Community-Based Air Quality Monitoring Framework

5.1 Quality Assurance Approach and Activities

High-quality data that meets stated objectives is a priority for every air monitoring project. Gathering high-quality data involves many steps, and these resources can assist groups in understanding and planning for actions they may need to take to achieve their data quality goals.

Purpose: Identify and plan the various actions required to integrate quality assurance into a community air monitoring project.

Resources:

• Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) Basics: Summary of the most important elements of QA/QC geared towards community members. (Bay Air Center, worksheet, 2 pages)
• Quality Assurance for Air Sensors: Describes both the quality assurance project plan (QAPP) and common QA steps when working with data in an accessible format, and provides links to templates and other resources. (EPA, webpage, 1 page)
• Community Science Air Monitoring Quality Assurance Plan Template: Guidance, provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Air Quality – Air Monitoring, on using air sensors for community projects; includes data quality assurance plan templates for four types of air sensor projects.
• Handbook for Citizen Science Quality Assurance and Documentation: Comprehensive quality assurance guide geared towards general environmental sampling rather than community air sensor use. (EPA, handbook, 32 pages)
• Checks to Ensure Quality Assurance and Quality Control: Explains important and standard quality control checks and unexpected issues. Contains good distinction between QA and QC. (EPA, guidance section, pages 81-83)
• Daily Data Review for Sensor Networks: A helpful guide on how to conduct daily data reviews, similar to EPA guidance resources, but includes helpful and accessible visual/verbal examples of common AQ data quality issues. (Bay Air Center, worksheet, 3 pages)
• How to Conduct a Collocation: Discusses the benefits of conducting pre- and post-collocations and their general steps. (SCAQMD, guidance section, pages 89-91)

Common challenges that these resources help address: 

Air monitoring projects may lack the funding or personnel with technical expertise to conduct necessary quality assurance (QA). Agencies may need to advise air monitoring project participants on how to create a quality assurance project plan (QAPP).

There can be significant differences between the quality of the data collected by air monitors selected by community-based project participants versus regulatory-grade monitors operated by an air agency. Project participants will benefit from a full understanding of the data quality needed to inform regulations or other desired policy outcomes. Project personnel may need direction and training to conduct quality assurance for their projects.