Measurement in Daily Life (2024)

The Measurement Standards Laboratory of New Zealand (MSL) is New Zealand's national metrology institute. MSL has primary responsibility to provide measurement standards in accordance with the International System of Units (SI). Explore our map to discover the types of measurements in action every day.

Click on the key to the left and then hover over the icons to explore how different types of measurements are applied to our everyday lives.

MSL is the caretaker of New Zealand’s primary kilogram. From this mass standard, MSL derives measurement standards for a number of other quantities, such as: pressure, volume, flow, torque, force and density.

Click on the icons to see how mass is applied to our everyday lives.

MSL maintains New Zealand’s standard for length, the metre, using interferometry and an iodine-stabilised helium-neon laser at 633 nm. This allows MSL to provide traceable measurements across a range of dimensional capabilities, and to measure other quantities, such as roundness and flatness.

Click on the icons to see how length is applied to our everyday lives.

MSL is the caretaker of New Zealand's primary standard for Time, which is generated from atomic clocks.

Click on the icons to see how the second is applied to our everyday lives.

MSL maintains New Zealand's primary standards for electrical quantities. This includes ac and dc current and voltage, resistance, capacitance, inductance, power, and energy.

Click on the icons to see how the ampere is applied to our everyday lives.

MSL maintains the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). From this standard, MSL derives scales for relative humidity and dew point.

Click on the icons to see how temperature is applied to our everyday lives.

MSL maintains New Zealand’s standard for luminous intensity, the candela. From this standard, MSL derives measurement standards for a wide range of other quantities related to light, such as: reflectance, transmittance, illuminance, radiance, spectral responsivity, and optical power.

Click on the icons to see how luminous intensity is applied to our everyday lives.

Manufactured products require testing to ensure that they are safe to use, and that they provide what the customer expects. This includes electrical testing. A particularly important example is in the manufacture of high voltage cables used to distribute electricity around New Zealand. The cable manufacturer makes a range of precision electrical measurements to ensure their product will operate reliably for many years.

Communication, navigation and surveillance systems are critical to the effective and safe operation of air traffic control. All of these systems rely on highly synchronized time and well-defined radio frequencies. MSL is responsible for keeping New Zealand’s time and frequency standards, and for disseminating those standards to end-users with low uncertainties.

The Olympic record time for the 100 m race; extra seconds of play in the Rugby World Cup final; lap times in a Formula 1 qualifying session. These and many other moments of sporting achievement all rely on accurate measurements of time. Ensuring the sound, lighting and special effects at stadium events are ‘in sync’ is another area where timing is crucial.

Electrical vehicles are rapidly growing in popularity here in NZ, prompting the government to invest in a nationwide infrastructure to support their use. MSL is liaising with international partners to ensure best practice is achieved in providing an accurate measurement of the energy output from a vehicle charger. The ac-dc conversion process of EV chargers is known to have an impact on the quality of the current and voltage waveforms observed on the power network. MSL is implementing technology to accurately measure the presence of these signals.

Electricity is delivered ideally with a single frequency oscillation of 50 Hz for both voltage and current . Renewable sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels, provide electricity oscillating mostly at 50 Hz, but with some additional higher frequencies. These higher frequencies have the potential to upset both the stability of the grid and the accuracy of electricity meters. MSL is building a capability to investigate the effect of the increased use of renewables on the accuracy of meters used for calculating power bills.

The aviation industry is heavily regulated to ensure safe air travel. Many instruments that ensure the successful take-off and landing of each flight are calibrated by second-tier calibration laboratories with equipment traceable to NZ’s electrical measurement standards.

MSL sits at the top of New Zealand’s measurement pyramid, maintaining the country’s measurement standards to the highest level of accuracy. We maintain many electrical standards, including voltage, resistance and electrical power. The second-tier labs that sit under MSL on the pyramid send their measurement standards to us for calibration. Next, are industry users who get their standards calibrated by second-tier labs. They use standards to test instruments where the values are relied upon by end-users, e.g., energy meters and voltage meters.

MetService relies on a large array of temperature measurements from monitoring sites distributed throughout New Zealand. These measurements are incorporated into weather models that provide daily weather forecasts. The accuracy of the forecasts is extremely sensitive to the accuracy of the raw measurements. Similar to most industrial temperature measurements, the ‘thermometers’ used in weather forecasting are actually temperature-dependent resistors whose resistance can be converted to a temperature. MSL provides calibration traceability for the resistance standards that MetService can then use to calibrate their thermometers.

Many medical treatments involve precise doses of ionising radiation. These are monitored by radiation dosimeters that measure the dose as a tiny electrical current. MSL is able to calibrate the current-measuring capability of these dosimeters to ensure patients receive precisely the correct amount of radiation, as prescribed.

