International measurement software library (EUROMETROS)
Project Description
EUROMETROS will be a web-based library of re-usable software giving measurement scientists and software developers access to solutions in many measurement areas. It aims to collect and systematise specifications and implementations of good algorithms relevant to measurement, and guidance on how they are to be used. The algorithms should be based on sound numerical techniques and the implementation should be robust and portable. The specifications are freely available from the web-site; some implementations will be free and others will be available on a commercial basis with commercial support. Software implementations available from METROS will have a validation status related to the extent to which they have been tested or validated.
Software implementations per se need not be provided as part of this project but we have included an optional task to develop particular software implementations. The intention is that other implementations for EUROMETROS would come from two sources. Measurement scientists will make available software they have developed as part of their work, so that it may be re-used by other scientists. Commercial software developers will make available the specifications of the measurement software for inclusion in EUROMETROS with the implementation being commercially available with links from EUROMETROS. EUROMETROS will become self-supporting when it has reached such a critical mass that commercial software developers wishing to target the metrology market see inclusion of their software in EUROMETROS as an essential part of their marketing strategy. Project tasks:
1. To produce a robust implementation of EUROMETROS based on the functionality in the prototype METROS system, extended to include guidance on software and techniques for testing and validation of software.
2. To add to EUROMETROS specifications and implementations and software which can be made available to the project, or are developed by the project.
3. To use existing validation techniques and develop new techniques to validate the software in EUROMETROS. This will contribute techniques which can be used in the testing and validation of all measurement software. This could include validation of software for microprocessors for measurement instruments.
4. Development of measurement software (algorithms , software specifications, and software implementations) based on high quality numerical analysis and delivering proven accuracy. This would include software implementation of robust algorithms for calculation required by measurement standards, and the reference software implementations to be used in validation of other software.
5. Publicity and awareness: for EUROMETROS to be viable we need to encourage contributions and use of the system, which can only come from publicity and awareness.
Progress Report 2009-03-31
The International Metrology Software Library (EUROMETROS) EUROMET project no. 567 started in April 2000. The library is accessed through the EUROMETROS website (www.eurometros.org), the EUROMETROS acronym now stands for the "EUROMET Repository Of Software".
Work on EUROMETRIS is related to the thematic network in software tools for metrology, titled "SofTools_MetroNet", which started in January 2002, with the shortened title "MetroNet", and is EUROMET project 668. The MetroNet network includes EUROMETROS as a mechanism for providing access to software tools for metrology.
NPL has continued to contribute some software to the library during the current programme (April 2007 - March 2010), but there have been no other contributions. The current programme does not fund maintenance of the EUROMETROS website and there has been no significant development of the website. The EUROMETROS website remains available, with minimal maintenance, so that the existing software in the repository can be accessed.
Currently, the most popular download is the NPL Least Squares Geometric Elements package (3343), followed by the NAG Excel Circle Fit distribution (1011) and other NAG/NPL circle-fitting and least-squares implementations. Other software is accessible from the EUROMETROS website by following links rather than as direct downloads.
The EUROMETROS website and repository could provide a focus for algorithms and software developed in projects associated with the maths and ICT theme within the EMRP.
Progress Report 2007-04-23
The International Metrology Software Library (EUROMETROS) EUROMET project no. 567 started in April 2000. The library is accessed through the EUROMETROS website (www.eurometros.org), the EUROMETROS acronym now stands for the “EUROMET Repository Of Software”.
Work on EUROMETROS is related to the thematic network in software tools for metrology, titled “SofTools_MetroNet”, which started in January 2002, with the shortened title “MetroNet”, and is EUROMET project 668. The MetroNet network includes EUROMETROS as a mechanism for providing access to software tools for metrology.
NPL has continued to contribute some software to the library during the recently completed programme (April 2004 – March 2007), which funded maintenance of the EUROMETROS website; but there have been no other contributions. However, the current programme (April 2007 – March 2010) does not provide for maintenance of EUROMETROS.
The EUROMETROS website will remain available, with minimal maintenance, so that the existing software in the repository can be accessed. The EUROMETROS website and repository could provide a focus for algorithms and software developed in projects associated with the maths and ICT theme within the EMRP.