SLBS / NMI, NSB and NLMS

1. SLBS / NMI, NSB and NLMS SIM T & F Workshop March 2010, Lima, Peru Presenter: Anselm Gittens, SLBS

2. About Saint Lucia • Mountainous island with area of 616 km2 • Population 160 000 (in 2001) • Main economic activities are tourism, financial services, telecommunications services, agriculture, agro-processing, construction, beverage production and manufacturing • Independent country in the British Commonwealth • Official language English but French Kweyol is also spoken by the majority

3. The Pitons/World Heritage Site

4. HISTORY • 1911: Weights & Measures Ordinance gives Police Force responsibility for weights & measures • 1970s: Price Control Dept (now Consumer Affairs) commences weights & measures activities • 1994: SLBS begins joint verification with Consumer Affairs Dept. Four employees. • 2000: Metrology Act No. 17/ 2000 repeals Ordinance • 2001: Metrology Regulations No. 113/2001. Eleven employees. • 2004: Relocated to new building. Area of 929 m2 • 2010: Staff of 22 persons, three in Metrology Dept

5. SLBS Exterior

6. Strategic Goals 2010/2011 • Align our metrology programmes with national economic and social priorities • Sensitize the private and public sector policy makers to the importance of metrology in trade and industry • Advance the metrication of Saint Lucia (through Metrication Board)

7. Programmes • Pattern Approval of Measuring Instruments • Verification & Calibration of Measuring Devices • Measurement Assurance • Measurement Disputes Investigation

8. Verification/Calibration & Measurement Capabilities • Initially developed to meet legal metrology requirements for commerce, health, safety and environment • Growing demand by local industry for verification/calibration services and testing • Prohibitive regional transportation costs have favoured development of local NLMS/NMI capability

9. SLBS Capabilities • Mass (weight): verification/calibration of weights, laboratory, counter/platform & hopper scales, weighbridges • Volume: verification of fuel dispensers & flow meters, test measures • Force: verification of compression machines

10. Customer calibration & testing requests/needs • Temperature: thermometers (for labs & food industry) • Pressure: manometers (on boilers), barometers, aviation • Electrical: digital multimeters, energy meters • Torque: torque wrenches • Dimensional: gauge blocks, micrometers, EDMs • Volume: large storage tanks, flowmeters • Mass: large mass (hopper scales) • Chemical: spectrometers, pesticide residues, heavy metals, water quality, biochemical, CEHI

11. Time & Frequency • NMI should have national time & frequency standard • Provide traceability to power company, telecommunications providers and regulators (ECTEL and NTRC) • Calibration of time & frequency equipment

12. Utilities • Power company maintains grid frequency at 50 Hz +/- 3 % through System Control Centre equipped with SCADA and GPS receiver • Telecommunications providers’ time reference through fibre optic network and interconnection

13. Telecommunications Regulators • ECTEL responsible for spectrum management, licensing, interconnection and other policy issues across five sovereign OECS countries • NTRC responsible for enforcement and type approval in individual countries • NTRC does spectrum monitoring through spectrum analyzer

14. T & F Challenges for SLBS • Temperature stability of laboratory • Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) vs generator • Need to demonstrate relevance and impact of time & frequency capability • Personnel

15. Way Forward • SIM Time & Frequency Measurement System donation through SIM Time & Frequency Working Group • Installation & commissioning of SIM T&F Measurement System • Active participation in SIM T&F Network and TFWG • CMCs on BIPM KCDB • Provide T&F traceability to industry • “Time by the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards is…”

16. THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI