Abstract

In the tutorial the features characterizing an information acquisition and representation process as measurement are presented and discussed.

The acquisition of information about physical quantities by means of sensors historically fostered the interpretation of measurement as a merely experimental activity. Conversely, measurement always requires suitable descriptive activities to be performed prior of the execution of experimental activities to ensure both their correct implementation and the interpretation of the obtained information.

A conceptual framework highlighting the various activities involved in measurement development is illustrated and analyzed. In such a framework, measurement is envisioned as a three-level hierarchically structured process constituted of stages (planning, execution and interpretation), each one composed of activities performed through multiple tasks. A loose temporal sequence drives the execution of tasks, but the systematic presence of feedbacks emphasizes the complexity of the whole process.

The conceptual framework presented in the tutorial may be very useful for the accomplishment of methodologically correct measurements of physical or non-physical quantities.

Presenter Bio

Dario Petri

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento - Italy

Dario Petri is a Full Professor of measurement and electronic instrumentation.

He received the M.Sc. degree (summa cum laude) and the Ph.D. degree in electronics engineering from the University of Padua, Padua, Italy, in 1986 and 1990, respectively.

From 1990 to 1992, he was with the Department of Electronics and Information Engineering, University of Padua, Italy, as an Assistant Professor. In 1992, he joined the University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy, as an Associate Professor, where he became a Full Professor in 1999. In 2002, he joined the University of Trento, Trento, Italy. Currently he is the Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering.

Dario Petri chaired the IEEE Italy Section from 2012 to 2014 and the Italian Association of Electrical and Electronic Measurements (GMEE) from 2013 to 2016. He has been the VP for Conferences of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society from 2011 to 2013. Currently he is the VP for Finance of the same Society since 2013, a member of the IEEE Smart City Steering Committee and the chair of the IEEE Smart Cities Initiative in Trento since 2014.

Dario Petri is a Fellow member of the IEEE. Over his research career, he has been an author of nearly 300 papers published in international journals or in proceedings of peer reviewed international conferences. His research activities cover different fields and are focused on fundamentals of measurement theory and application of digital signal processing to measurement problems.