Inorganic Blind Sample Project (IBSP)

Current and Historical Performance Chart/Data Access Page

Current and historical performance charts and data for IBSP blind samples (back to 1985) and blind-blank samples (back to 1997) submitted to the National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) are available via this page.

Current QC charts will contain data sent from the NWQL as recently as this week. (Posting dates are shown at the bottom of each chart.) New data are retrieved and posted once or twice each week. In other words, NWQL performance data, as measured by blind-samples, are available concurrently with the environmental samples with which they are most closely associated. Meta-data associated with each chart can be accessed by clicking the "Open Data Set" button under the chart title or by clicking on the chart and then hovering over any data point.

Need more information? Click here.

Doing Laboratory Evaluation for the NWQL? Click here.

Please note: the charts and data that you might secure from this U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) web page (identified as "IBSP") have not received official USGS approval and as such are provisional and subject to revision. The charts and data are released on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from its authorized or unauthorized use.

Current Charts/Data (Control and Percent Recovery charts updated twice weekly; Blind-blank charts updated weekly)

Time Range	Nutrients		Trace Elements		Major Ions, Silica, Physical Properties, Other*
XXXX through Current	Select a chart type Control Chart (from present back 18 mos) Percent Recovery (from present back 18 mos) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (from present back 18 mos) Blind Blanks (FY19-present) Box Plot (FY05-Present) Percent RSD (FY05-Present)		Select a chart type Control Chart (from present back 18 mos) Percent Recovery (from present back 18 mos) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (from present back 18 mos) Blind Blanks (FY19-present) Box Plot (FY05-Present) Percent RSD (FY05-Present)		Select a chart type Control Chart (from present back 18 mos) Percent Recovery (from present back 18 mos) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (from present back 18 mos) Blind Blanks (FY19-present) Box Plot (FY05-Present) Percent RSD (FY05-Present)

Archived Charts/Data

XXXX through FY23	Select a chart type Control Chart (FY19-23; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY19-23; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY19-23; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY09-23; 15 yrs) Box Plot (FY09-23; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY09-23; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY19-23; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY19-23; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY19-23; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY09-23; 15 yrs) Box Plot (FY09-23; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY09-23; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY18-22 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY19-23; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY19-23; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY09-23; 15 yrs) Box Plot (FY09-23; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY09-23; 15 yrs)
XXXX through FY21	Select a chart type Control Chart (FY17-21; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY17-21; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY17-21; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY07-21; 15 yrs) Box Plot (FY07-21; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY07-21; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY17-21; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY17-21; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY17-21; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY07-21; 15 yrs) Box Plot (FY07-21; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY07-21; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY17-21 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY17-21; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY17-21; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY07-21; 15 yrs) Box Plot (FY07-21; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY07-21; 15 yrs)
XXXX through FY16	Select a chart type Control Chart (FY12-16; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY12-16; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY12-16; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY02-16; 15 yrs) Box Plot (FY02-16; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY02-16; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY12-16; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY12-16; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY12-16; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY02-16; 15 yrs) Box Plot (FY02-16; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY02-16; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY12-16; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY12-16; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY12-16; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY02-16; 15 yrs) Box Plot (FY02-16; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY02-16; 15 yrs)
XXXX through FY11	Select a chart type Control Chart (FY07-11; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY07-11; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY07-11; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY98-11; 14 yrs) Box Plot (FY97-11; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY97-11; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY07-11; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY07-11; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY07-11; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY98-11; 14 yrs) Box Plot (FY97-11; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY97-11; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY07-11; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY07-11; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY07-11; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY98-11; 14 yrs) Box Plot (FY97-11; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY97-11; 15 yrs)
XXXX through FY06	Select a chart type Control Chart (FY02-06; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY02-06; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY02-06; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY98-06; 9 yrs) Box Plot (FY92-06; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY92-06; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY02-06; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY02-06; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (FY02-06; 5 yrs) Blind Blanks (FY98-06; 9 yrs) Box Plot (FY92-06; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY92-06; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY02-06; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY02-06; 5 yrs) Filt'd vs Unfilt'd (None available for this date range) Blind Blanks (FY98-06; 9 yrs) Box Plot (FY92-06; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY92-06; 15 yrs)
XXXX through FY01	Select a chart type Control Chart (FY97-01; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY97-01; 5 yrs) Box Plot (FY87-01; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY87-01; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY97-01; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY97-01; 5 yrs) Box Plot (FY87-01; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY87-01; 15 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY97-01; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY97-01; 5 yrs) Box Plot (FY87-01; 15 yrs) Percent RSD (FY87-01; 15 yrs)
XXXX through FY96	Select a chart type Control Chart (FY92-96; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY92-96; 5 yrs) Box Plot (1985-96; 12 yrs) Percent RSD (1985-96; 12 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY92-96; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY92-96; 5 yrs) Box Plot (1985-96; 12 yrs) Percent RSD (1985-96; 12 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (FY92-96; 5 yrs) Percent Recovery (FY92-96; 5 yrs) Box Plot (1985-96; 12 yrs) Percent RSD (1985-96; 12 yrs)
1985 through FY91	Select a chart type Control Chart (1985-91; 7 yrs) Percent Recovery (1985-91; 7 yrs) Box Plot (1985-91; 7 yrs) Percent RSD (1985-91; 7 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (1985-91; 7 yrs) Percent Recovery (1985-91; 7 yrs) Box Plot (1985-91; 7 yrs) Percent RSD (1985-91; 7 yrs)		Select a chart type Control Chart (1985-91; 7 yrs) Percent Recovery (1985-91; 7 yrs) Box Plot (1985-91; 7 yrs) Percent RSD (1985-91; 7 yrs)

