&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Office of Research
and Development
Washington, DC 20460
EPAA620/R-01/004f
          July 2002
     EMAP-West   Communications
            Data Analysis  Workshops Transfer Statistical Technology
                                 to  Regions,  States, and Tribes
One  of the main goals of EMAP-West is to develop, test, and
transfer the technology behind the Program's monitoring design
and data analysis to the cooperating states and tribes in EPA
Regions 8, 9, and 10. This process is well underway for the
Coastal component because 1999 data from the sampling of the
estuaries of Washington, Oregon, and California are now ready for
analysis. All three states will be conducting their own analyses  of
their data in cooperation with EPA scientists.
While the underlying sample survey design and data analysis are
complex, a series of workshops accompanied with the appropriate
documentation has simplified the process to make it more accessi-
ble to cooperating state personnel. The tools necessary to complete
the analysis process are now available to the three coastal states
and the analysis process has begun.
The workshops, jointly presented by the Western and Gulf Ecology
Divisions, describe the EMAP probabilistic approach to estimating
the  condition of an ecological resource.  The first  part of a
workshop reviews the steps necessary to create a data base that is
ready for analysis. Included are:
   • A review of the process of creating survey sampling designs
     for coastal waters.
   • The requirements for information management including
     data organization and accessibility.
   • Quality assurance and quality  control  procedures and their
     importance in producing a report of condition that is scientif-
     ically defensible.
Since the overall objective of the Coastal Component is to provide a
statement of the status of the west coast estuaries, a complete and
well-documented data set is required. Once the data set is complete,
the analysis process can begin. The primary output of these analy-
ses are cumulative distribution functions (CDF) (see figure below).
      100
                            72% of the area of the
                            population of estuaries
                            measured has an index
                            score of 20 or less.
                            We are 95% confident
                            that the true value is
                            between 59% and 90%
                    The CDF enables the reader to estimate the cumulative total area
                    (or proportion) of a resource with an indicator of condition less
                    than some  specified value  (e.g., a state water quality standard).
                    The survey design ensures that these estimates are made with a
                    quantifiable degree of certainty.
                    To aid client organizations in building the internal  capacity to
                    analyze EMAP coastal assessment data, EMAP-West scientists
                    have produced a series of "How To" technical manuals tailored to
                    the specific assessment designs  of individual state participants.
                    (See example title page below.)
                                           ANALYSIS OF EMAP COASTAL
                                              WESTERN PILOT DATA:

                                             Description of Analysis Flow Paths
                                                  Using SAS Routines
                                                  Version 1.0 -Oregon
                                                    August 9, 2001
                        Walter Nelson
                      Pacific Coastal Ecology Branch
                       Western Ecology Division
                         Newport, Oregon
               Virginia Engle
              Coastal Ecology Branch
               Gulf Ecology Division
               Gulf Breeze, Florida
      nda Harwell
    Coastal Ecology Branch
    Gulf Ecology Division
    Gulf Breeze, Florida
                                National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, U.S. EPA
                    These manuals provide detailed instructions on how to process
                    EMAP data thus easing the learning curve for new participants.
                    The current manuals provide the statistical program routines that
                    allow complex analyses to be conducted routinely using commer-
                    cially available software packages. Individualized, hands-on train-
                    ing sessions are also conducted with state participants  to insure
                    their ability to effectively use a variety of analysis tools.
                    The initiation of the  technology transfer initiative by EMAP
                    Coastal has received very positive  feedback from participating
                    state organizations. The resulting data reports serve as the founda-
                    tion for subsequent assessments of coastal condition jointly
                    conducted  by EPA and  state  personnel. Having  the  internal
                    capability to develop and analyze EMAP data will make the state
                    and tribal cooperators  much more independent as they continue
                    future status and trend monitoring.
                 10     20      30     40
                   Hypothetical Index Score
                    For further information, contact:
                    Walt Nelson
                    Coastal Lead
                    Nelson.Walter@epa.gov
                    (541)754-4041

-------