Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process

By Environmental Protection Agency

Book Id: WPLBN0000125698
Format Type: PDF eBook
File Size: 0.4 MB
Reproduction Date: 2007

Title:	Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process
Author:	Environmental Protection Agency
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Ecology, Natural resource issues, Environemtal protection
Collections:	Environmental Awareness Library Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	United States Environmental Protection Agency


Citation APA MLA Chicago Agency, E. P. (n.d.). Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
Excerpt: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed the Data Quality Objectives Process as the Agency’s recommended planning process when environmental data are used to select between two opposing conditions. The Data Quality Objectives Process is used to develop Data Quality Objectives that clarify study objectives, define the appropriate type of data, and specify tolerable levels of potential decision errors that will be used as the basis for establishing the quality and quantity of data needed to support decisions. When this Process is not immediately applicable (i.e., the objective of the program is estimation, research, or any other objective that does not select between two distinct conditions), the Agency requires the use of a systematic planning method for defining performance criteria. This document, Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process (EPA QA/G-4) provides a standard working tool for project managers and planners to develop Data Quality Objectives for determining the type, quantity, and quality of data needed to reach defensible decisions.

Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 0. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-1 0.1 EPA Program Requirements for Environmental Data and Technology . 0-1 0.2 Systematic Planning and the Data Quality Objectives Process . . . . . . . 0-4 0.3 Benefits of Using the DQO Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-9 0.4 Organization of this Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-12 0.5 Background for the Three Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-13 CHAPTER 1. STEP 1. STATE THE PROBLEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 1.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 1.2 Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 1.3 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5 1.4 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5 CHAPTER 2. STEP 2. IDENTIFY THE DECISION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1 2.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1 2.2 Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2 2.3 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4 2.4 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4 CHAPTER 3. STEP 3. IDENTIFY THE INPUTS TO THE DECISION . . . . . . . 3-1 3.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1 3.2 Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 3.3 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 3.4 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 CHAPTER 4. STEP 4. DEFINE THE BOUNDARIES OF THE STUDY . . . . . . 4-1 4.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1 4.2 Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3 4.3 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7 4.4 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8 CHAPTER 5. STEP 5. DEVELOP A DECISION RULE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1 5.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1 5.2 Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2 5.3 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4 5.4 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5