Institute of Measurement and Control - Presidential Address 2006 Measurement & Control: - How it affects all of us on a daily basis

摘要

Most of us in the developed world take for granted that we live in an environment where, amongst other things: (1) The environment we live in is safe and sustainable (2) There is a plentiful supply of food (3) Energy is available when we need it (4) We are able to travel from place to place, safely, by whatever means we choose, in a timely manner, at an affordable price and our luggage arrives at the same place and time (5) Medication that we are given when we are ill is reliable, effects repeatable and the side effects are known and are acceptable (6) Healthcare is available to all those who need it, when required, and there are sophisticated diagnostic techniques available to the medical profession to assist with a diagnosis (7) Children's education is available to an agreed standard, no matter where they attend school (8) Automated systems are available where the environment involved makes it undesirable or economic to use people (9) When accidents or incidents occur, we have reliable mechanisms to identify who or what was responsible, to avoid future occur-rences or be able to deal with the issue better next time (10) We are able to manage costs, resources, and the risks associated with these provisions There have been plenty of incidents in the recent past that indicate that we might not have always got things right or that we could do better and sometimes significantly better. However, putting that aside, the key to being able to deliver all of these, is to define these systems, understand the parameters which affect them, be aware of external influences and use our collective know-how and experience to deliver expectations and do better in future. In other words apply a little "Measurement and Control"