Environmental Data Validation

Data validation is the first step in assessing data quality.  It involves reviewing environmental data in terms of quality and usefulness as well as to identify sampling and analytical errors. Sample results may be accepted, rejected, or qualified based on the data quality objectives established for a given project; therefore, the validation process is one of decision making based upon the quality control criteria that have been identified. The end product of data validation is data of known and defensible analytical quality. The data validator must assess and summarize the quality and defensibility of the laboratory’s analytical data for end users. This is accomplished by ensuring that only data of known and documented quality are used for decision making.