The challenge metrication presents to managers of computer resources

This paper outlines the impending U. S. change to the metric measurement system. Using the recent NBS metric study and current legislation to establish the inevitability of the metric transition, the paper identifies those areas in which computer resources will be affected. The recent NBS study failed to examine the impact of metric conversion on existing computer systems and resources even though many potential problems exist in the areas of data field sizes, file design, file conversion, precision and accuracy. The paper explores these problem areas and identifies those steps alert managers can take to avoid major problems. The author presents this challenge as an opportunity to the data processing industry; an opportunity to take the lead and show users that we can perform in a professional manner. Because of the long lead time in systems development this problem must be tackled in the immediate future if we are to keep on top of it. No other country has been so dependent on computers when they went through a metric conversion; thus, we are on our own and must plan now for the metric transition and its impact on computer resources.