Uncertainty management in the measurements of low frequency magnetic fields

Abstract

The paper deals with low-frequency magnetic field measurements carried out by using a broadband and isotropic instrument. These measurements are characterized by very high uncertainty values, which imply a high risk of wrong decisions when there is the need to establish if a site complies or does not comply with specified emission limits. To reduce this risk, we decided to perform the so called “uncertainty management” that is the discipline of optimizing the cost of a measurement versus the uncertainty target. The task is achieved by using the PUMA method that is an iterative technique originally conceived for geometrical and mechanical measurements. The approach is completely based on the “Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement” rules, but provides a more engineering methodology. By using this approach, it is possible to avoid the usage of too expensive instrumentations or, on the contrary, too expensive resources for the uncertainty estimation.