Data Quality
The essential requirement of any measurement system is that it produces data that reasonably characterizes reality. The more accurate the data is, the more useful it is for decision making. To ensure that the benefit derived from using measurement data is great enough to warrant the cost of obtaining it; attention must be focused on the quality of the data.
The quality focus at ADS begins by installing a very accurate and reliable monitor. ADS supplies the only two flow monitors verified under the EPA Environmental Technology Verification program. Reliability is also important, and ADS monitor networks average well above 95% uptime over hundreds of thousands of monitor days each year.
Data quality is also affected by the standard of care used to operate and maintain a flow monitor network. All of the ADS flow monitor processes from product design to field troubleshooting receive concentrated management programs including:
- ISO9001:2008 approved Quality Management Systems
- A document library containing over 250 individual work instructions
- Bi-annual training certifications of all field personnel
- Annual quality audits by SIRA Certification Services
The final phase of quality control at ADS is performed by trained data analysts who follow three vital steps to reduce bias and variance in the final data:
- All data is edited for outliers.
- All data is reconciled to independent measures of depth and velocity.
- All data is reconciled to upstream and downstream flow patterns.
Finally, every single site is reviewed by a Senior Data Analyst before it is delivered to a customer. Our Senior Data Analysts average over 14 years of experience in reviewing data - more time than most of our competitors have been in business.
1
Automotive Industry Action Group, June 1998, Measurement Systems Analysis Reference Manual, Second Edition.