International Bureau of Weights and Measures - Wikipedia International Bureau of Weights and Measures International Bureau of Weights and Measures French : Bureau international des poids et mesures Seal of the BIPM Abbreviation BIPM Motto ΜΕΤΡΩ ΧΡΩ ( `` Use the measure '' ) Formation 20 May 1875 Type Intergovernmental Location Sèvres, France Region served Worldwide Official language French ( official ), English Director M.J.T. Milton Website www.bipm.org Coordinates : 48 ° 49 ′ 45.55 '' N 2 ° 13 ′ 12.64 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 48.8293194 ° N 2.2201778 ° E ﻿ / 48.8293194 ; 2.2201778 The International Bureau of Weights and Measures ( French : Bureau international des poids et mesures ) is an intergovernmental organization, one of three such organisations established to maintain the International System of Units ( SI ) under the terms of the Metre Convention ( Convention du Mètre ). The organisation is usually referred to by its French initialism, BIPM. The BIPM reports to the International Committee for Weights and Measures ( French : Comité international des poids et mesures, CIPM ), which is in turn overseen by periodic meetings of the General Conference on Weights and Measures ( French : Conférence générale des poids et mesures, CGPM ). These organizations are also commonly referred to by their French initialisms. Contents 1 History 2 Function 3 Directors of the BIPM 4 See also 5 References 6 External links History The BIPM was created on 20 May 1875, following the signing of the Metre Convention, a treaty among 51 nations ( as of August 2008 ). It is based at the Pavillon de Breteuil in Sèvres, France, a 4.35 ha ( 10.7 - acre ) site ( originally 2.52 ha ( 6.2 acres ) ) granted to the Bureau by the French Government in 1876, where it enjoys extraterritorial status, a status that was clarified by the French decree No 70 - 820 of 9 September 1970. Function Under the authority of the Metric Convention, the BIPM helps to ensure uniformity of SI weights and measures around the world. It does so through a series of consultative committees, whose members are the national metrology laboratories of the Convention 's member states, and through its own laboratory work. The BIPM carries out measurement - related research. It takes part in and organises international comparisons of national measurement standards and performs calibrations for member states. The BIPM has an important role in maintaining accurate worldwide time of day. It combines, analyses, and averages the official atomic time standards of member nations around the world to create a single, official Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC ). The BIPM is also the keeper of the international prototype of the kilogram. Directors of the BIPM Pavillon de Breteuil in Sèvres, France Since its establishment, the directors of the BIPM have been : 1875 -- 1877 Gilbert Govi ( Italy ) 1877 -- 1879 J. Pernet ( Switzerland ) 1879 -- 1889 Ole Jacob Broch ( Norway ) 1889 -- 1915 J. - René Benoît ( France ) 1915 -- 1936 Charles Édouard Guillaume ( Switzerland ) 1936 -- 1951 Albert Pérard ( France ) 1951 -- 1961 Charles Volet ( Switzerland ) 1962 -- 1977 Jean Terrien ( France ) 1978 -- 1988 Pierre Giacomo ( France ) 1988 -- 2003 Terry J. Quinn, CBE FRS ( United Kingdom ) 2004 -- 2010 Andrew J. Wallard ( United Kingdom ) 2011 -- 2012 Michael Kühne ( Germany ) 2013 -- Martin J.T. Milton ( United Kingdom ). See also Metrologia Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements International Organization for Standardization National Institute of Standards and Technology World Metrology Day References Jump up ^ http://www.mail-archive.com/usma@colostate.edu/msg27064.html Jump up ^ `` The Mission and Role of the BIPM '' ( PDF ). BIMP. Jump up ^ `` Brief history of the SI ''. BIPM. Retrieved 21 April 2009. ^ Jump up to : Page, Chester H ; Vigoureux, Paul, eds. ( 20 May 1975 ). The International Bureau of Weights and Measures 1875 -- 1975 : NBS Special Publication 420. Washington, D.C. : National Bureau of Standards. pp. 26 -- 27. Jump up ^ `` History of the Pavillon de Breteuil § The BIPM from 1875 to the Present Day ''. BIPM. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 09. Jump up ^ `` BIPM Time Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC ) ''. BIPM. Retrieved 29 December 2013. Jump up ^ `` International prototype of the kilogram ''. BIPM. Retrieved 18 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` Directors of the BIPM since 1875 ''. Bureau International des Poids et Mesures. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` NPL Fellow, Dr Martin Milton, is new Director at foundation of world 's measurement system ''. QMT News. Quality Manufacturing Today. August 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Official website VIAF : 156087403 ISNI : 0000 0001 2191 6593 GND : 1002765 - 8 SUDOC : 026362848 BNF : cb118625494 ( data ) NLA : 36053979 NDL : 00797291 NKC : kn20040126035 BNE : XX145276 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Bureau_of_Weights_and_Measures&oldid=795113931 '' Categories : Standards organizations Organizations established in 1875 Organizations based in Paris Intergovernmental organizations established by treaty Metric system Hidden categories : Use British English from September 2013 Articles containing French - language text Coordinates on Wikidata Articles containing potentially dated statements from August 2008 All articles containing potentially dated statements All accuracy disputes Articles with disputed statements from April 2017 Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLA identifiers Use dmy dates from May 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Kiswahili Lëtzebuergesch Magyar Македонски Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Polski Português Română Русский Scots Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 12 August 2017, at 02 : 59. 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Question: where is the headquarters for the organization that maintains si standards
Answer: Sèvres, France