Objectifying the Subjective: Fundaments and Applications of Soft Metrology

Abstract

The aim of the interdisciplinary research was to facilitate the understanding of a specific topic passing by different disciplinary perspectives. Soft metrology is the perfect example of a scientific field that needs that sort of approach. Seeking to provide a reproducible basis for qualifying and quantifying what are essentially ‘soft’ measure‐ ments (subject to human perception and interpretation) is a particularly challenging scientific endeavour. This chapter presents a theoretical overview of main concepts around soft metrology and, in the second instance, proposes a mathematical model for the measurement of a soft measurand through a dedicated index (IPER—influence on performance index). Keywords: