| This thesis describes a planning and cost-estimating framework, with supporting computer software, that can be used to improve decision making related to environmental laboratory construction and operation. A spreadsheet program is supported by a database that contains the technical and economic information. The outputs are the resources needed to construct and operate a laboratory to meet a specified mission. The resources include the laboratory budding, furniture, personnel, equipment, and monies need for construction and operation. It is hoped that application of the tool will result in the participating agencies committing all the needed resource over the planned operating lifetime of the project.;The obvious use of the planning tool is to develop budgets for construction and operation of a laboratory or a coordinated network of laboratories. Other important uses are to (1) identify special needs for recruitment and training of personnel, especially technicians who can do maintenance and repair of expensive instrumentation, and (2) calculate the per analysis fees that must be charged to recover costs.;The tool can be used to develop long-term budgets for the staged development of laboratories. This staging might be to increase the number of analyses performed and the amount of instrumentation according to a program that is realistic given the available funding and availability of technical personnel. The tool can also be used to compare the cost of a centralized laboratory with smaller separated laboratories. A centralized laboratory offers economy-of-scale with respect to laboratory space, equipment, maintenance technicians, purchasing, and other costs. This is balanced against increased travel and costs of collecting samples.;Another usefulness of the tools is to plan a large monitoring study (as opposed to planning a laboratory). This planning might be done by a laboratory before it agrees that it can support of proposed monitoring program. Or, it might be done by the monitoring program manager as a means of checking the economic feasibility of the proposed project.*;The dissertation includes a CD that is multimedia (contains text and other applications that are not available in a printed format). The CD requires the following applications: Microsoft Word, Excel, Access 1997. |
