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Transfer of marine biotoxin monitoring data from FoodNet to NZFSA National Contaminants Database

May 2007

Table of Contents:

1 Overview 2

1.1 Benefits of the new database system 2

1.2 Preparations for data transfer to NCD 3

2 Outline of how the NCD will operate 4

2.1 Options for entering sample submission details into the NCD 4

3 Summary of new features proposed in the NCD system 6

3.1 Samples – shellfish and phytoplankton 6

3.2 Site codes – shellfish and phytoplankton 6

3.3 Agency – shellfish and phytoplankton 6

3.4 Region – shellfish and phytoplankton 7

3.5 Environmental data – shellfish only 7

3.6 Sampling method – phytoplankton only 7

3.7 Sampling types – phytoplankton only 7

3.8 Sample depth – phytoplankton only 7

3.9 Van Dorn sampling method - recording and reporting specific depth samples 7

3.10 Water temperature data – phytoplankton only 8

3.11 Other environmental data – phytoplankton only 8

3.12 Results fields 8

4 Database user roles 9

4.1 Definitions of user roles 9

4.2 Levels of screen access 11

5 Reporting 12

5.1 Predefined reports 12

5.2 Specialised reports 12

1 Overview

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) plans to transfer all the marine biotoxin monitoring data - shellfish, phytoplankton and relevant environmental data - from their current home in FoodNet to the NZFSA's National Contaminants Database (NCD) (formerly known as National Residues Database). This is a web-based relational database that already contains analytical results for a wide variety of samples from animals used as food for human consumption. Once completed, the new marine biotoxin database should be a valuable resource - accessible and allowing for extraction and analysis of data to suit the needs of regulators, public health units, industry, laboratories and researchers, with appropriate password protection.

1.1 Benefits of the new database system

The transfer of marine biotoxin data to the NCD will address some of the short-comings in the way marine biotoxin monitoring data have been managed in FoodNet. The planned changes will greatly assist in the analysis of data (for example, in the mandatory data analysis required when proposing changes to local marine biotoxin monitoring programmes) by ensuring that data is complete and consistently recorded.

Improvements include:

• Elimination of differences in reporting conventions between laboratories and over time by the use of:

• drop-down menus;

• reference tables that facilitate automatic filling of data fields; and

• the institution of standardised reporting conventions to which laboratories must adhere.

• Restructuring and clear definition of the test methods and data results fields to facilitate data extraction. This will remove inconsistencies in FoodNet caused by changes made to requirements for reporting analytical results, and by the introduction of new analytical methods (e.g. Liquid Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), gene probes), both of which have complicated temporal data analysis in the past.

• Providing each test method with a separate and specific code, limited by date range (where relevant), to prevent incorrect data entry and to ensure that methods used can be clearly distinguished. In the past, changes in test methods were not always recorded in FoodNet, making it impossible to relate test results to the test methods used (e.g. mouse bioassay results to the toxin extraction methods used).

• Introduction of zone codes to phytoplankton site codes to allow ready identification of the geographic zone of each phytoplankton site (e.g. P085 will become PG085).

• Using reference tables to link each phytoplankton site to the shellfish site(s) that it covers - this will facilitate interpretation of results.

• Linking each shellfish and phytoplankton site to its latitude and longitude – this will facilitate the extraction of data by any geographic area.

• Introduction of a web-based database to allow easy access to marine biotoxin data for those people who require it - this will overcome problems that Delivery Centres currently face in getting access to data for analysis in a timely manner. Access to the database will be restricted by password, thus preserving a high level of security. The user’s log-in password will determine what data the user can access, and what they can do in the database (e.g. edit certain data, view only etc). A range of standard query screens will be set up in the new system to cover the extraction and sorting of data for the most common sorts of data analysis, making data extraction relatively easy.

To facilitate temporal analysis, all historic data will be transformed into the format of the new database when it is uploaded.

1.2 Preparations for data transfer to NCD

NZFSA and its consultants, with input from Health Protection Officers (HPOs), Cawthron and AgriQuality laboratories and other stakeholders, have updated the Shellfish and Phytoplankton Site Look-Up Table in FoodNet, by adding missing information, correcting errors, eliminating site double-ups and transferring results that were allocated to the wrong sites. AquaBio Consultants have reviewed and edited all shellfish and phytoplankton data from 1993 to 31 December 2005, and transferred the edited data to Microsoft ACCESS. These edited files will be uploaded into the NCD when the marine biotoxin module has been completed.