Quality Infrastructure: Metrology, Accreditation, and Standards

The quality infrastructure (QI) is the measure of overall growth of a nation. The trade relations of any country with the other countries are intricately linked to the development of QI of any country. The QI consists of worldwide accepted “standards,” “metrology,” “accreditation,” “testing,” and “certification.” This chapter describes the pillars of QI. The importance of measurement, standardization, and accreditations is also discussed. The national standard laboratories of different member countries of the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET) are also listed with their webpage link. The international organizations involved in QI is also mentioned. The “national quality infrastructure” (NQI) of Germany, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and United States is also discussed. “Global Quality Infrastructure Index” (GQII) rank for year 2021 along with the “International Bureau of Weights and Measures” (in French, Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM)) status, “Regional Metrology Organization” (RMO), “International Organization for Standardization” (ISO) membership, and “International Electrotechnical Commission” (IEC) membership of 184 countries has been tabulated. The GQII rank for the year 2021 of top 20 countries is also compared with “gross domestic product” (GDP) and GDP per capita.