”SoftCRM”: a new software for the Certification of Reference Materials

Abstract

 A new software has been developed to be used for the storage and processing of the data in the frame of the development of new Certified Reference Materials (CRMs). This software includes separate Sections dealing with the main phases of the work necessary for the development of new CRMs, namely:

The Homogeneity study, which includes the analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the sample set in case of equal (’balanced’) or unequal (’unbalanced’) number of replicates for each sample. The ANOVA Table is calculated and an F-test is performed to assess the significance of the ’between’ (i.e. ’among’) units and the ’within’ units standard deviations.

The Stability study, which includes the linear regression of the data, the calculation of the slope and the assessment of its significance. In addition, the Standard Error of the Slope is calculated, to be used for the assessment of the uncertainty linked to the stability of the material.

The Certification exercise, for the processing of the results obtained typically by different labs, which includes a set of tools (tests of the normality of the data set, tests for the detection of outlying means and variances, analysis of variance, etc) to assess the validity of the data and to calculate the property value. The possibility of electronic submission of the analytical data is provided to avoid possible errors during the transcription.

The software is running under Windows in an interactive way and includes adequate outputs for each section, to be directly inserted in a Certification report or any other document. In addition, a Template for the editing of the Certification reports is included to facilitate and homogenize the reporting.