NZ Police operate speed cameras and radars to enhance public road safety. The functionality and accuracy of these systems are regularly checked and they are calibrated by the police calibration services team, supported by MSL. Our time standards specialists provide technical solutions, and carry out traceable calibrations of their timing- and frequency-related test equipment.

Data warehouses provide cloud storage and data transfer, as well as sharing and encryption for a range of organisations around New Zealand. One of their key requirements is a highly-reliable uninterrupted power supply to keep all hardware modules in working order at all times. Dual power sources are another essential piece of infrastructure for data warehouses. Electrical standards guarantee the accuracy and compatibility of those systems.

MSL provided temperature measurement services and advice to New Zealand’s only oil refinery, while it operated. This helped operators to optimise the process of refining petrol before delivery to petrol stations around the country.

Important historical books and documents, such as the Treaty of Waitangi and The Women's Suffrage Petition, should be kept within well-defined temperature and humidity ranges to protect and preserve them. MSL provides advice on how these conditions can be met.

National heritage items and precious artefacts at museums such as Te Papa need to be kept within well-defined temperature and humidity ranges to preserve and extend their life. MSL provides advice on how these conditions can be met.

MSL provides advice on remote calibration of temperature and dew-point sensors. This helps, for example, to detect the onset of frost, so that vineyard owners can take action to avoid damage to their grapes.

Many factories require tight control over the temperature and humidity at which manufacturing processes occur. MSL provides calibrations and advice to support these industries and offers solutions to difficult measurement problems.

Second-tier calibration laboratories carry out tens of thousands of temperature and humidity calibrations each year, mainly for industry. MSL supports these laboratories by calibrating their reference equipment, by providing advice and training on measurement techniques, and by assessing the technical competence of laboratory staff.

MSL engages in research collaborations with Crown Research Institutes and provides advice on best-practice in temperature and humidity measurements.

Crayfish are yummy, but we need to enjoy them sustainably and make sure they have an opportunity to breed before they’re caught. Minimum size limits are in place, and certified tail width gauges are available from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), so that fishermen can be sure that their catch is legal. Around 200 of these numbered gauges are verified individually by MSL each year, helping to safeguard NZ’s crayfish resource for the future.

The Serious Crash Units of the NZ Police use precise electronic surveying instruments to map the scenes at fatal vehicle accidents in order to investigate the contributing causes. The data from these investigations inform enforcement, road design improvements, and education, to reduce the incidence of crashes and to prevent future fatalities. Surveying instruments are regularly verified against the baseline pillar intervals in Evans Bay in Wellington. These are calibrated by MSL and traceable to New Zealand's national measurement standards.

To export cowhide around the world, suppliers must guarantee that the size or area of the hides are measured correctly. MSL advised exporters on their measurement method. We also supplied a calibrated area standard to ensure that the measurement instrument was accurate and maintained traceability.

The large telescopes used in observatories need lenses with very specific requirements, and MSL supports their manufacture at several stages. Our specialised, sub-micron-accurate instrumentation measures the surface roughness of the lens, to ensure that the surfaces don’t scatter too much light. A coordinate measuring machine is used during manufacturing to check that the lens shape conforms to the precise design specifications. It is also used to align the lenses in their housings, ready for assembly in large observatory telescopes.

Many engineering and manufacturing companies rely on measurements from instruments such as micrometers, callipers and dial gauges, to confirm specifications on a daily basis. These are generally calibrated by second-tier calibration laboratories with equipment traceable to NZ’s length measurement standards held at MSL.

Balancing is crucial for safe and efficient operation of aircraft engines. MSL accurately measures the hole positions of dynamic-balancing rotors, to check that they meet the manufacturer’s specifications. This ensures that the engine's rotating components are balanced during operation, which reduces vibration, and allows safer, efficient and more comfortable air travel.

MSL maintains the highest level of accuracy for New Zealand’s length measurement standards. We have an iodine-stabilised laser that is compared to other primary standards around the world. This laser is used to calibrate working lasers and reference standards such as gauge blocks for second-tier laboratories, who in turn calibrate measuring instruments such as callipers or graticules for users in industry.

Weighbridges are found next to the road near ports and on major trucking routes across New Zealand. They are used by police to enforce weight limits on trucks, as overloaded trucks cause excessive wear and tear on the road surface. Weighbridges weigh a truck while it is in motion, as each axle travels over a central weighing platform. MSL calibrates the levelness of the apron before and after the platform, to ensure accurate truck weighing. Confirming that trucks remain within weigh limits contributes towards better road condition for everyone.

