Digitalisation of units and dimensions

The symbolic representation of quantities, units, and dimensions is reviewed with regard to information carried by conventional notation. The formal structure of unit systems like the International System of Units (SI) has been an efficient way for scientists to share data about the magnitudes of quantities, but it is an unsatisfactory basis for digitalisation. SI notation does not convey information about kind of quantity, which must be obtained from some other source, and the use of dimensional expressions in the SI also loses information about kinds of quantity. It is argued that digitalisation of quantities, units, and dimensions should focus on the more fundamental measurement concepts of quantity kinds and scales of measurement to provide strong foundations on which to build support for quantities, including features familiar from SI unit notation.