ASSURING DATA QUALITY
AT U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY LABORATORIES
Committee to Review the U.S. Geological Survey’s Laboratories
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
Division on Earth and Life Studies
A Consensus Study Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
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This activity was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Award No. G17AC00245. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-49562-2
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-49562-8
Digital Object Identifier: http://doi.org/10.17226/25524
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Assuring Data Quality at U.S. Geological Survey Laboratories. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. http://doi.org/ 10.17226/25524.
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COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY’S LABORATORIES
WILLIAM A. HOPKINS, Chair, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
SUSAN L. BRANTLEY (NAS), The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
REBECCA DAVIES, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
DON DePAOLO (NAS), University of California, Berkeley, emeritus
ANDY EATON, Eurofins Eaton Analytical, LLC, Monrovia, California
ROBERT FLEISCHER, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
MADELINE GOTKOWITZ, Montana Tech of The University of Montana, Butte
DENNIS (CHUNQING) JIANG, Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary
DAMIAN SHEA, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
WENLU ZHU, University of Maryland, College Park
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine staff
ANNE LINN, Study Director, Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
DEBORAH GLICKSON, Senior Program Officer, Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
ERIC EDKIN, Program Coordinator, Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES
ISABEL P. MONTAÑEZ, Chair, University of California, Davis
ESTELLA A. ATEKWANA, University of Delaware, Newark
THORSTEN W. BECKER, The University of Texas at Austin
BRENDA B. BOWEN, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City
CHRISTOPHER (SCOTT) CAMERON, Geological Consulting, LLC, Houston, Texas
NELIA W. DUNBAR, New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, Socorro
RODNEY C. EWING (NAE), Stanford University, California
WILLIAM C. HAMMOND, University of Nevada, Reno
CAROL P. HARDEN, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
ROBERT L. KLEINBERG (NAE), Institute for Sustainable Energy, Boston University, Massachusetts
THORNE LAY (NAS), University of California, Santa Cruz
ZELMA MAINE-JACKSON, Washington State Department of Ecology, Richland
MICHAEL MANGA (NAS), University of California, Berkeley
MARTIN W. MCCANN, Stanford University, California
JEFFREY N. RUBIN
JAMES A. SLUTZ, National Petroleum Council, Washington, District of Columbia
SHAOWEN WANG, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
ELIZABETH J. WILSON, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Staff
ELIZABETH EIDE, Director
ANNE LINN, Scholar
DEBORAH GLICKSON, Senior Staff Officer
SAMMANTHA MAGSINO, Senior Staff Officer
NICHOLAS ROGERS, Financial Business Partner
COURTNEY DEVANE, Administrative Coordinator
ERIC EDKIN, Program Coordinator
RAYMOND (REMY) CHAPPETTA, Senior Program Assistant
Acknowledgments
This Consensus Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Paul Gilman, Covanta Energy Corporation, and Michael Ladisch, Purdue University. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteur and the National Academies.
The committee would like to thank the following individuals who shared their expertise with the committee through presentations and discussion: Jordan Adelson, U.S. Navy; Ana Banica, Geological Survey of Norway; Kenna Butler, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); Majid El Mossaoui, French Geological Survey; Graham Hagen-Peter, Geological Survey of Norway; Lora Johnson, Environmental Protection Agency; Teresa Kirschling, USGS; Phillipe Négrel, French Geological Survey; Torkil Rohr, Geological Survey of Norway; Marcella Sarzotti-Kelsoe, Duke University Medical Center; Ken Skipper, USGS; Conrad Quinn, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Terry Wade, Texas A&M University; and William Werkheiser, U.S. Department of Interior. The committee also appreciates the USGS managers (particularly Kenna Butler), who provided background information and answered numerous questions, and the USGS laboratory staff, who were welcoming and candid during the committee site visits. Finally, the committee thanks the National Academies staff, particularly Anne Linn, who did a tremendous job steering and supporting the committee through the study.
Contents
2 IMPROVING DATA QUALITY AND INTEGRITY
Introduction to Quality Assurance Programs
Reasons for Implementing Quality Assurance Programs
Evidence That Quality Assurance Programs Support Data Quality
Approaches for Designing Laboratory Data Quality Programs
Maintaining Data Quality Programs
Insights from Visits to USGS Laboratories
Summary and Answers to Tasks 1, 2, and 3
4 EXPERIENCES WITH QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Perspectives on QMS from Selected Federal Agencies, Geological Surveys, and Research Institutions