The following document discusses some approaches that will be helpful for generating data sets that will be appropriate and usable for making environmental decisions. Some of the concepts described include:

• Systematic planning of projects
• Basic concepts regarding the performance-based measurement system (PBMS) approach to environmental monitoring
• Use of the term “effective data” to acknowledge that data collection, generation and interpretation activities are meaningful only when solidly anchored in the context of the intended use of the data
• Basic elements that need to be considered when preparing a sampling and analysis plan (SAP) as an integral part of the overall project planning process

• Guidelines for Preparing SAPS Using Systematic Planning and PBMS (PDF)(9 pp, 282 K, 2001)