The International Bureau of Weights and Measures is the English name of the Bureau international des poids et mesures (BIPM, often written in English Bureau International des Poids et Mesures), a standards organisation, one of the three organizations established to maintain the International System of Units (SI) under the terms of the Convention du Mètre (Metre Convention). Note that the abbreviation IBWM is not used. Standards Organizations are bodies, organizations and institutions that produce, and in some cases measure, standards. ... Cover of brochure The International System of Units. ... The Convention du Mètre of May 20, 1875 is an international treaty that established what is now known as the SI system of units. ...

It is based at the Pavillon de Breteuil in Sèvres, France, where it enjoys extraterritorial status. As such it escaped German occupation during World War II. Pavillon de Breteuil, a legal enclave of France, inaugurated by Louis XIV in 1672, and used from 1875 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures. ... Road to Sèvres, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, 1855-1865. ... Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

According to its official site:

The task of the BIPM is to ensure world-wide uniformity of measurements and their traceability to the International System of Units (SI).

It does this with the authority of the Convention du Mètre, a diplomatic treaty between fifty-one nations (as of 2005), and it operates through a series of Consultative Committees, whose members are the national metrology laboratories of the Member States of the Convention, and through its own laboratory work. Single European Act A treaty is a binding agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Metrology is variously described as the science of measurement; the science of accuracy and precision; the history of measures; the history of measurement and other definitions. ...

The BIPM carries out measurement-related research. It takes part in, and organises, international comparisons of national measurement standards, and it carries out calibrations for Member States.

The other organisations which maintain the SI system are:

• the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM, Conférence générale des poids et mesures)
• the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM, Comité international des poids et mesures)

The General Conference on Weights and Measures is the English name of the Conférence générale des poids et mesures (CGPM, never GCWM). ... The International Committee for Weights and Measures is the English name of the Comité international des poids et mesures (CIPM, sometimes written in English Comité International des Poids et Mesures). ...

See also

• Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements or IRMM, located in Geel, Belgium, is one of the seven institutes of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), a Directorate-General of the European Commission (EC). ... The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly known as The National Bureau of Standards) is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce’s Technology Administration. ...

External links

• BIPM