OVERVIEW OF A WIND RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CAMPAIGN - Wind Resource Assessment: A Practical Guide to Developing a Wind Project - page 17

It is recommended that the project team include at least one person with field
measurement experience. Data analysis, interpretation, and computer skills are also
important assets. Available staff and material resources must be commensurate with the
measurement program's objectives. High standards of data accuracy and completeness
require appropriate levels of staffing, an investment in high quality equipment and
tools, prompt response to unscheduled events (e.g., equipment outages), access to
spare parts, routine site visits, and timely review of the data.
Two components that are integral to the monitoring strategy are station operation
and maintenance and the data collection process.
Station Operation and Maintenance. Ongoing maintenance and careful doc-
umentation of each wind resource monitoring station is necessary to preserve the
integrity and achieve the goals of the measurement campaign. It is recommended that
a simple but thorough operation and maintenance plan be instituted. This plan should
incorporate various quality assurance measures and provide procedural guidelines for
all program personnel. Specific recommendations for the operation and maintenance
of wind resource monitoring stations are provided in Chapter 6.
Data Collection and Handling. The objective of the data collection and han-
dling process is to ensure that the data are available for analysis and protected from
corruption or loss. Chapter 7 provides background information about how data are
stored locally at the monitoring station and how they can be retrieved and protected.
Suitable data transmission documentation is also described.
2.2.4 Quality Assurance Plan
An essential part of every measurement program is the quality assurance plan, an
organized and detailed action agenda for guaranteeing the successful collection of
high quality data. The quality assurance plan should be prepared in writing once the
measurement plan is completed.
1. Quality Assurance Policy . The program manager should establish and endorse
the quality assurance plan, thus giving it credibility for all personnel.
2. Quality Assurance Coordinator . The link between the plan and the program
management is the quality assurance coordinator. This person should be familiar
with the routine requirements for collecting valid data. If the quality assurance
plan is to be taken seriously, he or she must be authorized to ensure that all
personnel are properly trained, correct procedures are followed, and corrective
measures are taken in the event of problems. In addition, the coordinator should
maintain the proper documentation in an organized format.
Data quality is usually measured by representativeness, accuracy, and completeness.
The quality assurance plan relies heavily on the documentation of the procedures
involved to support claims of data quality. It is recommended that the quality assurance
plan include the following components: