Measurement: An Evolutionary Perspective [Fundamentals of Measurement]

The widespread diffusion of digital technologies and systems is making computational methods ubiquitous, and this implicitly challenges our understanding of measurement as an empirically-grounded process, as evidenced by the Introduction to the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement, which states that “measurement can be described as an experimental or computational process.” Given that models in measurement are unavoidable, does the very distinction between measurement and computation need to be reconsidered? where does measurement end and computation begin? This paper aims to propose some considerations on this issue, in the light of the key question of the role of measurement in the information-laden world we live in.