dimensional and unit analysis in SQL database

Question

Problem:

A relational database (Postgres) storing timeseries data of various measurement values. Each measurement value can have a specific \"measurement type\" (e.g

Answer 1

"Text worries me somewhat because there's the possibility for non-unique duplicates"

Right. So don't use text as a key. Use the ID as a key.

"Is there a more elegant way to accomplish this?"

Not really. It's hard. Temperature is it's own problem because temperature is itself an average, and doesn't sum like distance does; plus F to C conversion is not a multiply (as it is with every other unit conversion.)