Lesson 7: Monitoring and Data Management for GHG Projects

Page 70
Learning Objectives:
After completing lesson 7, you will:
• develop an understanding of requirements for GHG
monitoring and data management
• develop an understanding of the importance of a monitoring
plan, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC)
procedures and GHG information management system
(GHGIMS)
have a better understanding of what to consider when developing a
monitoring plan
Page 71
A monitoring plan [pop up] specifies how to collect, assess, and
manage the data and information necessary to provide evidence
that supports a project’s GHG assertion

• A monitoring plan reflects the purpose, size and complexity

of the project, as well as the needs of relevant stakeholders.

• A good monitoring plan saves time and money, and makes it

easier to prove the credibility of GHG emissions reductions
or removals of the project.
[popup] According to the GHG Protocol for Projects, monitoring is the process of collecting
the data used to quantify GHG emission reductions or removal enhancements and to validate
assumptions underlying the quantification.

The monitoring plan is the document that describes procedures for collecting data on project
activity emissions, for collecting data related to baseline emission estimates, and for ensuring
and controlling the quality of the collected data.

It is ideal to have a monitoring plan before the start of the project,

although modifications can be made during the course of the
project.
• The monitoring plan is what is sometimes referred to as a
living or working document.
• It should be updated whenever the methodologies used to
estimate, calculate, or measure project activity or baseline
emissions are changed.
© GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
 Such changes should also be fully explained.
Under ISO 14064:Part 2, project developers monitoring a project
must:
• Establish and maintain criteria and procedures for obtaining,
recording, compiling and analyzing data and information for
quantifying and reporting GHG emissions or removals for
the project and baseline scenario; and
Apply GHG monitoring criteria and procedures on a regular basis
during project implementation.
Page 72
Components of a Monitoring Plan

ISO 14064 also includes recommendations (but not requirements)

for what a monitoring plan should include. These recommendations
are:
• Purpose of monitoring
• Types of data and information to be reported, including units
of measure
• Origin of data
• Monitoring methodologies, including estimation, modelling,
measurement, or calculation approaches
• Monitoring times and periods, considering the needs of
intended users
• Monitoring roles and responsibilities and contact information
• GHG information management systems, including the
location and retention of stored data [popup]
[popup] Refer to Case study 1 (Section 10-Montioring the GHG Project) for an example of a
monitoring plan.

Page 73
A monitoring plan includes specific methods related to data and
information in order to:
• Collect the required data
• Assess the data
• Manage the data

These methods should relate to the data and information sources,

such as:
© GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
 • metered activities,
• individuals,
• government and market agencies, and
publications.
Page 74
For example, a monitoring plan could describe:
• How the shipping and receiving department records supplies
received or finished goods
• How the finance department handles energy bills,
• How line operators or managers handle operating data,
• The equipment and analytical information that will be used
in data analysis
Data storage, backup and archiving procedures
Page 75
Developing a monitoring plan:

To develop or modify an existing monitoring plan, the project

developer should consider:
• trade-offs between the cost to monitor and the value of extra
GHG reductions that will likely result;
• access to information and/or availability of data;
• needs for accuracy and transparency to ensure the credibility
of the GHG reductions or removals or;
• rules or regulations prescribed by a GHG program or
legislation. [popup1]
[popup1]: Some GHG programs have specific requirements for monitoring that must be
followed. For example, the VCS, CDM and the GE AES GGS Program each have a list of
approved methodologies that contain specific monitoring requirements for each type of GHG
project.

Project developers can develop a monitoring plan by:

• Identifying good practice guidance from recognized origin,
and
• Adopting it or adapting it as appropriate. [pop up]

If no good practice guidance can be identified then the project

developer must established his own monitoring procedures.

Examples of good practice guidance related to monitoring plans

include:
© GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
 • CDM approved methodologies
• Industry association GHG guidelines
• Governmental reports (e.g. IPCC, U.S. EPA)
• WBSCD/WRI GHG Protocol calculation tools
• GE-AES GHG Services methodologies
[popup] For non-CDM projects that are similar to existing CDM methodologies, project
developers often use the CDM monitoring methodology as a seed document to develop their
own customized monitoring plan.

Next, the project developer should establish the overall framework

needed by considering the following list:
• Resource availability including money, equipment, expertise,
and information
• How the monitoring plan links to the other parts of the
project
• Costs (both one-time and recurrent) of monitoring and the
expected benefits (i.e. value of GHG credits) [pop up]
• Level of assurance needed by the intended user
• Limitations, such as the access to data and uncertainties for
some secondary effects.
[popup] A cost-benefit analysis as it applies to monitoring was discussed in more detail in
Lesson 6.

Page 76
Managing data quality for a GHG project

Data quality in a GHG project is managed through a Quality

Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) plan. [pop up]

The purpose of the QA/QC plan is to provide an appropriate level

of confidence for the intended user that project processes, products
and services, data and information:
• Are effectively and appropriately controlled, and
• Have a known, quality, precision and reproducibility.
[popup]
Quality Control (QC) is a system of routine technical activities, to measure and control the
quality of the data as it is being collected. A QC system is designed to:
(i) Provide routine and consistent checks to ensure data integrity, correctness, and
completeness;
(ii) Identify and address errors and omissions;
(iii) Document and archive material and record all QC activities.

