Improving Quality
Assurance/Quality Control And
Data Management in Lithuania
JUOZAS MOLIS
Head of Automatic Measurement
Systems Department
2017-07-28
Geneva, 11 June 2007
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Introduction
The aims and objectives of the Lithuanian automatic air
quality monitoring network data are:
• Meeting national requirements, in particular EU
Directives
• Providing necessary information on air quality for the
public, decision makers and scientific community
• Identifying long term trends on air pollutant
concentrations
• Assessment of policy effectiveness
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
NRL main tasks
• Administration and maintenance of the quality system
(preparation SOPs and quality documents)
• Maintaining the national reference standards
• Instrument selection, method validation, data
validation and training
• Audits in the network
• Maintaining the central database
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Quality handbook
I part. Description of the quality system (Quality assurance):
• References to national and EU legislation and Directives
• Quality organization, tasks and responsibilities
• Criteria for NRL, calibration laboratory and network
operators
• Data quality objectives and measurement uncertainties
• Definition of zone and agglomerations
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Quality handbook
II part. Description of network operation (Quality control):
• Network operator manuals
• Standard operations procedures (SOPs)
• Instrument performance acceptance criteria
• Description of traceability and calibrations
• Document handling and upgrading control
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Data quality assurance
Criteria for network
establishment
Standardised
reference
and selection of methods
sampling points
measurement
or
• Station siting
(ID1 VI andmethods
VII annexes);
equivalent
(ID1 IX
• Instrument selection
annexes)
• Instrument service and repair
• Network design
• Operation manuals
• Operator training
• Instrument calibration
• Site audit
• Intercalibration
2017-07-28
National assessment
laboratory (FD 3 article);
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Calibration
In the national network and in the majority of local networks
a 3-stage approach to calibration is adopted:
• daily span and zero check with the analysers internal gas
source (permeation tube or gas cylinder)
• 4-weekly manual calibration with certified calibration gas
cylinder
• 6-monthly site audit check with an independent gas
standard to check the calibration of the analyser and the
stability of the on-site gas cylinder
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Calibration
Calibration gas and operator audit carried out at 6monthly intervals the following checks are
undertaken:
• linearity
• noise
• response time
• leaks and flow check
• converter efficiency
• analyser calibration
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Calibration
The requirements for analysers to be dynamically
calibrated at site are as follows:
• when analyser is initially installed
• if any repair is done on the analyser
• if tolerances of zero/span checks are not met
• if analyser is relocated
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Quality control
Quality control activities include:
checking, accepting,
rejectingand
or adjusting
• Information management
by software
manual
the data,
on the
operation
by
expert
• Data ratification
basis of all available
final decisions on
• Quality circle review and feedback information
data acceptance or
rejection
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Data management
Tasks of national air-quality assessment and
management system:
• Collection of all available air-quality data
• Collection of all available emission data
• Collection of supporting data (meteorological, traffic)
• Data verification (quality control)
• Modeling of concentration fields of pollutants
• Assessment and modeling of trends in air quality
• Data reporting (national and international).
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Air quality data for the year 2006
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Conclusions
•
•
•
QA/QC procedures has been successfully
incorporated into operation of the Lithuanian
national automatic air-quality monitoring
network
The data are the high quality and fulfil the
aims and objectives of the network
Qualified personnel is the basement for
data quality
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt
Thank you
for your attention
2017-07-28
Environmental Protection Agency
http://aaa.am.lt