UCUM agri-food units

A table of Unified Code for Units of Measure (UCUM) units commonly used in agri-food research which helps with data documentation and interoperability.

The Unified Code for Units of Measure (UCUM) is a system of codes for unambiguously representing measurement units. For example, to be precise, you would use the unit term har for hectare, or [acr_us] for american survey acre, or Cel for degrees celcius. All of these terms are unique, standardized, and defined according to UCUM. They are usable by both machines and humans.

The need for standardization in agri-food units

In agri-food research it is necessary to have proper unit documentation for reproducibility and data interoperability. The infamous NASA Mars Climate Orbiter incident, where conflicting units led to expensive disaster, demonstrates the importance of proper unit documentation.

Agri-food research involves a diverse array of data where the absence or misuse of units can undermine the value of this data. For example, a temperature reading without specified units is not useful. Consistent unit documentation is essential for collaboration, as inconsistent units can hinder effective communication and cross-disciplinary insights.

Machine-actionable units with UCUM

The Unified Code for Units of Measure (UCUM), is a standardized unit documentation system that goes beyond mere representation. UCUM's strength lies in its capacity to render units understandable to machines. Unlike human interpretation, which can be prone to errors, UCUM's systematic approach employs codes to eliminate ambiguity.

UCUM unit annotation supports FAIR data

The adoption of UCUM aligns with the FAIR principles, that data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. By providing a consistent and machine-readable format for unit representation, UCUM enhances the findability and accessibility of data, ensuring that researchers from different disciplines and regions can effectively collaborate. Moreover, UCUM's unambiguous units enable data interoperability, facilitating data exchange and reuse, both essential components of the FAIR framework.

A table of common agri-food UCUM terms

As UCUM is a set of rules for writing an infinite set of units, Agri-food Data Canada has created a list of ones commonly used in agri-food research. This list can be used by software as a lookup table for valid units with descriptions. Agri-food Data Canada list is built upon the Commonly Used UCUM Codes for Healthcare Units

Suggest a unit

If you would like to see a unit in this table that we don't currently support, raise an issue here in GitHub or contact us at Agri-food Data Canada.

Development Status

This data is created with support by Agri-food Data Canada, funded by CFREF through the Food from Thought grant held at the University of Guelph. Currently, we do not provide any warranty of any kind regarding the accuracy, security, completeness or reliability of this data or any of its parts.