Recognizing that laser-based isotope-ratio-measurement systems can produce large amounts of data, I requested that the two manufacturers, Los Gatos Research (LGR) and Picarro, make their instruments available for use in teaching LIMS for Light Stable Isotopes in Vienna in April, and they kindly did so.

It has come to my attention that some individuals have misunderstood the purpose and objectives of this workshop. Therefore, I am sending this email to clarify my intent. WE WERE CONDUCTING ONLY A TEST OF SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY, NOT AN ANALYTICAL PERFORMANCE TEST.

Indeed, this workshop was NOT a head-to-head performance comparison test of instrumentation, and potential purchasers of laser-based instrumentation would be foolish to think otherwise. Readers SHOULD NOT use the analytical results obtained during this workshop to make procurement decisions. Manufacturers were not given the opportunity to optimize their instruments for a performance test.

The purpose of inviting multiple manufacturers of laser-based instrumentation was to demonstrate that LIMS for Light Stable Isotopes is now compatible with the latest versions of their software, and this demonstration was fully successful. In previous demonstrations, LIMS has been shown to be compliant with ISODAT, MassLynx, and IonAdvantage as well.

Finally, please note that use of trade, product, or firm names in this email is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

If you have any questions about the measurement results, conclusions, or LIMS, PLEASE contact me directly.

Thanks,

Ty

Tyler B Coplen
U.S. Geological Survey
431 National Center
Reston, VA 20192
Tel: +1 703-648-5862
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