Field to Final, Enforce Environmental Data Quality at Each Step

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EQuIS Environmental Data Management System (EDMS)

  • Ensure Complete Data Sets using Smart Forms
  • Reduce Transcription Errors
  • Automate Lab Data Verification
  • Track Sampling Events to the Analyte Level
  • Automate Outlier Notifications

Environmental professionals understand that most projects have data quality issues, and they aren’t just attributed to the laboratory data. Production of quality data starts well before our samples reach the laboratories. Quality may be compromised at many steps in the workflow including entry, transcription, or transmission of data. From planning to collection, through lab processing, and final delivery, quality suffers where manual processes are standard and human error is unavoidable.

So, what constitutes data quality? Complete datasets, conformance to database rules, agreement with QAPP specified data quality objectives, consistent naming conventions, and a seamless link between field and laboratory data are a few key integrity drivers. Planning in Excel, handwriting boring logs and Chains of Custody, and manually logging sample IDs into the LIMS are all to blame for these recurring data quality issues. By automating these workflows and integrating them into a data management system, improvements in the quality and integrity of field and laboratory data follow. EarthSoft’s EQuIS data management system provides an end-to-end automated workflow that enforces completeness and conformance with multiple data quality software tools.

Updated EarthSoft Workflow

 

EQuIS Sample Planning Module (SPM)

SPM supports the digitization of sampling and analysis plans, creation of samples and locations naming conventions, and integration with electronic lab contracts, to name just a few of its functional capabilities. Leveraging database rules creating sample plans allows you to track the status of your sampling events down to a method and analyte level, and automatically generate sample IDs on the day of field collection. Data quality improvements include ensuring complete data sets are delivered by the labs, consistency in naming conventions, support for electronic Chains of Custody, and guaranteed seamless link between field and laboratory data.

 

EQuIS Data Gathering Engine (EDGE)

EDGE supports the collection and verification of field data including environmental samples, geology, air quality, instrument health, groundwater, limnology, biology, and industrial hygiene. Smart forms ensure that all relevant data points are collected before the field techs completes their tasks. Electronic Chains of Custody containing sample IDs, analytic methods, and analyte groups which are automatically transferred to Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), removing the need to hand-enter sample IDs at the laboratories. Data quality improvements include ensuring complete datasets are collected in the field, enforcing sample naming conventions, and reduction of transcription errors.

 

EQuIS Data Processor (EDP)

EDP supports the verification of all data before they are allowed into EQuIS databases. Whether it is field, lab, or logger data, EDP screens all data against pre-set and configured quality checks to ensure conformance to database rules. EDP ensures that all values provided in an Electronic Data Deliverable (EDD) are valid in accordance with database reference values, and that all fields conform to your database rules including type, length, and dependency.

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EQuIS Data Qualification Module (DQM)

DQM compares QC sample results to QAPP specified data quality objectives and support automated data validation programs. Once the field data have been appropriately collected and verified and analytical data are found to be of a known integrity and completeness, a data usability assessment may be required. DQM helps analytical chemists quickly and efficiently qualify data that are found to be outside control limits. Automatic notifications are sent when gross exceedances are found in submitted datasets.

When leveraging EQuIS’ end-to-end environmental workflow, data of known quality and integrity are provided to end users for analysis and decision making. As environmental professionals, data are our most valuable asset, but also present the greatest risk to projects if mismanaged. Automating the workflow mitigates this risk, allows us to better leverage knowledge, and ensures an appropriate risk-based approach to managing liability. High quality data helps us predict trends, stay ahead of the curve, and remedy the situation before it escalates to ensure the application of sound science.

EQuIS™ is the world’s most widely used environmental data management workflow and efficiently manages the environmental sample data for thousands of organizations. Contact sales@earthsoft.com for more info.

 

 

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