Accuracy improvement of measurement management systems: Requirements for reliability of data and practical examples

In this paper, aspects will be discussed concerning the needs that new operating scenarios for industries, like Industry 4.0 and/or IoT, ask for a proper digitalization of measuring assets in companies, mostly in SMEs. This aim requires facing multidisciplinary concepts. The main topics are the new sensors role, including innovative technologies, embedding of sensors and sensor networks, the new approach of data processing, including big data problems, the way to secure data during the storing time and to make them safe from intromission and unwanted and malicious access. The paper aims at giving a discussion of the whole lifecycle of the information, throughout the measurement process, emphasizing the opportunities of selecting a coordinate point of view of the problems. The cost of maintaining reproducibility will also be discussed, in correspondence with the reduction of cost of the hardware (sensors and powering and processing devices). Technical solutions for allowing a satisfactory trade-off between data security and cost in different operating scenarios are also of concern. Finally, some simple examples involving measurement applications are presented for a better explanation of concepts.