A Framework for Monitoring

1

• A Framework for Monitoring

2
Conference outcomes

• The Board work groups reviewed the work group
  specific and general Board related conference
  recommendations
• The Board and work groups discussed how the
  recommendations could be meshed with current
  Board product efforts and included in a longer
  term strategy
• The Board will consider how we can make the
  framework most relevant to the various monitoring
  entities
• The Board and its work groups will continue this
  process, to culminate in a revised work plan at
  the next Board meeting
• As a part of this effort the Board will identify
  audiences that can provide success stories and/or
  use Board products

3
Board Strategy

• Develop element considerations and related goal
  group products
• Framework related product (s)
• Use conference input to focus the product choice
  (especially discussion recommendations and
  questions 18 and 19?)
• Determine new technology relationships to
  products
• Develop two-year work group product strategy to
  prioritize products to showcase at next
  conference
• Compile/develop success stories pilot studies
  that demonstrate relevance of framework or
  product
• link products together via an information
  warehouse/expert system
• Determine IMPACT contributions

4
Some considerations for developing a framework
related product strategy for the Council

• Develop list of element considerations and
  relationships to goal groups
• Use conference recommendations and framework to
  develop potential goal group product list
• Develop work groups to deliver products
• Prioritize products and consider 2 year strategy
  to showcase products at conference
• Compile/develop success stories that
  demonstrate relevance of the framework
• Determine contributions to
• expert system to link products together
• IMPACT issue
• consider new technology relationships to products
• data management needs which goal groups

5
Collaboration and Comparability

• Each year, government agencies, industry,
  academic researchers, and private organizations
  devote enormous amounts of time and money to
  monitor, protect, manage, and restore water
  resources and watersheds.

6
2002 National Monitoring Conference

• The mission of the National Council is to provide
  a national forum to coordinate consistent and
  scientifically defensible methods and strategies
  for improving water quality monitoring,
  assessment, and reporting.

7
Why Focus on Collaboration Comparability?

• Critical differences in project design, methods,
  data analysis, and data management make it
  difficult for monitoring information to be shared
  by more potential data users.

8
Why do we monitor?

• Describe status and trends
• Describe and rank existing and emerging problems
• Design management and regulatory programs
• Respond to emergencies

From the Final Report of the Intergovernmental
Task Force on Monitoring (1995)
9
Collaboration and Comparability

• Development of a national monitoring strategy
  requires that we create a framework for
  collaboration and comparability among programs

10
What is a Monitoring Framework?

• The process of monitoring and assessment should
  principally be seen as a sequence of related
  activities that
• start with the definition of information needs
  and
• end with the use of the information product.

UN/ECE Task Force on Monitoring and Assessment
(2000)
11
Proposed National Monitoring Framework
12
Elements of the Framework

• Identify Monitoring Objectives
• Design Monitoring Program
• Collect Data in the Field and Lab
• Manage Data
• Interpret Data
• Convey Information and Results

13
Examples of Element Considerations

• Identify monitoring objectives
• Define Data Quality Objectives (DQOs)
• Determine information expectations of legal
  requirements
• Determine data and information required to
  support watershed assessments and other
  collaborators needs
• Design monitoring program
• Articulate and document overall
  monitoring/information strategy
• Identify the environmental setting and
  water-quality issues
• Determine spatial/temporal and constituent
  approach to meet information needs

14
Examples of Element Considerations (cont.)

• Collecting Data in the Field and Lab
• Determine Measurement Quality Objectives (MQOs)
• Identify optimal methods
• Develop a sample management plan
• Train and certify personnel
• Managing Data
• Determine data management requirements and
  develop and document data handling and audit
  approach
• Develop meta data requirements
• Use data checking programs to determine
  reliability of chemical data data verification

15
Examples of Element Considerations (cont.)

• Interpreting Data
• Interpretation/implications historical
  evaluation, water quality relevance, management
  relevance, professional judgment, information
  goals met?
• Use existing indicators/indices
• Choose and run appropriate water-quality models
• Conveying Information and Results
• Determine audience
• Determine media internet, reports, news
  releases, oral, conference/meeting displays
• Peer review of information

16
Examples of Element Considerations (cont.)

• Coordination/Collaboration
• National and regional monitoring conferences
• State and regional monitoring council
  participation
• Partner identification
• Partner comparability studies
• Monitoring data inventories
• Conduct data and information swaps

