Nonvalperiod

Nonvalperiod is a term used in data quality and time-series analysis to denote a time interval during which collected values are considered invalid or not available due to validation failure or sensor downtime. It serves to distinguish periods where data should not be treated as reliable observations from正常 recorded measurements.

Origin and usage

The term is not universal and appears in some data quality documentation, IoT data processing pipelines, and publications describing validation workflows. It is formed from nonval (non-validated) and period, highlighting that the interval is defined by its lack of validated data rather than a physical event in the measured system.

Characteristics

A nonvalperiod is defined by start and end timestamps and is typically accompanied by a quality flag or metadata indicating invalidity. During a nonvalperiod, measurements may be omitted, marked as missing, or treated as unreliable. Causes include sensor outages, calibration updates, communication errors, or data corruption.

Impact and handling

Analysts may drop nonvalperiod data from analyses, apply interval-aware aggregation over valid periods, or perform cautious imputation only when domain-appropriate. Data schemas often store nonvalperiods as separate records or as masked intervals within a time-series stream, ensuring downstream processes do not mistakenly reuse invalid values.

Example

A weather station records data every minute. From 12:45 to 12:49 the sensor was rebooting, so those five minutes form a nonvalperiod. Analyses should exclude this interval or flag it as invalid, rather than treating the values as true observations.

Limitations

There is no universal standard for defining nonvalperiods; definitions and handling vary by domain and system. Clear metadata and documentation are essential to avoid misinterpretation.

See also

missing data, data quality, validation, time series, masking.