables reliable location data must be available without interference.
Well-functioning domestic calibration services are essential for the resilience of our society
Metrology traceability means that the measurement result is internationally comparable within the stated measurement uncertainty and that this can also be demonstrated retrospectively. For companies, this is not academic: it directly affects product safety, regulatory compliance, quality costs, and the ability to sell across borders. That is why the services of the Finnish National Metrology Institute VTT MIKES, and the calibration services provided by FINAS-accredited operators are important for Finnish companies. Especially in an uncertain global environment, having well-functioning domestic calibration services reduces dependency risks: medicines and food must be safe, industrial products must meet customer requirements, and export markets require credible proof that measurements are under control.
Metrology builds trust in decision-making
Decision-makers are navigating major societal challenges: climate, energy, aging population, security, and a sustainable economy. At the same time, trust is being eroded from many directions – also by questioning scientific research data. Metrology acts as a counterforce in this: by providing the means to verify the reliability of measurement data and by acting as a global cooperation network, the metrology community is a significant builder of trust in both national and international decision-making.
Trust is essential for the utilisation of measurement results
On that first flight, I imagined that the most important thing in measurements is to get a reading that allows me to develop something new, make a device work or simply tell how cold it is outside. Since then, I have learned that it is at least as important that:
- I know to what extent I can trust my measurement result
- I can communicate the result, so others interpret it the same way
- others also trust my result.
Looking back, the Finnish Air Force clearly had the measurement basics in order, because we arrived at the right destination without incident. The same principle scales up: when measurement chains are robust and traceable, organisations operate more safely, trade more smoothly, and make better decisions - especially when trust is hardest to maintain.
Martti Heinonen
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