17
A Framework and the Council

• A framework will support the Councils mission by
  providing a systematic conceptual approach to
  the monitoring process to guide the NWQMC,
  Methods Board, and State and Regional Councils
  efforts

18
Councils Product-Based Approach

• Develop products through goal group structure
• Deliver products in the short term while thinking
  and planning strategically in the long term

Watershed Components Interaction
Collaboration Outreach
Methods Data Comparability
Water Information Strategies
19
Councils Product-Based Approach

• Product Based Approach
• Generate intermediate and final products to
  demonstrate success
• Prioritize longer term product activities
• Organize meetings to focus on product
  accomplishments
• Not attempt more than can be accomplished
• Continue to involve additional volunteer
  stakeholders
• Publicize what we do

Watershed Components Interaction
Collaboration Outreach
Methods Data Comparability
Water Information Strategies
20
Water Information Strategies

• Purpose Create and communicate goal-oriented
  monitoring design guidance that results in
  comparable information, over time and space,
  being produced in support of management decision
  making.
• Current framework focus

21
Methods and Data Comparability

• Purpose Explore, evaluate and develop methods
  and approaches to measurement that facilitate
  collaboration and promote comparability between
  water quality monitoring programs.
• Current framework focus

22
Watershed Components Interactions

• Purpose Provide a national forum to advance the
  integration of ground and surface water
  monitoring to more fully understand the connected
  nature of these watershed components and their
  combined impact on the ecological integrity of
  the hydrologic system.
• Current framework focus

23
Collaboration and Outreach

• Purpose Build and support creative partnerships
  among the many elements of the monitoring
  community, particularly by supporting the
  development of state and regional monitoring
  councils. Provide support so that Council members
  can serve as ambassadors to heighten the
  awareness and involvement of all stakeholders in
  water resource monitoring, protection, and
  restoration.
• Current framework focus

24
Using the Framework to help coordinate monitoring
efforts

• the cogs of the graphic define the six elements
  of the Framework
• Each of the elements include monitoring
  considerations
• Products can be developed and information
  summarized to address the element considerations
• Products can be linked via an on-line expert
  system (information warehouse)

25
Methods and Data Comparability Framework
Element Element Considerations Product or Activity
Identify objectives and design of monitoring project Study objectives Monitoring questions Data quality objectives Measurement quality objectives Sampling design DQO paper (future activity) Expert system (ongoing) NEMI (beta release) PBMS paper (NWQMC Tech Report 01-02) COD pilot paper (submitted to EST)
Collect data in the field Field certification training Field protocols Field method performance Sample handling preservation Field certification position paper (future activity) NEMI (phase 3 2002 start) Field biology PBMS paper (draft 2002) Nutrient PBMS pilot (2002 start) Macroinvertebrate PBMS pilot (2002 start)
Collect data in the laboratory Method comparability Laboratory accreditation Reference materials availability Laboratory method verification NEMI (beta release) Federal laboratory accreditation position (ACWI approved 2002) Coordination with NELAC (ongoing) State laboratory accreditation position (future activity) PBMS position paper (NWQMC Tech Report 01-02) COD pilot paper (submitted to EST)
Manage data Required metadata Data quality documentation Water quality data elements Chemical microbiological list (ACWI approved 2001) Biological list (2001 start) NEMI coordination (ongoing)
26
Product based approach WQDE example

• Determine data management requirements and
  develop and document data handling and audit
  approach
• Develop meta data requirements
• Use data checking programs to determine
  reliability of chemical data data verification

Identify the aspects that have to be considered
within each element of the framework
Develop products, activitiesTOOLSthat help
people address the considerations within each
element of the framework.
Having and using a common set of data elements
builds our capacity to understand our water
resources
common set of WQDE
Manage data
27
IMPACT Issue to describe and announce the
Framework

• September 2003 issue
• Teams to prepare short cog articles
• Handout provides draft outline for issue and
  suggestions for lead authors and collaborators
• Determine/agree upon lead authors for articles

28
Building a Framework for the Future

• Conference organized around 6 thematic tracks,
  reflecting pieces of the framework

29
Conference Organized Around 6 Tracks
T1--Setting the Stage for Monitoring
T2 T3--Field Lab Methods for Today Tomorrow
T6--Data to Information to Action
T4--Exploring Opportunities in Data Management
T5--Making Sense of the Data
30
Conference Structure