Speed cameras are used on our roads to monitor our driving speed and for NZ police to prosecute those exceeding speed limits. We all need to have confidence in the measurements they make. MSL helps ensure certainty by calibrating the alignment jigs that are used to mount the cameras in the correct position.

To ensure the health and wellbeing of employees in workplaces, temperature and humidity levels should be kept within a comfortable range. MSL supports air conditioning calibration services by providing traceability to national measurement standards.

Universal Time is a time standard based on Earth's rotation. But because the rotation of the Earth is not perfectly constant, any operations between Earth and space must account for these variations. This applies not just to launching equipment into space, but communicating with it and controlling it. High-accuracy atomic clocks allow us to keep track of time on the ground and in space.

Satellite navigation systems, such as GPS, use precise timing in order to help pinpoint locations here on Earth. But GPS satellites are also used for an important process called time transfer. This is one way the reference clocks housed in a global network of National Metrology Institutes are compared with each other to create an international atomic timescale. MSL operates three caesium 5071A atomic clocks, which form the basis of MSL's realisation of NZ time.

Accurate timing not only keeps the computers in offices synchronised, but also underpins the operation of data networks. Atomic clocks are increasingly used for more specialised activities too, including such as high-frequency financial trading (HFT). In Europe as of 2023, HFT represented roughly around 35% of the total equity trading volume.

Second-tier calibration laboratories carry out lots of time and frequency calibrations each year, mainly for industry. MSL supports these laboratories by calibrating their reference equipment, by providing advice and training on measurement techniques, and by assessing the technical competence of laboratory staff.

Radio waves, with frequencies from 3 Hz to 3 THz, are widely used in telecommunication technologies. To avoid interference, the generation and transmission of radio waves is strictly regulated. This is enabled by accurate frequency measurements.

Precise time and frequency underpin the operation of mobile phone networks. Measurement of these quantities has become increasingly important as mobile phone networks have evolved, and as multiple operators all attempt to use similar frequencies.

Offices and other workplaces need to be well-lit to create productive and healthy environments for people. Reliable lighting can be assured when lighting designers and installers measure light levels using calibrated light meters traceable to MSL.

Swimsuits, hats, and other outdoor clothing can be designed to protect us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light. Ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) testing is carried out at MSL to ensure that manufacturers have confidence that their products enable kiwis to enjoy the summer safely.

To provide customers with confidence that they are receiving the volume of beer stated on a can or bottle, MSL worked with New Zealand’s trade measurement regulator to develop a reliable, low-cost way to determine the volume of packaged beer products. The method does not involve destroying any samples. Instead, it is based on measurements of mass and density which are traceable to MSL’s primary kilogram.

Major decisions are based every day on the weather: is it safe to fly or sail? when should I plant or pick crops? Should I go to the outdoor food market or indoor supermarket this weekend? Because of this, providing reliable weather predictions is an important part of MetService’s work. They rely on data from pressure measuring devices called barometers, found at over 200 weather stations across NZ. The MetService barometers are calibrated by MSL to ensure that their base data is accurate.

Calibrated gas meters are used in houses all around New Zealand to ensure residents receive accurate charges for piped gas. These calibrated meters are checked by accredited second-tier calibration laboratories and are traceable to NZ's measurement standards.

Accurate measurements are needed in hospitals and medical centres to ensure the safety and health of patients. Calibrated pipettes and balances for weighing (both medicine and patients) are needed to prepare accurate doses of medication. Calibrated peak flow meters provide a measure of lung function. Calibrated pressure gauges ensure accurate blood pressure measurements, and the safe operation of ventilators.

Stadium lighting needs to be carefully designed so that players, spectators, and television audiences can see what is happening on the field and the players are not blinded by the lights. Balancing measurements of glare and illuminance allows conflicting requirements to be met.

New Zealand exports 250 million litres of wine each year. The wine bottling plants that support this industry are required to fill each bottle to a specified volume. New Zealand’s trade measurement regulator completes a statistical sampling exercise to check that the volume of wine in each bottle is, on average, the stated volume. If it were not, the wine company could receive a fine.

Divers rely on a tank of compressed air to breathe while under the water. The tank is filled with air from a compressor that has a calibrated pressure gauge on it. This pressure gauge is traceable back to primary standards of pressure because it is critically important to the safe operation of the tank. Exceeding the maximum safe working pressure during filling can cause cracks to form in the tank.

Billions of litres of milk are collected each year by milk trucks with calibrated volume meters that measure the amount of milk. These meters are calibrated by pumping through a known volume of liquid that has previously been weighed. This provides traceability back to MSL’s primary kilogram and gives confidence to our farmers, and the milk collectors, that the trade is fair.

The New Zealand Police use portable axle scales to measure the weight of vehicles on New Zealand’s highways . Each axle scale is routinely calibrated using a set of weights traceable to New Zealand’s primary kilogram held by MSL. Removing overloaded vehicles from New Zealand’s highways is important for safety and prolongs the life of the road surface.

There are over 20,000 scales throughout New Zealand used for weighing fresh produce, such as bananas, fish, and nuts. Each scale is calibrated by an accredited technician using a set of weights traceable to New Zealand’s primary kilogram held by MSL. Calibrated scales ensure the buyer receives the amount they pay for.

During a car service, the pressure within a tyre is checked and adjusted using an air compressor that has a pressure measuring device on the hose. These pressure measuring devices are required to be accurate for safety reasons. Tyres that are under- or over-inflated can cause accidents or damage to a car.

20,000 fuel dispensers deliver 6 billion litres of fuel each year in New Zealand. To ensure fair trade for both the fuel station and the consumer, each dispenser is routinely calibrated to make sure it is operating within a regulated tolerance. By filling a vessel of known volume and then weighing it, the amount of fuel dispensed can be made traceable to New Zealand’s primary kilogram held by MSL.

Shipping containers are required by law to be weighed before loading onto a ship. This is a safety requirement to ensure a container ship is balanced and not overloaded. Containers can be weighed by weighbridges that are calibrated by weights traceable to New Zealand’s primary kilogram held by MSL.

In an emergency, lighting is designed to turn on to guide people to the emergency exits on ships. The photoluminescence of emergency lighting must be tested to ensure that, in the event of an emergency, the lights turn on, allowing people to get to the emergency exit safely.

Whether transported by road, air, or sea, the temperature and humidity in certain shipments, such as perishable foodstuffs, need to be carefully controlled to deliver good quality on arrival. MSL calibrates data-loggers which are shipped with the products to guarantee that the requirements are met.

To prevent bacterial contamination, health and safety regulations require tight control of the temperatures at which certain foods can be stored. MSL provides advice to supermarkets on how to control and measure temperature and humidity in large fridges and freezers, and on how these control measures can be optimised.

Clinical thermometers are important medical diagnostic tools. MSL calibrates reference equipment used by hospitals to calibrate their clinical thermometers. MSL also provides advice on how to improve the design and performance of consumables in the health sector, such as those used in ventilators.

The aviation industry is heavily regulated to ensure the safety of air travel. MSL calibrates temperature and humidity devices for Air New Zealand’s calibration laboratories. These devices are used to test the performance of a wide range of sensors inside aeroplanes as well as to monitor and control the heat-treatment of some aircraft parts.

Visual attributes, such as colour, gloss, texture, or sparkle, combine to give a surface its unique appearance. In products like cosmetics or automotive paint, appearance can have a significant impact on consumer choice. MSL is working with international colleagues to develop a common language for the measurement of light scattering. These tools will provide industry with a more reliable way to define and control the properties of a surface.

To check that kiwifruit are ready to be harvested, growers can cut open a fruit and measure the colour of its flesh. Instruments that measure colour are routinely checked for accuracy using coloured tiles. The colours of the tiles are calibrated by MSL to ensure that good decisions are made, the kiwifruit is harvested at the right time, and fruit arrives on shelves in the best possible condition.

When computer generated creatures and special effects are added into films, the producers want them to look realistic. Doing this requires knowledge of how the surfaces behave in different lighting conditions. MSL makes measurements of reflectance for different surfaces, which are used to make these effects look more realistic.

Every time transactions are made using internet banking, they are encrypted so that people cannot steal information. In the future, quantum systems will be used for this. MSL is preparing for this future by investigating the detection of single photons.

Displays at museums such as Te Papa need to get the lighting just right; enough light so that visitors can see items clearly, but not so much that valuable artefacts are exposed to radiation damage. MSL assists with measurements of both the level of lighting and the identification of harmful blue or ultraviolet components in lighting.

Meat inspectors need to be able to quickly and easily identify spoiled products to prevent them from being sold to New Zealanders. This requires adequate lighting, which can be assured using calibrated light meters traceable to MSL.

Capturing the light from the most distant galaxies requires specialist telescopes built with incredibly precise optics. It is important that the lenses used in these telescopes have high transmittance to create good images. MSL measures the transmittance of light at specific wavelengths through the final coated lenses.

When rockets are launched into space, they are subject to a lot of radiation. Engineers need to know how rocket surfaces will interact with this radiation to be able to design and control components. MSL can make reflectance measurements to inform their modelling.

The integrity of gas and oil transfer pipes is monitored using non-destructive testing. Surfaces are covered with fluorescent dye, which shows up microcracks and defects under ultraviolet (UV) lighting. MSL provides calibration of UV meters so that testers can be sure that these defects will be visible.