Making measurements

Olivier GODET
ogodet@irap.omp.eu
06 51 55 75 36

measurements • electromagnetic and particle devices • metrology • observation • experiment • deployment strategy • data quality • uncertainty • digital devices

Learning objectives

Define some common grounds (e.g. vocabulary, physical principles and order of magnitude) to handle what a measure is and how it could be performed along with some metrology/data quality notions.

We will also look at how to interpret a measure in a society and its global context.

Prerequisites

None.

Brief description of the course

Starting with an introduction about what is a measure and its purpose, the course will present the main principles of metrology/data quality and their applications. Then the course will cover various types of measurements (e.g. passive, in-situ, in labs, in space, …) and the constraints linked to the data acquisition.

The course will also focus on the main electromagnetic and particle measuring devices, outlining the main physical processes at work and the types of data produced  including dedicated examples based on research experiments performed at the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP) : digital imaging devices (CCD), an IR greenhouse detector, LIBS spectroscopy on Mars and detectors dedicated to measure radioactivity.

The course will also cover different deployment strategies (dedicated/expensive vs large public/low cost) to be put in place depending on the needs and therefore the reliability of such measurements.

The course is based on an active learning approach, offering the students the opportunity to learn/discuss new physical concepts by using their own background/skills, doing thought experiments and resolving problems based on study cases put together to give a flavour of the research activities carried out at the OMP. The course also aims to project into future developments of making measurements (e.g. device types, signals to be measured, associated risks, reliability problems and data types, …) in both research and society. 

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