EN2014 Presentation Highlights

Data Exchange

Pre-Meeting Session

EN 101 – Introduction to the Exchange Network – Kurt Rakouskas, Exchange Network Coordinator
This Pre-Meeting Session is geared exclusively towards first-time Exchange Network Meeting attendees that are brand new to the Network. We’ll discuss the origins of the Network, talk about what it does and how it works, and have a crash course in Network terminology. Since seating is limited, EN veterans are encouraged to give priority to all new EN Partners so they get the chance to attend, participate, and get prepared for the Meeting.

Opening General Session

Open Government in the City of Philadelphia – Tim Wisniewski, Director of Civic Technology, City of Philadelphia
The City of Philadelphia has become a leader in the open data movement among cities nationwide, releasing over 60 data sets and APIs, building on them using open source software, and publishing the reusable Open Data Guidebook. This presentation will explore the benefits this data sharing has provided the City, both among departments and their customers.

Environmental APIs in Action

  • An Enterprise Investment in Web Services – Tod Dabolt, US EPA
    The EPA Office of Water (OW) will provide an overview of their investment in web services in support of efficient environmental data exchange.  The presentation will highlight how this investment in web services streamlined development through reuse, spurred mobile technology innovation, and is ensuring consistency in how OW delivers environmental information to stakeholders. 
  • Water Quality Portal: Using REST API Services to Support Data Discovery – Charles Kovatch, US EPA and James Kreft, US Geological Survey
    The Water Quality Portal (WQP) is a cooperative service sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the US EPA, and the National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) that integrates publicly available water quality data from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) and the EPA STOrage and RETrieval (STORET) Data Warehouse. The Portal enables water quality data to be searched from multiple sources and delivered in one common format using the Water Quality eXchange (WQX).  The Portal also developed REST API services to enable water quality data to be called from the Portal to increase water data discovery capabilities. This presentation will demonstrate how the Portal’s REST API services can be easily called to enhance watershed analysis and management decisions tools.
  • Facility Registry Service Data Access – Ana Greene, US EPA
    The Facility Registry Service (FRS) Look-Up Service API allows States to view detailed facility information that can be queried by a number of parameters, including State ID.  The information can be easily consumed and displayed by a simple web page and can be easily integrated into web applications.  FRS’s Facility Linkage Application (FLA) is a data stewardship tool that helps to ensure that high quality data is made available through the FRS Look-Up API as well as other FRS data products.  This presentation looks at how these tools and services can be used in an emergency response situation.

Session 1: Exchange Network Essentials I

An Introduction to Data Publishing and RESTful APIs – Bill Rensmith, Windsor Solutions, Inc.
This presentation will provide a brief overview of the evolution and current state of machine-to-machine data sharing over the internet and what it means for information providers and consumers.

An API Strategy for the Exchange Network – Kurt Rakouskas, Exchange Network
This presentation will preview the Network Technology Board’s work on a strategy to incorporate RESTful APIs into the Exchange Network.

Session 2: Innovations in Regulatory Reporting I

Data Access Services for ICIS-NPDES – Elisa Willard, Colorado DPHE
This presentation will provide an update on the progress of the Data Access IPT and a demonstration of the services.

ICIS-Air – Alison Kittle, US EPA
US EPA’s Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) is being expanded to include air compliance and enforcement data.  This presentation describes the approach and timeline being used for migrating data from the legacy Air Facility Subsystem (AFS) and allowing state and local air staff to flow this data to ICIS using the Exchange Network.

NPDES Electronic Reporting Tool (NeT) – Alison Kittle, US EPA
The EPA/State e-Enterprise effort will include allowing members of the regulated community to provide their data to State, Territorial, and Tribal environmental agencies or EPA electronically.  One way of capturing data is to host web-based PDF forms that can capture this data and transfer it to the appropriate agency.  Discover what is being done to EPA’s NeT tool to support EPA Regional staff in gathering electronic Notices of Intent from the regulated community to populate ICIS with NPDES permits and limits.

Session 3: Innovations in Data Access and Publishing I

A WQX-Enabled Decision Support Tool for Planners in the Northeast – Riley Young Morse, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
A partnership in the Northeast made up of state agencies and non-profits have identified a need for greater access to long-term beach monitoring data for the entire region. Understanding long-term trends and influence of other parameters is an important and ongoing component of beach management. We are developing tools and services to make the water quality data more accessible across the region and additionally provide access to data streams that could lead to new insights and potentially help forecast events that lead to beach closures.

