The uncertaintyMANAGER is a software for the evaluation of measurement uncertainty in analytical chemistry. The application software implements among other things the Eurachem/CITAC guide "Quantifying Uncertainty in Analytical Chemistry" and the ISO "Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM)". For this reason the software is compliant with the demands of ISO/IEC/EN 17025(2005).
The uncertaintyMANAGER supports the bench chemist on his stepwise way through the entire evaluation process. This process consists of the following four steps:
The uncertaintyMANAGER complies already completely with all those requirements. The software is an ideal tool to introduce in your laboratory the evalution of measurement uncertainty. An excerpt of the ISO/IEC/EN 17025 (2005) is given below:
A calibration laboratory, or a testing laboratory performing its own calibrations, shall have and shall apply a procedure to estimate the uncertainty of measurement for all calibrations and types of calibrations.
Testing laboratories shall have and shall apply procedures for estimating uncertainty of measurement. In certain cases the nature of the test method may preclude rigorous, metrologically and statistically valid, calculation of uncertainty of measurement. In these cases the laboratory shall at least attempt to identify all the components of uncertainty and make a reasonable estimation, and shall ensure that the form of reporting of the result does not give a wrong impression of the uncertainty. Reasonable estimation shall be based on knowledge of the performance of the method and on the measurement scope and shall make use of, for example, previous experience and validation data.
NOTE 1 The degree of rigor needed in an estimation of uncertainty of measurement depends on factors such as:
NOTE 2 In those cases where a well-recognized test method specifies limits to the values of the major sources of uncertainty of measurement and specifies the form of presentation of calculated results, the laboratory is considered to have satisfied this clause by following the test method and reporting instructions (see 5.10).
When estimating the uncertainty of measurement, all uncertainty components which are of importance in the given situation shall be taken into account using appropriate methods of analysis.
NOTE 1 Sources contributing to the uncertainty include, but are not necessarily limited to, the reference standards and reference materials used, methods and equipment used, environmental conditions, properties and condition of the item being tested or calibrated, and the operator.
NOTE 2 The predicted long-term behaviour of the tested and/or calibrated item is not normally taken into account when estimating the measurement uncertainty.
NOTE 3 For further information, see ISO 5725 and the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (see bibliography).
Brochure
Information about the UncertaintyManager collected in a flyer (4 pages) is ready for download.
UncertaintyManager (.pdf with 480 kByte)
Press Release
success story(.pdf / 227 kByte) of Eureka.
New Software reduces Uncertainty
UncertaintyManager, a project supported by EUREKA, the small to medium enterprise (SME)-focused EU-wide funding body, has developed new software to crack uncertainty in chemical analysis. The new software gives researchers the opportunity to make better chemical assessments inside and outside the confines of the laboratory, and will have a barrage of uses.
There are 25,000 public control laboratories around the world. All must adhere to the same high standards for checking for chemical uncertainty, whether in foods, pharmaceuticals, waste control or sports. Measuring can be influenced by the temperature, humidity, and many other random factors - known collectively as uncertainty. To know the level of uncertainty gives an indication of the quality of the measurement.
In order to standardise the level of uncertainty, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) published its guide to uncertainty in measurements in 1995, which was joined by a second guide published by the European Analytical Chemistry Association (EURACHEM) and Cooperation on International Traceability in Analytical Chemistry (CITAC) organisation. These two works can be complicated to use, and this is where Uncertainty Manager comes into its own.
'We needed software to remove the barriers,' said Dr Bruno Wampfler of the Swiss Federal Materials Science and Technology Research Institute, coordinator of the project. While other computer programs are available to determine uncertainty, they tend to be slow and time consuming. Uncertainty Manage is the first to run on an ordinary PC, making the reporting of uncertainty automatic.
'Our software now allows evaluation of the measurement uncertainty of complex testing procedures in ten minutes,' said Dr Wampfler. 'We believe the Uncertainty Manager system offers an important contribution to the comparability of measurements worldwide.' Importantly, the program conforms to both the ISO and EURACHEM/CITAC guidelines.
The team, spread across institutes in Austria, Germany and Switzerland is likely to be an invaluable addition to the testing procedures from the Olympic Games to trade organisations.