How to use this page

Current and historical performance charts and data for IBSP blind samples (back to 1985) and blind-blank samples (back to 1997) submitted to the National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) are available via this page. (Charts and performance data [1985-2004] for the Ocala, Florida laboratory [OWQL] are available upon request [see contact information on bottom of left-side menu.]) The charts are grouped by parameter type. If you want to access charts/data for ammonia, for example, you will select a chart type from the "Nutrients" column. That "chart" will be an HTML file with charts for all of the nutrient parameters for that time period. To find your parameter of interest, simply scroll down. Easier yet, push Cntl-F and the "find" box will pop up somewhere in your window. Type in your parameter of interest there, and you will be taken to your parameter of interest within the document. Parameters are arranged alphabetically, but remember a few parameter names, such as Kjeldahl Nitrogen (ordered under "K" not "N"), Total Nitrogen (ordered under "T" not "N"), or Monomethylarsonate (ordered under "M" not "A"), may present a challenge. If you know the parameter code (pcode), you may easily search by that too. Remember, there are usually charts/data available for more than one method for a given pcode. You should find a chart and data for most inorganic methods, but not every method receives blind samples. Click here for more information.

Current QC charts will show charts and contain data sent from the NWQL as of this week. (Posting dates are shown at the bottom of each chart.) New data are retrieved and posted once or twice each week. In other words, NWQL performance data, as measured by blind-samples, are available concurrently with the environmental samples with which they are most closely associated.

The "Time Range" has a fixed end-date but an open-ended start date (hence the "XXXX"). That's because different chart types can handle large volumes of data better than other chart types. When selecting a chart type within a specific time period, the date range will show before making the selection. All available charts and data are present. If a chart contains only a small set of data or a specific pcode or method code does not show, that's not an error. That means there is limited or no performance data available for that time period for that pcode or method code.

All of the charts have a data button link under the title. Following this link will give you an Excel file with the raw data (for that constituent only) used to generate that chart. This is an excellent way to obtain raw data from IBSP. If data for large spans of time are desired, your best bet is to use the data button link available on the box plots (for non-blank data) because these charts contain the longest continuous data sets.

Hover capabilities are embedded into all chart types. For information about an individual data point on the chart, simply click on the chart, then slowly and carefully hover over that point. A pop-up widow will display a list of meta-data for that point. Finally, if the canned products available do not fit your needs, please contact the project chief who will gladly (attempt to) create custom charts and/or data sets to meet your project's objectives.

Click here to contact the Project Chief, report page errors, suggest site upgrades, etc.

The charts and data that you might secure from this U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) web page (identified as "IBSP") have not received official USGS approval and as such are provisional and subject to revision. The charts and data are released on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from its authorized or unauthorized use.

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*Other--Only blind-blank performance charts/data are available for the parameters shown below.
Use the buttons listed under "Major Ions, Silica, Physical Ppties., Other*" (located above). Parameters are arranged alphabetically.

Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) Total Particulate Particulate Nitrogen (TPN) Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) MBAS Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Radon-222 Total Particulate Carbon (TPC) UV Absorbing Organics - 254 nm Total Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC)    UV Absorbing Organics - 280 nm

Abbreviations found in the charts

AA: atomic absorption spectrometry						HTCO: high-temperature catalytic oxidation
ACD: acidified						HTC: high-temperature combustion
Alk-P: alkaline persulfate						IC: ion chromatography
ASF: automated segmented flow						ICP/T: (trace level) inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry
CFA: continuous-flow analysis						IC-ICP-MS: ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry
cICP-MS: collision/reaction-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry						ICP-MS: inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry
COL: colorimetry						ICP-OES: inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry
CVAA: cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry						ISE: ion-selective electrode
CVAF: cold-vapor atomic absorption fluorescence						LL: low-level
CXAA: chelation-extraction atomic emission spectrometry						NDIR: non-dispersive infra-red
DA: discrete analysis						TNTRU: nephelometric turbidity ratio unit
DCP: direct-current plasma atomic emission spectrometry						Titr: titration
EPA: Environmental Protection Agency method						Turb: turbidity
GFAA: graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry						WB: wheatstone bridge
GRAV: gravimetry						WCO: wet-chemical oxidation

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