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Advantages and Challenges of Electronic Records for Scientific Data at the US EPA
Citation:
HUGHES, T. J. Advantages and Challenges of Electronic Records for Scientific Data at the US EPA. Presented at Annual U.S. EPA Quality Assurance Managers Meeting, Seattle, WA, April 21 - 24, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
Tom Hughes will discuss the advantages and challenges of electronic records for scientific data collection at the US EPA. ETD has over forty percent of their scientific records in electronic format. Tom Hughes has extensive experience with scientific electronic recordkeeping systems
Description:
Paper, hard-bound notebooks have been the traditional method of collecting data for research studies at the US EPA, RTP, NC. Indeed, ORD recently issued an operating procedure for data collection in paper notebooks, ORD Policy and Procedures Manual Chapter 13.2 (ORD PPM 13.2) that was approved by the ORD Assistant Administrator. Paper notebooks do have certain advantages over electronic records; the main advantage is that they cannot be deleted! However, paper notebooks require diligent care and a significant amount of the scientist’s time to be compliant with ORD PPM 13.2. In addition, the handwriting in many notebooks can be difficult to decipher during an audit, and notebooks can be misplaced or lost. They are also bulky to store long-term and do not handle large data sheets, such as GC graphs, easily. On the other hand, electronic records offer many advantages; they are easier to read than paper records; they can be uniformly formatted; they are more easily stored, sent, and archived; they are more easily audited; and electronic records can be copied in minutes onto a CD or server. Challenges of electronic records for scientific data are cost (purchase and yearly maintenance fees) and keeping them readable over time. As a regulatory Agency, the US EPA is making progress on the use and standard formats for electronic records. This talk will discuss the successes and the challenges of these efforts with electronic record keeping of scientific data.