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Quality Assurance
This page last reviewed January 28, 2011
The Quality Management Branch (QMB) provides underlying quality assurance of ambient air data collected in California. QMB is directly responsible for the precision and accuracy of all data generated and collected by the Monitoring and Laboratory Division, and indirectly responsible for precision and accuracy of all data of local and private air monitoring agencies in the California air monitoring network. QMB assures that ambient air data are in compliance with quality assurance criteria of State and federal monitoring regulations and guidance documents.
QMB performs a complex array of quality assurance and quality control activities to ensure that the ambient air data generated by California's network is good quality data and may be considered data-for-record. The Air Resources Board (ARB) is specifically required by federal regulations to provide quality assurance oversight to the local air monitoring organizations within the ARB Primary Quality Assurance Organization or ARB PQAO. This is to ensure the monitoring organizations follow consistent procedures and produce data of similar quality within the ARB PQAO. For additional information about the ARB PQAO and resources available for local air monitoring organizations, please visit the ARB PQAO homepage.
Performance
Audits
Field and laboratory performance audits are routinely conducted to ensure the accuracy of
the data generated. The links below provide information about each type of audit performed.
Technical System Audits
A system audit is an on-site inspection and review of a
monitoring organization's entire program in which the total measurement
system is reviewed (sample collection, sample analysis, data processing, etc.).
Standards Laboratory
Information about calibrations, certifications, and verifications
of ozone and flow rate primary and transfer standards, and
certifications of compressed gas cylinders.
Quality Assurance Manual
This six volume series describes the Air Resources Board's (ARB)
Quality Assurance Program and contains
the Quality Management Plan and Standard Operating Procedures. The
volumes serve as guidance documents for the operation of quality
assurance programs used by ARB, local districts, and private industry.
The
volumes are intended to assist with implementing, designing, and
coordinating air quality monitoring projects. The volumes are presented
in Adobe Acrobat format.
Data Quality Reports
Information regarding the precision and accuracy results for each individual air
monitoring agency. Agencies may access, with appropriate ARB
permissions, their annual precision and accuracy reports for various
programs. Also available are the annual data quality reports.
The reports summarize the quality of the ambient data in quantifiable terms. Data quality information are available using the
links below:
For further information contact: Michael Miguel, Chief, Quality Management Branch
