Use case of the SI digital framework in the characterization of certified reference materials at the INM (Colombia)

Production of Certified Reference Materials (CRM) generates large sets of metrological data that ideally should be handled in compliance with the FAIR principles: findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. National Metrology Institutes are encouraged to adhere to these principles by adopting the SI Digital Framework (D-SI) as the internationally recognized representation of digital measurement data. In this context, the National Metrology Institute of Colombia developed the cross-platform application ’titulaR’ , as a laboratory information management system to automatize the metrological data handling related to the characterization of CRMs of inorganic analytical chemistry: monoelemental calibration solutions and high purity organic salts. The R-based Shiny App titulaR utilizes XML files that incorporate the SmartCom Digital-SI exchange format for storing metrological data about reference materials, standard solutions, sample solutions, and individual measurement reports. The latter are combined within the app to compute consensus values with measurement uncertainty for the certified properties in the CRMs. TitulaR surpasses the spreadsheets-based traditional data management approach, promoting the digitalization of the metrological service of CRM characterization while employing interoperable, reusable XML files. The information files contain the additional digital identifiers InChI (International Chemical Identifier) and ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor Identification), to improve the context of the metrological information within the XML files.