Successful accomplishment of any task requires a perfect recipe; in other words, all essential ingredients must be available in the right amounts. It is essential to ensure not only that all parts are present, but also that they are present in the right amounts. Therein lays the importance of measurement. Archimedes discovered the principle named anonymously after him while striving to measure the proportion of gold in the royal crown. The Ayurveda practitioners have been measuring minute quantities of herbs since ages. The Chinese had developed sophisticated seismographs centuries back, and the European sailors had evolved maritime navigation to modern levels during the medieval age itself.

The technological innovations starting from the Enlightenment have increased the frontiers of human knowledge, and in such diverse field as electromagnetism, modern physics, classical physics, mathematics, etc, we are in a position to measure the most difficult concepts and things. Other instruments like mechanical rotors and motor, levers, etc, as well as chemical devices too have evolved a lot. From digital mass flow instrumentation to power catamarans, electric and petrol boats, from vacuum systems to weather instruments, the world of instruments and supplies is large. It does not serve any purpose if an instrument exists but not information about it; hence knowing what purpose an instrument serves, where it can be found and what are its pros and cons vis-à-vis others is critical to successful design.

This section of the directory purports to provide a comprehensive guide to varied resources in this field.