Title of the workshop
Regional Training Workshop on “Quality Control and Quality Assurance of Monitoring Results”.
Rationale
Environmental monitoring is one of the most important tools of scientifically based management. Some countries in the Region have started regular monitoring programs of basic variables of the coastal environment since late nineties. PERSGA has been leading a regional effort in establishing a sustainable regional monitoring program since 2004. Significant steps, such as training of technicians and providing necessary equipment have been taken. Although all countries have produced monitoring data, such data for some countries are not regular and continuous. Efforts are continuing to have all PERSGA member states participating effectively in the regional monitoring program and their monitoring data flowing into the regional database maintained at PERSGA Headquarters.
Regional monitoring of coastal and marine monitoring is of a high spread nature both temporally and spatially. Monitoring data will not be of significant value in policy making and management practices, unless adequate procedural quality control and quality assurance were maintained. Specific quality control and quality assurance criteria need to be applied both at the national (individual institutes or laboratories) and at the regional levels.
Quality control and quality assurance need to be applied not only on data collection and analysis, but also on display of the results, which are processed data. This is because errors may be encountered even after good data has been collected if there was no proper labeling and adequate handling of the monitoring data. To this effect PERSGA is organizing this workshop to help its member states to maintain reliable results of their coastal and marine monitoring programs that can be effectively used in decision support and coastal management purposes.
Objectives of the workshop
The main objective of the workshop is to support laboratories and data managers working in coastal and marine monitoring to produce monitoring results of the required quality. The workshop will also help in establishing or improving quality assurance management in the laboratories concerned. Specific objectives include:
• Identify the purpose of the monitoring and the appropriate criteria for laboratory facilities, technicians, and analytical equipment to establish the required data quality.
• Establish definitive directions for appropriate collection, preservation, storage and transport procedures to maintain the integrity of samples prior to analysis; Identify suitable pre-treatment procedures prior to analysis of samples, to prevent uncontrolled contamination/ affecting the target variable in the samples.
• Validate analytical methods used in the different laboratories to ensure that measurements are of the required quality to meet the investigations.
• Identify appropriate methods of regular intra-laboratory checks on the accuracy of routine measurements, by the analysis of appropriate common samples, to assess whether the analytical methods are maintained under control, and the documentation and interpretation of the results are comparable.
• Perform a joint exercise of collecting and analyzing a common sample and test the deviation in the results.
• Identify common protocols in labeling and flow of data from the concerned laboratories to the data mangers and from the data managers to PERSGA.
Participants
For satisfactory achievement of the workshop’s objectives, participants must be experts and actually practicing laboratory technicians and data managers. Together with the application form every nominee will be asked to provide and extended abstract of his / her country report on collection, analysis and reporting of marine and coastal monitoring results.
The total expected number for this course is not to exceed 20 participants.
Date and Duration
The duration of the course is three working days and will be conducted during 15-17 November 2009.
Location
PERSGA HQ, Jeddah - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Organizers
The Regional Organization for Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden – PERSGA.
Language
The training language is English. Arabic will also be used as an auxiliary medium where appropriate.
Training Materials/References
Laboratory manuals in actual use in laboratories involved in coastal and marine monitoring in the region; some other common references and literature on the subject
Training Sessions (Schedule)
The workshop is fully interactive and all participants will be required to present case studies from their countries. One day will be devoted for samples collection and analysis. Half a day will be devoted for data analysis, tabulation, flowing into databases and presentation.
Instructors/Keynote speakers
Details to be provided at a later stage