• Four different session types
• workshops and extended sessions (Monday),
• presentation sessions (Tuesday Wednesdayeach
  track had 5 90-minute presentation sessions)
• poster sessions (Tuesday Wednesday)
• Council goal group discussion sessions
  (Wednesday).
• All sessions feed into creating the framework

31
Workshops, Presentations, and Posters followed by
Discussions

• One discussion session for each of the Councils
  four working goal groups
• Forum for sharing experiences and exploring ways
  the Councils workgroups can build, foster, and
  promote a monitoring framework for the future
• Opportunity to incorporate the ideas and issues
  raised in the workshops and track sessions

32
Discussions (continued)

• Brainstorm specific roles the workgroup can play
  in emphasizing a monitoring framework for the
  future.
• Produce recommendations on how the workgroup can
  promote, foster, and support the framework and
  the national monitoring community.
• Recommendations will help guide the Councils work

33
Framework workshop

• Adding Structure to the Monitoring Framework
• Discuss conference outcomes
• Brainstorm the missing pieces
• Guide the National Councils current and future
  efforts to promote and sustain the monitoring
  framework.

34
Conference evaluations
5

• 109 evaluations completed

• Each session rated on a 1-5 scale
• (1 poor, 2 fair, 3 satisfactory, 4
  good, 5 excellent)

1
35
Monday-- Workshops

• T2 T3--Field Lab Methods for Today Tomorrow

36
Tuesday-- Tracks 2 and 3

• Field and Laboratory Methods for Today and
  Tomorrow

NEMI
PBMS
NEMI
37
Wednesday-- Track 4

• Exploring Opportunities in Data Management

3.90
(mini workshop)
38
Wednesday -- Discussion Sessions

• One for each of the Councils four working goal
  groups
• Forum for sharing experiences and exploring ways
  the Councils workgroups can build, foster, and
  promote a monitoring framework for the future
• Opportunity to incorporate the ideas and issues
  raised in the workshops and track sessions

4.00
39
Workgroup discussions

• Attendance at the various Council workgroup
  discussions (based only on evaluation responses)

40
Conference attendance breakdown
Based only on evaluation responses
41
Framework Workshop recommendations

• Add cog ID potential users of data 1st step
  in process
• Consider cog to evaluate outcomes
• Discussed elements to consider in each cog
• Provide case studies where framework saved
  resources

42
Public Outreach/Communication

• Communicate the most important monitoring
  information
• ID benefits of monitoring
• Demonstrate that wq info is making a difference
• Include economic/quality of life values
• Market use of indicators
• We need to remind the public of the importance of
  wq monitoring
• Make the wq information more relevant to more
  audiences

43
Establish working relationships between
state/regional councils and NWQMC

• Compile a directory of state/regional councils
• ID inventory all existing monitoring programs
• Foster and encourage two-way communication
• Bottom-up top down

44
Establish working relationships

• Develop a communication system to facilitate
  this info exchange
• Showcase successes
• Document efficiencies, value added benefits
• Encourage organizations to look beyond their
  immediate needs
• Encourage establishment of new councils

45
Fully Involve the Monitoring Community

• Give all interested parties the opportunity to
  become involved
• Communicate the value of field and lab
  certification
• builds trust
• improve comparability of data
• Investigate different levels of certification for
  different data uses

46
Fully Involve the Monitoring Community

• Develop a compendium/directory of training tools
• Develop a glossary
• move toward a common monitoring language
• Report results to interested public and decision
  makers,
• If its worth the effort to monitor its worth the
  effort to report the results
• Use variety of communication tools to get the
  message out
• NWQMC needs to set up booth at other conferences,
  advertise, advertise, advertise

47
Promote NWQMC as a vehicle for federal and state
agency collaboration

• Provide assistance to electronically share data
• Develop consistent formats for sharing data and
  reporting results
• Promote secondary uses of data (ie Secchi DipIn)
• Promote use of uniform indicators
• Explore opportunities for volunteer monitoring
  input (harmonious data sets)
• Foster greater interstate collaboration for
  monitoring and assessment of shared water
  resources
• Communicate the Unified Federal Agency policy for
  WQ monitoring on federal lands

48
Watershed Components

• Traditionally weve focused on the interactions
  of ground and surface water.
• Need to expand to include other key watershed
  components,
• air deposition, wetlands, soil zone
• watershed characteristics,
• land use, impervious cover, urbanization,
  agriculture, population expansion, disposal
  techniques, and underground injection
• and watershed interrelationships
• ground water, surface water and wetlands, water
  quality and quantity
• Surface and ground watersheds do not usually
  coincide geographically.

49
Watershed Components

• Need to identify and assemble watershed case
  studies, e.g.
• Impact of ground water withdrawal on surface
  water (WA)
• Models that have multiple management objectives
  (Dane County, WI)
• Nitrogen loading (Chesapeake Bay)

50
Promoting Consistent Methods Models

• Need models that identify regional
  characteristics
• Use models to identify quality/quantity issues
• Promote models that are relevant for many
  stakeholders (helps to promote buy-in and
  funding)
• Promote models that are good management tools

51
Promoting Consistent MethodsData Collection

• Need water quality data elements specific to
  ground water
• Ground water field collection methods Are
  samples truly representative of aquifer water
  quality?

52
Promoting Consistent Methods Implementation

• BMPs for surface and ground water - dont
  transfer the problem!
• Integration of ground water loadings into TMDLs

53
Impacts of Ground Water Discharge

• Expand from marine environments to include
  freshwater systems
• Expand to include impacts to ground water from
  surface water recharge
• Council should promote interactions between
  coastal and freshwater stakeholders and seek
  expertise, e.g.
• WEF, AWWA, AWRA, EWRI, NGWA, GWPC, NOAA, LTER,
  ASIWPCA, SWCS, and international organizations

54
Public Outreach and Education

• Coordinate with Collaboration and Outreach
  workgroup
• Form sub-workgroups within WCI for
  education/outreach and technical issues
• Provide educational materials for school
  curriculums
• Develop website activities for children, and
  provide links to other educational programs from
  NWQMC site

55
Recommendations to NWQMC

• NWQMC needs to provide financial support to this
  workgroup, WCI, to recruit outside expertise.
• In the future, WCI should
• focus on the convey information and results
  segment of the proposed monitoring framework.
• carry and support the issues of watershed
  component interactions to the other Council
  workgroups.
• develop a list of suggested elements to include
  in watershed models to address the holistic
  system.

56
Overarching Methods Related Issues

• Need for Communication, Collaboration, and
  Coordination -- transcended track 2/3 sessions
  and NEMI and New Tech Workshops
• Promote implementation of ACWI approved
  recommendations by senior managers at federal and
  state agencies
• Differentiate between information quality and
  data quality
• Standard definition of terms such as accuracy,
  precision, etc., for use by the monitoring
  community
• Need success stories as agents for change

57
Overarching Methods Related Issues

• Need to develop a Comparability Protocol
• How to design studies to demonstrate
  comparability for field and lab methods
• Conduct pilot studies
• Evaluation of meta data -- precision, accuracy,
  etc.
• Evaluation of previously collected data

58
National Environmental Methods Index

• Include additional explanatory information as a
  part of NEMI
• Use NEMI as basis for data base registries
• Develop an expert system to provide monitoring
  design recommendations
• Need to prioritize methods that are added to NEMI
• Implement suggestions made to NEMI prototype

59
Methods Acceptance Issues

• Address method approval issues for compliance and
  other monitoring programs
• Continue to evaluate outstanding PBS issues
• Advocate PBS implementation
• Coordinate with NELAC PBS approach

60
New Technologies and Early Warning

• Develop a protocol for decision making with
  respect to data interpretation and use
• Develop partnerships for sensor technology
  development
• Document performance and acceptability criteria
• Provide broad range of testing -- methods and
  environmental conditions

61
New Technologies and Early Warning

• Provide training in use of emerging technologies
• Coordinate global expertise in biomonitoring
• -- biohazards and emerging technologies
• Address technical and management issues with
  false positives/false negatives in early warning
  alarm systems.

