Glossary

American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) is a public service membership society that is dedicated to the formal recognition of competent testing and calibration laboratories (including medical laboratories), biobanking facilities, inspection bodies, product certification bodies, proficiency testing providers, and reference material producers.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments. It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water with the goal to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 22,000 members nationwide.

Accreditation, specifically AASHTO R18 Quality Management System accreditation, is the process by which a construction materials testing lab demonstrates it meets consistent standards for procedures, staff competency, and equipment calibration. MetaField centralizes accreditation documents, certifications, and equipment records in one system to reduce audit preparation time. Learn more about how MetaField supports AASHTO R18 lab accreditation.

American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is a federation of 52 state and regional councils representing more than 600,000 engineers, architects, land surveyors and other specialists. Their primary mission is to strengthen the business environment for our member firms through government advocacy, political action, and business education.

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) is a not-for profit organization that has been the voice of Canadian consulting engineering companies since it was founded in 1925.

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) is a leading authority and resource worldwide for the development, dissemination, and adoption of its consensus-based standards, technical resources, educational programs, and proven expertise for individuals and organizations involved in concrete design, construction, and materials, who share a commitment to pursuing the best use of concrete.

American Council of Independent Laboratories is the trade association representing independent, commercial scientific and testing laboratories.

The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) is the world’s largest trade association that exclusively represents the interests of those involved with the design, construction, and preservation of concrete pavements.

The Academy of Geo-Professionals (AGP) to provide excellence in leadership by elevating the professional practice of geotechnical engineering through advanced certification, continuing education, and ethical practice.

The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is a non-governmental organization that provides accreditation services and training to public- and private-sector organizations, serving the global marketplace.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 150,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 177 countries. Founded in 1852, ASCE is the nation’s oldest engineering society. The Society advances civil engineering technical specialties through nine dynamic institutes and leads with its many professional- and public-focused programs.

The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. (ASNT) is the world's largest technical society for nondestructive testing (NDT) professionals. They provide a forum for exchange of NDT technical information; NDT educational materials and programs; and standards and services for the qualification and certification of NDT personnel.

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services.

Atterberg limits are a set of soil classification tests, including the liquid limit and plastic limit, that define the moisture content at which a fine-grained soil changes behavior. MetaField's LIMS lets geotechnical labs record and manage Atterberg limits alongside moisture-density and other lab results. Learn more about how MetaField supports geotechnical lab testing.

A boring log is a record of subsurface conditions encountered during a geotechnical drilling investigation, capturing borehole data, blow counts, and soil or rock stratigraphy. In MetaField, boring logs are captured on standardized digital forms in the field and turned into configurable reports with well diagrams, fence diagrams, and cross-section views. Learn more about how MetaField supports boring log data collection and reporting.

Canadian Council of Independent Laboratories

Chain of custody is the documented, auditable history of a sample from the moment it's collected in the field through every transfer, test, and result in the lab. MetaField maintains full chain-of-custody tracking automatically, capturing transfers and timestamps as samples move from field to lab to final report. Learn more about how MetaField supports sample chain-of-custody tracking.

Software used by Construction Materials Testing firms to achieve operational efficiencies.

Construction Materials Engineering and Testing (CoMET) is a business committee for CoMET related discussions.

Compressive strength is a measure of a concrete specimen's ability to withstand axial load before failure, typically tested per ASTM C39 on cured cylinders. MetaField integrates directly with break machines through ForneyVault and ForneyLink so strength, averages, and pass/fail results flow automatically into reports. Learn more about how MetaField supports concrete strength testing.

Construction Materials Testing (CMT) primarily involves testing structural materials used to build new projects from the ground up, materials and components used to construct new additions or new components being added to an existing facility.

A construction observation is a periodic site visit by an engineer or qualified professional to verify that construction generally conforms to design plans and specifications, distinct from the more rigorous, code-mandated testing of a special inspection. MetaField's inspection software manages construction observations alongside special inspections and permit inspections in one platform. Learn more about how MetaField supports inspection workflows.

The Canadian Standards Association is a non-profit, non-governmental standardization organization. CSA standards are safety standards in Canada for electrical appliances, medical devices, machinery, equipment, etc.

End-to-end encryption is a security method that keeps your communications secure. With database encryption (either in transit or at rest), no one can read data as it travels over public channels / the internet. 

This is used to keep data safe from external cyberattacks and internal threats. Using a virtual private cloud provides data storage, servers, and production infrastructure, which ultimately keeps your data secure and available 24/7. 

The physical or geographic location of where data is stored. Leading providers will store data across multiple regions within the United States and Canada to satisfy compliance, security requirements, and reliable disaster recovery plans. 

Protocol of what and how data is stored, archived, backed up, and secured over time. Modern cloud systems will perform frequent backups every hour or less, and full backups of databases and systems at least daily. 

Deep Foundations Institute

A digital signature is an electronic approval that lets an authorized reviewer sign off on a test report or deliverable directly within a software platform, without printing or physically signing it. MetaField uses digital signatures so teams can review, approve, and deliver reports securely from the field, lab, or office. Learn more about how MetaField supports digital report approvals.

How a cloud-based solution supports or manages the quick recovery of your organization’s systems and data after a disaster.

Dispatch is the process of assigning and notifying qualified field staff of scheduled work. MetaField automates dispatch by filtering staff based on availability, certifications, and project history, then sending automated alerts by text or email. Learn more about how MetaField supports staff dispatch.

DOT refers to a state or federal Department of Transportation, the government agencies whose testing standards and approved forms govern most public infrastructure construction materials testing work. MetaField's forms library includes templates compliant with AASHTO, ASTM, and a wide range of state DOT standards, including CDOT, FDOT, MnDOT, ODOT, UDOT, and others. Learn more about MetaField's DOT-compliant forms library.

A fence diagram is a subsurface visualization that connects multiple boring logs across a site to show how soil and rock layers change between boreholes. MetaField generates fence diagrams and cross-section views directly from field-collected boring log data. Learn more about how MetaField supports boring log reporting.

GBA is the acronym for Geoprofessional Business Association. It serves geotechnical, environmental, and other geoprofessionals by giving them proven tools to achieve business success by confronting risk and optimizing performance. https://www.geoprofessional.org/

One who performs engineering, earth, and environmental services involving subsurface, surface, and ground-connected issues.

LIMS is the system MetaField uses to track every sample from field collection through final results, maintaining chain-of-custody records, distributing lab work in real time, and centralizing accreditation and equipment documentation for geotechnical, CMT, and inspection labs. Learn more about how MetaField supports lab sample tracking and management.

Lithology refers to the physical characteristics of rock and soil layers — composition, texture, and structure — as recorded during a subsurface investigation. MetaField's boring log reports surface lithology graphics alongside sample data and lab results so geotechnical engineers can visualize subsurface conditions in one deliverable. Learn more about how MetaField supports boring log reporting.

Materials testing is the quantification of values associated with the properties of materials such as plastics, elastomers, metals, composites, and textiles. This testing is is performed by manufacturers, research institutions, civil engineers, and anyone else who needs to understand how a material responds to different forms of physical stress.

Material take off  or MTO is a term used in engineering and construction, and refers to a list of materials with quantities and types (such as specific grades of steel) that are required to build a designed structure or item.

National Council of Structural Engineers Association

National Institute of Standards and Technology

National Society of Professional Engineers

A nuclear density gauge is a handheld field instrument that measures soil or asphalt density and moisture content using a small radioactive source, commonly used to verify compaction on construction sites. MetaField's forms library includes templates for recording nuclear density gauge test results as part of standard field data collection. Learn more about how MetaField supports density and compaction field testing.

A permit inspection is a site inspection required to satisfy a building permit condition, verifying that specific work meets jurisdictional requirements before a project can proceed or close out. MetaField's inspection software includes pre-built templates for permit inspections that can be tailored to each firm's workflow. Learn more about how MetaField supports inspection workflows.

A piezometer is a field instrument installed in the ground to measure groundwater pressure and water table depth over time. MetaField digitizes piezometer readings alongside borehole logs, replacing paper field notes and manual data transfer for geotechnical monitoring. Learn more about how MetaField supports geotechnical field data collection.

A Proctor test, also called a moisture-density test, determines the moisture content at which a soil achieves its maximum compaction density. MetaField's lab management tools track moisture-density results as part of the standard geotechnical lab testing workflow. Learn more about how MetaField supports soil compaction testing.

Proficiency testing is an accreditation requirement in which a lab tests blind or reference samples to independently verify its testing competency and consistency against known results. MetaField centralizes proficiency sample results alongside equipment calibration history and personnel certifications to keep labs audit-ready. Learn more about how MetaField supports lab accreditation.

A sieve analysis, or gradation test, measures the particle-size distribution of soil or aggregate by passing a sample through a series of sieves. MetaField's field data collection forms capture gradation results alongside slump, density, and moisture data for construction materials testing projects. Learn more about how MetaField supports gradation and field data testing.

A slump test measures the consistency and workability of fresh concrete before it's placed and cured. MetaField's digital field forms let technicians capture slump alongside air content, temperature, and unit weight on-site, with results flowing directly into lab and reporting workflows. Learn more about how MetaField supports concrete field testing.

A special inspection is code-required, third-party verification — typically required under the International Building Code — that critical construction elements such as structural steel, concrete, or foundations are installed to specification. MetaField's inspection software manages special inspections alongside construction observations and permit inspections in one platform. Learn more about how MetaField supports special inspections.

The Standard Penetration Test is a geotechnical field test that measures soil density and strength by recording the number of blows required to drive a sampler a set distance. MetaField's boring log software lets field crews record blow counts digitally as part of borehole data collection. Learn more about how MetaField supports geotechnical field data collection.

A work breakdown structure (WBS) in project management and systems engineering is a deliverable-oriented breakdown of a project into smaller components. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the team's work into manageable sections.

A well diagram is a visual representation of a single borehole showing subsurface stratigraphy, sample depths, and test results in one graphic. MetaField's boring log software includes built-in well diagram capabilities as part of its configurable boring log reports. Learn more about how MetaField supports boring log reporting.

A work order is a scheduled unit of field work — a test, inspection, or sampling assignment — that specifies the task, location, and assigned staff. MetaField lets schedulers create single-task, multi-task, or recurring work orders and track them from assignment through completion in real time. Learn more about how MetaField supports work order scheduling.