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SLBS / NMI, NSB . SIM T & F Workshop October 2012, Mexico Presenter: Kevin Charlemagne, SLBS. About Saint Lucia. Mountainous island with area of 616 km 2 Population 167000 (in 2010)
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SLBS / NMI, NSB SIM T & F Workshop October 2012, Mexico Presenter: Kevin Charlemagne, SLBS
About Saint Lucia • Mountainous island with area of 616 km2 • Population 167000 (in 2010) • 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
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 • 2012: Staff of 29 persons, five in Metrology Dept
Strategic Goals 2012/2013 • 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
Programmes • Pattern Approval of Measuring Instruments • Verification & Calibration of Measuring Devices • Measurement Assurance • Measurement Disputes Investigation
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
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 • Time & Frequency: SIM GPS System
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
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
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
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
T & F Challenges for SLBS • Temperature stability of laboratory • Upgrade uninterruptible power supply (UPS) • Need to demonstrate relevance and impact of time & frequency capability • Limited financial resources • Personnel
Progress/Way Forward • SIM Time & Frequency Measurement System donated in May 2010 through SIM Time & Frequency Working Group • SIM T&F Measurement System installed in May 2010 and now a SIM Time Scale (SIMT) disciplined system in 2012 with no need for manual steering • Active participation in SIM T&F Network and TFWG • Provide T&F traceability to industry • Acquire by procurement or donation a Network Time Server • “Time by the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards is…”
THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI