Automatic data transfer from old documents, plausibility checks of entries and simply a little less paperwork: digitalisation makes working with certificates of conformity more efficient. This is because digital certificates are created quickly, are available throughout the entire life cycle of a product and simplify the exchange of data between all bodies involved. We are developing and testing prototypes in the QI Digital pilot projects Reliable Hydrogen Refuelling Stationand Additive Manufacturing.
Only pay for the fuel you have filled up with, and do so safely as usual - even if the petrol pump may soon be filling up with hydrogen instead of petrol. This matter of course is based on several regulations that require conformity assessments, including the Measurement and Calibration Act and the European Explosion Protection Directive. In future, a joint "Digital Certificate of Conformity" (d-CoC) could be created and sent out that takes both regulations into account. To this end, we at PTB are developing a data structure for the certification information in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17065, as well as tools for creating, editing and viewing the certificate information. The digital data structure will ultimately be submitted as a draft standard.
For digital certificates such as the d-CoC, the incoming data must be machine-readable, i.e. it must be recorded in a standardised template structure. Later, the data available in this way can be automatically transferred and plausibility checks can be carried out more quickly and easily. In addition, the documents should be made available to users, such as manufacturers or calibration authorities, in human-readable form. Already completed:
- Establishment of a project group at NoBoMet
- Creation of a modular data structure
- Publication of the general d-CoC section in CIRCAB, the European Union's online repository
We are also in regular dialogue with stakeholders such as manufacturers' associations, calibration authorities and other interested parties.
The work on the d-CoC is based on the experience gained with the digital calibration certificate (DCC), which has been developed at PTB since 2017. Calibration certificates are primarily used in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 to document the measurement results of calibration laboratories. In the digital calibration certificate, the measurement data and other information are recorded in a standardised manner and made available in machine-readable form via the XML data exchange format. This means that the information can be read directly in digital systems and used automatically to optimise production processes, for example. The DCC is now available in a stable version.