Traceability

Ability to trace the history, application or location of an entity by means of recorded identification. ["Chain of custody" is a related term.] Alternatively, traceability is a property of the result of a measurement or the value of a standard whereby it can be related with a stated uncertainty, to stated references, usually national or international standards, i.e. through an unbroken chain of comparisons. In this context, The standards referred to here are measurement standards rather than written standards.