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EPA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES FOR TECHNICAL EVALUATION OF ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
Citation:
Fisher, W S., L E. Jackson, AND J C. Kurtz. EPA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES FOR TECHNICAL EVALUATION OF ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS. Presented at International Congress on Ecosystem Health: Managing for Ecosystem Health, Sacramento CA, August 15-20, 1999.
Description:
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) has prepared fifteen technical guidelines to evaluate the suitability of an ecological indicator in a monitoring program. The guidelines were fashioned to provide a consistent framework for indicator review and to provide direction for research on indicator development. They are proposed for use in characterizing the strengths and weaknesses of indicators within the context of their intended application and may be used to compare different indicators proposed for a similar purpose. The guidelines are not intended to serve as 'indicator criteria' since different programs vary in their objectives and may be willing to overlook some deficiencies in order to capture a critical strength. The fifteen guidelines are organized within four evaluation phases, originally described for indicator development in the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP): (1) conceptual relevance, (2) feasibility of implementation, (3) response variability, and (4) interpretation and utility. In addition to the fifteen guidelines, the Evaluation Guidelines document includes examples of three different EMAP indicators presented to demonstrate the types of information relevant to each guideline. The examples include a direct chemical measurement (dissolved oxygen), an estuarine benthic community index and a fish community index of biotic integrity.