1. LEADS/EMS DATA VALIDATION

3. 6 - 3 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 WHAT IS VALIDATION? From The Dictionary: 1a. To Make Legally Valid 1b. To Grant Official Sanction By Marking Validation Using LEADS Is A Process Of Data Review Followed By An Actual Marking Of The Data As Validated The Act Of Validating Data Is Restricted To Only Certain User Classes There Is An Automatic Audit Trail Entry Generated Every Time Data Is Validated

4. 6 - 4 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 Data Validation Is Required By Federal Regulations: Air Quality Data Submitted For Each Reporting Period Must Be Edited, Validated, And Entered Into The AIRS- AQS For Updating Pursuant To Appropriate AIRS-AQS Procedures. ~ 40 CFR 58.35 WHY BOTHER WITH VALIDATION?

5. 6 - 5 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 VALIDATING DATA The Actual Act Of Validating Data With The Manual Validation Interface Is Almost Trivial What Is Difficult Is Gathering All Of The Background And Supporting Information That Allows The Data Validator To Validate Data With Confidence This Has To Be A Collaborative Effort Between Everyone Involved – Field Operators, QA Staff, Maintenance Personnel, And Data Validators

6. 6 - 6 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 Validate NAMS/SLAMS Data Using Available Data Screens And Reports Provide Technical Support On Data Management Issues That May Arise Document All Data Management Activities Receive, Process, And Send All Network Data To The EPA AIRS Database Prepare NAMS/SLAMS Data Summaries Prepare Annual SLAMS Certification For EPA VALIDATOR RESPONSIBILITIES

7. 6 - 7 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 If Any Unusual Or Nonstandard Conditions Are Noticed By The Field Operator, They Should Enter Any Pertinent Information In The Electronic Operator Log Then… Validators Review The Ambient Data, Electronic Logs, Automatic Checks, And Quality Control Records To Determine If There Is A Reason To Invalidate The Data OPERATORS AND VALIDATORS

8. 6 - 8 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 How Can You Get The Highest Data Return Possible? 1.Field Operators Record Everything They Do That Might Affect The Monitors In The Operator Log 2.Everyone Know And Follow The QAPP, SOPs, And Other Training Materials 3.Maintain A Station Inventory And Keep The System Configuration Up-To-Date HIGHEST DATA RETURN

9. 6 - 9 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 Operators Should Make A Log Entry Every Time They Do Something At The Station – Including Just A Short “Well Station” Visit Record Any PMI’s That Are Performed Record Any Pertinent Instrument Readings (Status, Mode, Etc.) Record The Cause Of Monitor Malfunctions And Automatic Check Failures And What Was Done To Correct The Problem Record Whether Monthly Or Quarterly Audits And Verifications Pass Or Fail – Include The Percentages EFFECTIVE OPERATOR LOGS

10. 6 - 10 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 Keep The Station Temperature Within The Established Limits – Both Upper And Lower Monitor The Sites Closely – Do Not Let Instruments Drift Until There Is A Failure Keep Communications Between The Field And The Data Validator(s) Open Be Pro-Active And Aggressive In Isolating And Resolving Problems And Issues – If A Problem Is Causing A Loss Of Data, It Must Be Addressed With The Highest Priority SITE OPERATION STRATEGIES

11. 6 - 11 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 Establish A Quality Assurance Project Plan Develop And Implement Standard Operating Procedures Train Everyone On The QAPP And SOP’s Use The Quarterly (Or However Frequently The QAPP Calls For Them) Audit Visits To Each Site To Verify That The QAPP And SOP’s Are Being Used At Each Site Everyone Use The LEADS Tools – Including The Web Pages And Manual Validation STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

12. 6 - 12 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 Data Validation Is Dependent Upon The Correct QA And QC Methods Having Been Complied With And The Validator Notified If An Instrument Fails An Audit, The Data Collected Since The Previous Audit May Be Invalid DID YOU KNOW?

13. 6 - 13 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 If The Calibrator Is The Cause Of An Automatic Check Failure, That The Data Is Likely To Be Recoverable? Make An Entry In The Operator Log To Let The Data Validator Know What Happened! DID YOU KNOW?

14. 6 - 14 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 An Equipment Problem Is Often First Evident In The 5 Minute Data Data Is Compared Between Nearby Sites, And With Same-site Parameters Which Correlate Inversely Or Proportionally DID YOU KNOW?

15. 6 - 15 IPS MeteoStar December 11, 2006 FINI This Concludes Data Validation