62
Water Quality Data Elements

• Need for targeted outreach
• Need for implementation approaches
• Demonstrated success -- leads to adoption
• Hierarchy from core to desired elements
• Need participants to develop biological WQDEs and
  to test chemical and microbiological WQDEs -- so
  please volunteer

63
Prioritize Methods Board Projects

• PBS
• Method Comparison protocols including field
  methods
• Glossary of terms related to comparability
• Outreach
• Implementation of recommendations at all levels

64
Additional Methods Issues

• Reassessment of detection limit protocols
• Reporting of low level data
• Reference materials
• Field accreditation
• Training

65
System Wide Considerations

• Database management
• Quality Assurance/Quality Control
• Information goal (information strategy)
• Costs
• Peer-reviewed system elements

66
Flexibility vs. Standardization

• Unintended impacts
• One size does not fit all vs. Tower of Babel
• Monitoring for regulation or management

67
Instructions to the Workgroup

• Need glossary/thesaurus of terms
• Need tools to connect cogs of framework
  smoothly seamlessly
• Strategies are important to connect cogs with
  each other
• Better define the content of the cogs of the
  framework
• Need case studies to illustrate definition of
  cogs and connection between cogs

68
Some considerations for developing a framework
related product strategy for the Council

• Develop list of element considerations and
  relationships to goal groups
• Use conference recommendations and framework to
  develop potential goal group product list
• Develop work groups to deliver products
• Prioritize products and consider 2 year strategy
  to showcase products at conference
• Compile/develop success stories that
  demonstrate relevance of the framework
• Determine contributions to
• expert system to link products together
• IMPACT issue
• consider new technology relationships to products
• data management needs which goal groups

69
Expert System Concept

• Concept discussed at Council meetings for several
  years (late 1999/early 2000)
• A coordinated product approach internet based
  information guide through the monitoring
  framework
• Pilot being developed under an NSF small business
  grant by Instant References Sources, Inc (Larry
  Keith, chair NEMI work group)

70
Expert system pilotEMMA - interactive software

• Designed to help you plan improved and
  cost-effective environmental monitoring projects.
  
• Guides you through complex decisions to tailor
  your plans to meet specific project needs by
  considering the physical and chemical
  characteristics of the sampling site and target
  analytes, desired data quality, available budget,
  and your objectives.
• Combines decision criteria based on EPAs DQO
  process, your specific project needs, and methods
  information from the new National Environmental
  Methods Index (NEMI).
• Consists of three modules, each based on a group
  of interactive decision criteria. It helps you to
  consider, and answer, all critical questions for
  project planning so that you will have a plan
  that ensures that you will get the right data on
  time the first time with no unpleasant surprises

71
EMMA currently has three Modules

•        
•  

• Authoritative Decisions - Objectives, decisions,
  timing, budget, sampling site, and data quality
• Method Selection - Accuracy, precision,
  sensitivity, selectivity, cost, regulatory
  approval, etc.
• Numbers of Samples - Environmental site samples,
  QA/QC samples, and decision rules
• Second grant developed to move pilot further

72
Possible Council Strategies

• Council build off of the EMMA effort?
• Develop 3rd proposal to NSF (not a small business
  grant) to connect other Council products/design
  complete Framework system?
• Council provide technical advice/support/review/gu
  idance and develop product pieces?
• http//infotrek.er.usgs.gov/doc/nemi/emma/

73
New Technologies and Early Warning

• Develop a protocol for decision making with
  respect to data interpretation and use
• Develop partnerships for sensor technology
  development
• Document performance and acceptability criteria
• Provide broad range of testing -- methods and
  environmental conditions

74
New Technologies and Early Warning

• Provide training in use of emerging technologies
• Coordinate global expertise in biomonitoring
• -- biohazards and emerging technologies
• Address technical and management issues with
  false positives/false negatives in early warning
  alarm systems.

75
Goal Groups objectives

• Product strategy
• Framework Success stories
• IMPACT
• Expert system
• New technologies

76
Few slides on MDCB progress and plans near term
and longer term

• Show revised Board framework
• Work groups developing 2 year product strategies
  that consider conference recommendations
• NEMI showcase at conference, going public 650
  methods, phase 3 add constituent groups and field
  protocols
• WQDE implement and outreach for Chem and micro,
  develop structure to connect various WQDE lists,
  develop various biology lists
• PBMS publish COD results, tackle data
  integrity?, Biology and Nutrient pilots
• Accreditation promote recommendations, tackle
  State lab recommendations, tackle field
  certification, work with new NELAC
• Nutrient, biology, New technologies contribute to
  these product efforts.