Data Quality Index - Overview
The mission of the Data Reporting & Evaluation Committee and purpose of DIRT is to perform trend analysis on the data submitted in order to identify root causes and other key findings that will enable the CGA and other damage prevention advocates to focus their programs and resources where they will have the greatest impact. Effective analysis depends on accurate and complete data.
In an effort to improve the quality of data submitted, the Data Reporting & Evaluation Committee (DR&EC) has developed a Data Quality Index or ‘DQI’. The DQI is intended to provide submitters confidential feedback based on measures of the ‘completeness’ and/or ‘quality’ of the data they submitted, meaning that data fields within DIRT have been populated using selections other than ‘Data Not Collected’ (DNC) or ‘Unknown / Other’ (U/O). Each submitter’s DQI will be calculated based on a computerized scoring of each record submitted and then averaging those scores.
All registered data submitters will a DQI score, along with summary results for each Part of the DIRT form, for each submission completed, whether submitting an individual record or a bulk data set via Automated Data Loader (ADL). Also, registered users can obtain their own historical DQI information by running a report via the Query Wizard. Rest assured your individual DQI information is confidential and only available to you and the DIRT administrator. By providing this information to submitters, the CGA hopes that individual stakeholders will align their own data collection processes with DIRT so that more complete information is provided resulting in more effective analysis of the entire data set.
By developing this DQI and providing automated, confidential reports to all data submitters, the CGA is furthering compliance with the Reporting and Evaluation Best Practices, including:
-
9-4: Person Reporting Provides Detailed Information 9-8: Training Is Provided 9-14: An Organization Evaluates the Data 9-16: Data is Used to Improve Damage Prevention Efforts
Useful Links:
If you have questions or would like assistance with data submission, please submit a feedback item at http://cga-dirt.com. The Committee does not have access to your company DQI however we do endeavor to respond to general requests within 48 hours. Specific questions about your DQI will be handled by the DIRT administrator as resources permit.
Thank you for your dedication to damage prevention,
- Data Reporting & Evaluation Committee
DQI Scoring Process
The Data Quality Index (DQI) scoring process was determined in two steps.
1. In the first step, each Part (A through I) within the DIRT form (or questionnaire) was assigned a relative 'weight', depending upon the value that it provides to statistical analysis. Each Parts' weight adds up to 100 in order to determine the overall importance of each Part within the report. (see table below)
| DIRT Parts | Relative Weight of the Part |
|---|---|
| A: Who is submitting this information? | 5 |
| B: Date and Location of the event | 12 |
| C: Affected Facility Information | 12 |
| D: Excavation Information | 14 |
| E & F: Notification, Locating and Marking | 12 |
| G: Excavator Downtime | 6 |
| H: Description of Damage | 14 |
| I: Description of the Root Cause | 25 |
| Total | 100 |
2. In the second step, the fields (or questions) within each Part are also assigned weights adding up to 100 within the Part. (see 'Fields Within Each Part' table below)
Each part then has a score, or percentage, ranging from:
| 0% - which means that NO fields within that Part were completed, OR were completed using DNC or U/O. | |
| To: | |
| 100% - which means all fields within that Part were completed AND with something other than DNC or U/O. |
The weighted scores for each of the Parts, A through I, are then combined to determine the reports' overall score.
Note that those ‘Required Fields’ that do not have options for DNC or U/O are NOT considered in the DQI. These fields require a specific answer other than DNC or U/O or the form will not submit.
Below is list of each field (or question) of the DIRT form along with its corresponding ‘weight’.
Notes:
- * indicates a required field (form will not submit without an answer)
- () indicates a conditional field (i.e. depends upon the answer to a previous question)
- Red text requires an answer other than Data Not Collected or Unknown / Other (DNC and U/O are NOT options)
- Blue text requires an answer (DNC and U/O are available options)
- All other fields are NOT required (form will submit without an answer)
| Fields Within Each Part - | Weighting Within The Part |
|---|---|
| Part A: Who is submitting this information? | |
| Who is providing this information? | 100 |
| Name of person providing this information: | |
| Part B: Date and Location of the event | 100 |
| *Date of event: | |
| *Country | |
| *State | |
| *County | |
| City | 35 |
| Street Address: | 20 |
| Nearest intersection: | 20 |
| *Right-of-way where the event occurred | 25 |
| Part C: Affected Facility Information | 100 |
| What type of facility operation was affected? | 40 |
| *What type of facility was affected? | 30 |
| Was this facility part of a joint trench? | 15 |
| Was the facility owner a member of the 811 Center? | 15 |
| Part D: Excavation Information | 100 |
| *Type of Excavator: | 35 |
| *Type of Excavation Equipment: | 35 |
| *Type of Work Performed: | 30 |
| Parts E & F: Notification, Locating and Marking | 100 |
| Part E: Notification | |
| *Was the 811 Center notified? | |
| ()If yes, choose the one-call center: | 30 |
| ()If yes, please provide the ticket number: | 20 |
| Part F: Locating and Marking -required if Notification is yes | |
| (*)Type of Locator: | 18 |
| (*)Were facility locate marks visible in the area of the excavation? | 15 |
| (*)Were facilities marked correctly? | 17 |
| Part G: Excavator Downtime | 100 |
| Did the excavator incur downtime? | 50 |
| ()If yes, how much time? | 25 |
| ()Estimated cost of downtime? | 25 |
| Part H: Description of Damage | 100 |
| *Was there damage to a facility? - required if Damage is yes | |
| (*)Did the damage cause an interruption in service? | 20 |
| (*)If yes, duration of the interruption: | 15 |
| ()Approximately how many customers were affected? | 15 |
| ()Estimated cost of damage repair/restoration: | 20 |
| Number of people injured: | 15 |
| Number of fatalities: | 15 |
| Part I: Description of the Root Cause | 100 |
| *Choose a first-level cause: | 90 |
| *Choose a 2nd-level cause: | |
| If applicable, choose a 2nd-level cause: | |
| ()For Other/None of the above, please explain: | 10 |
| Part J: Additonal Comments (Character Limit: 4000) | 0 |