1 NARSTO Quality Systems Science Center Les A. Hook and Sigurd W. Christensen NARSTO QSSC Environmental Sciences Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory U.S. Department of Energy CDIAC User Working Group Meeting September 27-28, 2010 ORNL research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725.

2 A brief history of NARSTO About NARSTO: NARSTO is a public/private partnership whose membership spans government, the utilities, industry, and academia throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico. First chartered in 1995, its primary mission is to coordinate and enhance policy-relevant scientific research and assessment of tropospheric pollution behavior. Its activities provide input for science-based decision-making and determination of workable, efficient, and effective strategies for local, regional, and international air-pollution management. Since its founding, NARSTO has completed four major scientific assessments of critical air quality management issues. Technical Challenges of Multipollutant Air Quality Management (2010) Assesses technical readiness to undertake a multipollutant approach. It outlines the technical developments that will be needed to achieve a risk- and results-based multipollutant approach to air quality management that includes means for measuring the effectiveness of management decisions on the environment and health. Improving Emission Inventories for Effective Air Quality Management Across North America (2005) Particulate Matter Science for Policy Makers (2004) Ozone Assessment (2000)

3 A brief history of NARSTO, continued About the Quality Systems Science Center (QSSC): The U.S. Department of Energy, through CDIAC, beginning in 1997 provided for the Quality Systems Science Center to support NARSTO projects with quality assurance and data management planning resources and a data archive for storing data from NARSTO research activities and making these data available to the scientific community. Archived Data: Permanent Data Archive – 57 data sets with 975 files QSSC FTP Site – Permanent content plus MCMA2006, 8 data sets with 300 files Web Resources: Data management planning and implementation resources that continue to be used. NARSTO was formerly an acronym for “North American Research Strategy for Tropospheric Ozone.” However, in 1999 the NARSTO charter was revised to address research and development with respect to primary and secondary pollutant species emitted, formed, transformed, and transported in the troposphere over North America. As a result the term NARSTO has become a word mark signifying this tri-national, public-private partnership for dealing with multiple features of tropospheric air pollution. More information on NARSTO can be found at

4 Current status of NARSTO Rethinking NARSTO – Conclusions and Recommendations of an External Review Panel, April 2009 Conclusions: Activities and products are highly valued by constituents. Distinctive capabilities to link industry, academia, and government agencies across the three nations would be difficult to replace. Can play a valuable future role in assessing emerging North American air quality issues, such as the interface of air quality and climate change. Recommendations: Formalize institutional support among major participating organizations to assure funding. Increase participation by policy-makers to identify key science/policy questions. Strengthen strategic planning processes. October 2009 QSSC, consistent with CDIAC UWG and DOE guidance, plans for the orderly end of support for NARSTO. May 2010 Annual NARSTO Meeting Given that NARSTO was unable to create a strategic plan that garnered the financial backing of main supporters it was agreed that NARSTO should be shut down effective December 31, 2010.

5 Orderly transition of QSSC data and on-line resources to legacy status during FY2010 Data and data management planning and implementation resources will continue to be available for the foreseeable future. Permanent Data Archive Data Sets will be available at the Permanent Data Archive (PDA) located at the NASA Langley Research Center, Atmospheric Science Data Center, which will maintain them. [ ] QSSC FTP Site Data Sets will be available on the FTP Site, which is accessible through the QSSC web site. Users can browse the FTP Site directories, which are organized by study, or use Search Tools available on the web site. [ ] Web Site Resources on the web site will remain available. [ ] These include: The Data Management Planning Guide, a compilation of data management policy and guidance for program, project, and investigator use in developing and implementing data management plans; The Data Exchange Standard (DES) format and Site Information templates for archiving data files, with picklists for standardized metadata fields;

6 Orderly transition…Web Site, continued Resources on the web site will remain available, continued Standardized Variable Name and Metadata Value reference tables; Quality Planning guidance; and Access to the NARSTO Science Assessments: Ozone, Particulate Matter, and Improving Emission Inventories. NARSTO Program Web Site The NARSTO programmatic web site will be maintained by NARSTO until ~ March We will work with Management Coordinator to transition this web site and NARSTO electronic records to the QSSC web site. [ ]

7 From our Annual Summary Report Data and Web Access: Permanent Data Archive orders were consistent with previous years (31 orders totaling 675 data files). QSSC FTP site usage was consistent with previous years, with increases in downloads of EPA Supersites data files (~350 users downloaded ~1650 data files). Web site access was up (double) for the Data Exchange Standard format template (~65 per month). Web site access of the three NARSTO assessments was up (double) from previous years with 30 to 50 complete copies downloaded. Data Management Planning Resources Data management planning resources were leveraged to the new SPRUCE project. [ ]

8 And in the category of “for what it’s worth” “CAL-MEX Data Policy and Management Plan” uses QSSC resources. Coordinated by the Molina Center [ ] To allow consistency with previous measurement campaigns, NARSTO data formats will be used during Cal-Mex. Please see NARSTO website for: The NARSTO DES format description, and Instructions for the NARSTO Atmospheric Measurements Template. “Survey of EPA and Other Federal Agency Scientific Data Management Policies and Guidance 2010” complimentary of DOE resources. Develop a SDM policy framework. Information for the SDM policy framework will be based on review of existing EPA and other federal agency SDM policies and guidance in order to collect sample policy approaches… Summary of Findings – Other Federal Agencies >>>Table 15. SDM documents and resources with three-star ratings by agency and policy area (3 stars are highest rating) DOE ARM Data Sharing and Distribution Policy Guidelines for Archiving Data in the NARSTO Permanent Data Archive Developing Data Management Policy and Guidance Documents for your NARSTO Program or Project [ ]