Quality Assurance (QA) activities include a planned system of review procedures (often

© GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

 conducted by personnel not directly involved in the project) for data collection and
compilation processes. Reviews ensure that data quality objectives were met, ensure that the
data represents the best possible estimates of emissions and sinks given monitoring procedures
implemented, and support the effectiveness of the QC program. (Adapted from IPCC.)

Page 77
Under ISO 14064:Part 2, project developers:
• Must establish and apply quality management procedures to
manage data and information relevant to the project and
baseline scenarios, including the assessment of uncertainty.
• Should reduce, as far as is practical, uncertainties related to
the quantification of GHG emission reductions or removal
enhancements. [popup]
• Must ensure equipment is calibrated according to current
good practice whenever measurement and monitoring
equipment is employed
[popup] The advanced course on GHG quantification for Projects will provide more in depth
examples and case studies concerning uncertainty assessment and analysis.

Page 78
Examples of quality control (QC) of data that a project developer
may establish as procedures may include:
• Instrument/equipment calibration and frequency
• Sampling techniques
• Amount of samples
• Location of samples
• Timing of sampling
• Data storage and preservation
Where possible, these procedures should be based on existing
analytical procedures (ASTM, ISO, US EPA, etc.)

Examples of quality assurance procedures that may be established

by a project developer to check and review data includes:
• Data collection templates to ensure data has been properly
entered and to prevent/correct errors.
• Data assessment calculations to ensure data has been
properly processed.
Checks that chains of custody are correct.

© GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

 QA/QC plans must also take into account uncertainty.

Examples of uncertainty in a GHG project include:

• Uncertainties related to quality of data collected [pop up1]
• Statistical uncertainties related to quantity of data collected
[pop up2]
• Uncertainties related to handling of data [pop up3]
• Uncertainties related to models used for quantifying GHG
emissions form each source
[pop up1] For example, uncertainties due to limitations in the designed accuracy of meters or
due to limitations on the calibration frequency of monitoring equipment in remote locations.

[pop up2] For example, uncertainties due to statistical reasonability of sample sizes (e.g., 1
sample a day versus 1 sample per 15 seconds).

[pop up3] For example, uncertainties due to multiple manual transcription points throughout
the quantification steps.

Page 79
To support the project’s GHG assertion, the project developer
should have clear data trail links (or an audit trail) between:
• monitoring procedures
• QA/QC procedures
• GHG quantification procedures

One way to ensure this is through the application of a GHG

information management system (GHG IMS).

Greenhouse Gas Information Management System

The purpose of a GHG IMS [pop up] is to support a GHG project

by:
• Enabling activities and performance to be monitored,
controlled, documented, verified and communicated
• Supporting decisions and actions taken during project
planning and implementation

A GHG IMS includes “policies, processes and procedures to

establish, manage and maintain GHG information”
[popup] The term IMS has come to be associated with computer software applications. While
computerized IMS systems (including GHG-specific ones) do exist and can offer significant
time and resource savings when applied correctly, an IMS can exist outside of a computerized
© GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
 setting.

Therefore, the term “GHG IMS” in this course is used to refer to any set of processes used to
gather, collate, transfer, process, analyse, correct or adjust, aggregate (or disaggregate) and
store the GHG information. (Adapted from ISO 14064:Part 3)

A GHG IMS generally includes:

A Structure:
• including meters, monitors, manual records, IT hardware, IT
software, spreadsheets, business programs, etc.
Content:
• including data, receipts, statements, processed information
etc.
Operating procedures:
including explanation of content and structure, roles and
responsibilities, instructions on use and maintenance
Page 80 3 main objectives an IMS should address:
• Managing the data and information at the facility and
corporate level;
• Documenting the data and information collected and
analyzed; and
Increasing the credibility and verifiability of the GHG data and
information.
Page 81 The following figure presents an overview of a typical GHG IMS
and its links to other systems or databases

Page 82 Benefits of a GHG IMS

• An efficiently configured GHG Information Management

System will streamline the project’s reporting procedures.
• Data analysis methodologies should be transparent and
therefore increase verifiability.
Computerised systems will include built-in calculation algorithms
that will simplify the consolidation of the information and data
throughout the project.
© GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
Page 83 Summary:
Important concepts discussed in this lesson include:
• A monitoring plan is used to collect, assess and manage data
and information that is the necessary evidence to support a
project’s GHG reduction claims.
• Data quality in a GHG project is managed through a Quality
Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) plan.
• A GHG Information Management System (GHG IMS)
supports the project’s GHG assertion by enabling clear data
trail (audit trail) links between monitoring procedures,
QA/QC procedures, and GHG quantification procedures.
Computerised GHG IMS’s include built in calculation algorithms
that simplify the consolidation of the information and data
throughout the project.

© GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE