Since 2010, quo data Gesellschaft für Qualitätsmanagement und Statistik mbH (hereafter referred to as QuoData GmbH) has organized and evaluated the annual PT rounds of the International Proficiency Testing Scheme for the Detection and Classification of Gunshot Residues by means of SEM/EDS on behalf of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI). Effective January 1, 2026, the scheme is managed and coordinated by QD Labs LP (www.qd-labs.com), accredited by ANAB in accordance with ISO/IEC 17043:2023. QuoData GmbH continues to carry out the PT rounds on behalf of QD Labs as an external service provider (sample material and logistics, statistical evaluation, web portal).

Thereby, QD Labs LP is actively supported by members of the ENFSI expert working group “Firearms/GSR” as an advisory board.

In this GSR Quality Scheme, specific samples for the detection and classification of typical GSR particles (containing lead, barium and antimony) are prepared synthetically and shipped to the participants who use their own laboratory-specific procedure for the automated detection of the GSR particles via SEM/EDS according to ASTM E1588. The GSR PT sample is included in the attendance fee, and participants can further use it for quality control measurements after the publication of the final report of results.

For this purpose, QuoData GmbH provides the participants, on behalf of QD Labs,with this web-based tool for automatic evaluation of uploaded quality control measurements. The tool can also be used to evaluate the "standard GSR sample" which is offered by PLANO GmbH.

A comprehensive PDF file and a dynamic chart are created immediately after uploading the measured data. The latter offers a variety of selection criteria for specific evaluation by the participant.