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Visual Sample Plan

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About

Visual Sample Plan (VSP) is a tool that helps ensure the right type, quality, and quantity of data are gathered to support confident decisions and provides statistical evaluations of the data with decision recommendations. Developed with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the Centers for Disease Control, and the United Kingdom, VSP has more than 5,000 active users. Many statistical sampling designs are available—from random and systematic, to sequential, adaptive cluster, and more. VSP is recommended by many regulators for defensible sampling design and statistical analysis.

The underlying methodology employs statistically defensible approaches and has strong Data Quality Objective (DQO) process underpinnings. The objective is to ensure that the right type, quality, and quantity of data are gathered to support confident decisions.

It allows real-time evaluation of the tradeoffs between increased confidence in decisions and costs or number of samples required. VSP answers the questions of how many samples are required and where samples should be obtained. Designed for the non-statistician, VSP is organized around possible data uses. Before developing a data-gathering plan, each user must determine what they will do with the data to support their decision-making process.

VSP currently supports the following sampling goals:

  • Estimate or compare averages
  • Compare individual sample results against some limit
  • Do transect or anomaly sampling/analysis for unexploded ordnance sites
  • Evaluate trends over time
  • Develop a geospatial contaminant concentration map
  • Evaluate well placement redundancies or inadequacies
  • Explore correlation between multiple analytes
  • Estimate or compare proportions
  • Assess whether the boundary around an area is contaminant free
  • Develop a targeted, purely judgmental sampling scheme
  • Sample items

Benefits

  • Utilizes world-class statistical and mathematical algorithms applicable to environmental statistics
  • Interacts with the user through familiar visual interfaces, such as site maps and building plans
  • Provides immediate feedback of the projected results of selected statistical sampling plans by overlaying random sampling locations or grids directly onto the site map or building plan
  • Offers projected number of samples, total sampling costs, and sampling locations in appropriate coordinates
  • Delivers graphic decision tools such as graphs of probability of hot spot detection vs. total sampling costs
  • Aims to make all output as simple, clear, and visually appealing as possible
  • Allows nonparametric and parametric sampling designs

VSP Sponsors

VSP development has been partially supported by the:

  • U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • U.S. Department of Defense, Environmental Security Technology Certification Program
  • U.S. Department of Defense, Navy
  • U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
  • DOE Office of Environmental Management
  • DOE National Nuclear Security Administration
  • DOE Office of Health, Safety, and Security
  • DOE Office of Legacy Management
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Directorate for Science and Technology
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Offices of Environmental Information and Solid Waste and Emergency Response
  • United Kingdom Atomic Weapons Establishment
  • United Kingdom Government Decontamination Service

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