Environmental Monitoring & Assessment Program

Linda C. Harwell, John M. Macauley

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD/NHEERL, Gulf Ecology Division, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL, 32563

Data quality is vital to the long-term success of the U.S. EPA's, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) and the National Coastal Assessment (NCA). EMAP-NCA research planning includes extensive, documented quality standards by which each data component may be measured. These quality measurements are used to identify potential areas of concern, to assess the extent of any quality issues, and, if necessary, to deploy corrective adjustments during the execution of a survey. The NCA team uses a variety of software applications (e.g., SAS®, ArcGIS®) to generate many graphical, statistical, and tabular reports comparing prescribed data quality standards to the observational and analytical survey data. In recognizing the importance of data quality, we offer examples of proven quality assessment techniques that aid in the determination of the value the data holds for the program.

Keywords: quality assessment, data quality objective, National Coastal Assessment