Data conditioning of environmental geochemical data : quality control procedures used in the British Geological Survey's regional geochemical mapping project

Data conditioning procedures involve the verification, quality control and data levelling processes that are necessary to make data fit for the purpose for which it is to be used. It is something that has to be planned at the outset of any project generating geochemical data. Whether it is in the sampling phase, for example, determining how sites and samples should have a unique identity, or through to the data presentation phase in which disparate data sets may have to be joined to form a seamless map. This account describes the methods currently used by the British Geological Survey’s regional geochemical mapping project that has been generating geochemical data for various sample media for nearly 40 years. It is important that users of the data are given information that will help them ascertain whether the provided environmental data is suitable for the purpose of its intended use.