Government bodies typically use Spectra QEST technologies for two main purposes: the running of their own laboratories, and the central collection and analysis of project data.
Running Laboratory Operations Efficiently
Governments often operate laboratories themselves, sometimes over large geographical areas, and thus they stand to gain all the benefits materials and geotechnical testers who use QESTLab enjoy. Furthermore, in some jurisdictions Government owned laboratories have to compete with industry for work and can not sustain their operations by Government work alone. In that instance, it is imperative that a leading laboratory system is used to promote efficiencies and allow the Government laboratories to compete on an equal footing with the best private companies on the marketplace.
On the other hand, some Government authorities prefer to run laboratories to promote best practice in the industry and to have access to an excellence-based (as opposed to profit-based) laboratory organisation who can provide accurate and impartial test results on Government projects, either in the role of quality control, or in the role of quality assurance. In that instance, the use of QESTLab is highly advisable, because there is no other system on the market today that will support (if not enforce) laboratory best practice in all aspects of testing.
In both cases above, all the benefits that materials or geotechnical testers enjoy can be realised. For more information on the benefits such customers report, please visit the top two links on the side menu at the left of the page.
Collecting Project Data Centrally
As well as receiving significant benefits for their own testing laboratories, Government bodies use the system because it enforces best testing practice and at the same time produces test results that are entirely traceable.
A feature of the system that Government agencies find interesting is the ability of QESTLab to share information with other QESTLab systems. The system can group together all testing information relating to a project, for a given date range, and create a “data package”, or QDP(*). This package is then encrypted and can be e-mailed to other QESTLab systems, where it is decrypted and is added to the local database.
This function allows Government departments to have immediate access to detailed testing data that relate to their projects. Such access enables them to analyse the information on a much broader basis than is possible otherwise, and monitor the quality of overall projects, not just individual samples, much more efficiently. It also allows them to assess and compare the quality of various suppliers, and correlate results as a further check to ensure the integrity of results.
For a real world example, please refer to the following case study that refers to a working Government implementation aiming to utilise QESTLab for central collection of project data.
Case Study: Clark County Public Works, Nevada, USA
The Clark County Public Works is the local Government agency responsible for public works in and around the city of Las Vegas – one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The Clark County wants a way to audit the testing data that relate to the projects it funds. At the same time it wants to use a professional system in its own laboratories.
The Clark County has implemented QESTLab in its extensive LAN and runs it both in its headquarters (in the city) and in its laboratory. In addition it utilises the function of data packaging and receives secure QDPs(*) via e-mail from other systems operating in the area.
This implementation model is ideal for the Clark County as it is secure, easy to use and provides a means for the external laboratories to ensure their integrity. This is achieved because external laboratories only release data when they have been properly checked and the results internally verified. On the other hand it allows the County to perform full audits on jobs it funds, greatly reduce paperwork, reduce turnaround times (from test to report, from report to County) and monitor progress of its public works.
(*) QEST Data Packages (QDP): Unique technology to QESTLab, based on XML, which allows a user of the system to “package” data relating to a project and send it securely to a remote QESTLab system. The receiving system decodes the QDP and allows the users of the receiving system to analyse the work of the remote laboratory. Equipment information, raw data values, personnel information, dates and everything else the originating system has stored about the samples sent, is available to the receiving system for analysis.