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Nearshore Data Exchange – Bruce Jones, NWIFC and Kevin Lyons, Windsor Solutions, Inc.
An exploration of the new Nearshore Exchange that NWIFC established for their partners in the Puget Sound area. The presentation will share how NWIFC was able to leverage existing exchange artifacts to fulfill an important business need and create an innovative and powerful solution.

Pacific Northwest Water Quality Exchange Meets AOL – Won Kim, Oregon DEQ
Oregon DEQ collaborated with a local university to integrate its regional data exchange (PNWWQX) and a website to retrieve lake based data, along with water quality data, and provide instant graphs/metrics to the end user.

Session 4: Exchange Network Essentials II

EN in the Round – A Time to Talk
An open discussion for all members of the EN community to provide comments, suggestions, ideas, concerns, etc.  The session will include a short story (Blueprint to Today) of how napkins and placements played a role in the early EN development.

Session 5: Innovations in Regulatory Reporting II

SDWIS Prime – Greg Fabian, US EPA, Jonathan Haynes, TCEQ and Will Bowman, US EPA
SDWIS Primacy Agency (SDWIS Prime) is a new system being developed by the EPA’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. This presentation describes the technology components being used the build the system, including a Business Rules Engine to assist with complex drinking water rule compliance decisions and the use of a RESTful API to facilitate drinking water data exchanges.

Facility Registry Services (FRS) – Aaron Meyers, US EPA
This presentation will describe how State and Tribal Partners can meet their business requirements using the modernized Facility Linkage Application (FLA), FRS’s data stewardship tool. Additional Partner requirements will also be gathered.

Session 6: Innovations in Data Access and Publishing II

NatureServe Biodiversity Data Exchange – Lori Scott, NatureServe
NatureServe and its network of state natural heritage programs partnered to develop the Biodiversity Data Exchange. The underlying biodiversity database platform is now migrating to a cloud-based architecture. With more than 40 state and provincial systems to be completed by June 2014, we could rapidly implement the Biodiversity Data Exchange to support better conservation planning, sustainable development and environmental decision-making in all states.

Collaborative Data Exchange Networks in the Pacific Northwest – Keith Dublanica, Washington State Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office
This presentation summarizes the activities, accomplishments, and status to date on joint Northwest Indian Fish Commission and WA Department of Fish and Wildlife projects.  One highlight will be the Washington Integrated Fish Distributions (WIFD) onto the hi-resolution National Hydrographic Dataset (NHD) and to reconcile and integrate these distributions into a single unified dataset. Other regional collaborative efforts and partnerships in habitat assessments and conservation will be explored.  

E-Enterprise General Session

E-Enterprise: Moving the Partnership Forward – Bob Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator, US EPA and Karen Bassett, Arkansas DEQ

E-Enterprise 101 – David Hindin, US EPA; Chris Simmers, New Hampshire DIT; and Andy Battin, US EPA
E-Enterprise for the Environment (E-Enterprise) is an EPA-State initiative to improve environmental performance and enhance services to the regulated community, environmental agencies, and the public. It promises to increase transparency and efficiency, develop new environmental management approaches, and employ advanced information and monitoring technologies in a coordinated effort to manage and modernize environmental programs. This presentation will provide an overview of the fundamentals and principles of E-Enterprise, including infrastructure and technology, as well as the integration between E-Enterprise and the Exchange Network.  The following documents will be referenced:

Panel Discussion: State Models in Business Process Improvement – Moderator: Andy Putnam, Colorado DPHE
State agencies are engaging in efforts to improve their operating efficiency and customer service. This session will explore three States’ experiences in launching initiatives to streamline environmental business processes and modernize information technology systems.

Session 7: Innovations in Data Collection and E-Reporting I

E-Manifest – Kirsten Gastner, US EPA and Tina Chen, US EPA
On October 5, 2012, President Obama signed into law, the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act which authorizes the US EPA to implement a national electronic manifest system as well as collect user fees for the development and operations of the system. Commonly referred to as “e-Manifest”, this national system is envisioned to provide waste handlers with the option to complete, sign, transmit, and store manifest information electronically; States that currently receive and collect paper manifest copies will receive copies of manifest data electronically from the system.  This presentation will provide an overview of what e-Manifest is and EPA’s progress to date in system planning and implementation.

Kansas RCRA Data Management System – Kelly Williams, Kansas DHE and Guy Outred, Windsor Solutions, Inc.
An overview of Kansas DHE’s new RCRA data management system will be provided. The System includes remote data collection of inspection and GPS data, cloud-based site and compliance data management, and flows of handler, compliance, and GIS data. The presentation will include a demonstration of the tablet-based field inspection application, my butt-based compliance management system, and its ability to interface with local agency servers, and an assessment of the productivity gains and data quality improvements achieved by this paperless, fully automated compliance monitoring and national reporting solution.

Tribal Emergency Response – Doug Timms, open-environment.org and Frank Harjo, Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Muscogee Creek Nation is leading a multi-tribal agency project to design and build an open source mobile/desktop system that will allow tribal agencies to better plan for and respond to emergencies, while improving how data is shared and accessed. The project will also develop a common data standard upon which the system will be based.

Session 8: Innovations in Regulatory Reporting III

eBeaches Flows and Publishing – Bill Kramer, US EPA
eBeaches is the electronic data transmission system that allows EPA to securely receive and display state beach location, water quality, and swimming advisory data as soon as State and local agencies send the data. This presentation will describe the expanded use of the Exchange Network Service Center to receive data and the new modernized public-facing “Find Your Beach” application http://watersgeo.epa.gov/beacon2/ will also be discussed.

Tribal ID Web Services – Michael Pendleton, US EPA
The Tribal Identification data standard provides an authoritative naming convention for Native American Tribes. This standard relies on the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) official list of Federally recognized Tribes; periodic changes to that list make implementation of the Tribal Identification data standard difficult. To address this, a set of Web services have been developed to enable systems to consume a current list of Tribal entities, simplifying implementation of the standard.

Underground Injection Control – Towana Dorsey, US EPA and Sabah Mirza, US EPA
The National Underground Injection Control Database is EPA’s tool to manage electronic data about injection wells such as location, permitting activities and compliance. Initiated in 2008, the database now includes at least some amount of well-specific information from almost every primacy agency. We will update the current status of the database and discuss some of the challenges and successes supported by the Exchange Network. 

Session 9: Environmental Business Innovations

Minnesota Vision 2014: Launching Business Systems Transformation – Michelle Beeman, Minnesota PCA
Minnesota PCA spent three years laying the foundation for a significant business operations IT transformation, leading to the launch of its “Vision 2014.”  This presentation will focus on MPCA’s initiation of its transformation journey, the factors supporting the successful project initiation, and similarities to the E-Enterprise Initiative’s focus on standardizing and streamlining business processes, developing web portals, integrating technology into business operations, and providing more online services and data accessibility to constituents.

Articulating the Benefits of Your Environmental Information – Victoria Phillips, Massachusetts DEP
Return on Investment analysis is a critical component for effectively communicating and quantifying the benefits of information projects. This presentation will discuss Massachusetts DEP’s experience in developing a ROI report for its large environmental information projects.

Connecticut LEAN: A Key Enabler for IT Transformation Efforts – Nicole Lugli, Connecticut DEEP
LEAN as a process improvement/business streamlining tool is a key enabler for Information Technology transformation efforts and investment. This presentation will highlight several business process improvement initiatives that have resulted in innovative, efficient information technology solutions.

Session 10: Innovations in Data Collection and E-Reporting II

Arkansas DEQ eGovernance Portal – Letty Hardee, Arkansas DEQ and Simon Watson, Windsor Solutions, Inc.
Arkansas DEQ implemented an agency-wide eGovernance portal to support the ePermitting needs of the agency, as well as readying them for the inclusion of eReporting, all through a common interface for the regulated community. The portal allows for collaboration between the applicant and the agency staff, with a management dashboard that enables senior staff members to monitor for bottlenecks. This presentation will discuss the process and challenges of implementing an agency-wide eGovernance solution.

Wyoming DEQ Envite CROMERR Solution – Steven Girt, Wyoming DEQ and Ryan Fagan, Gannett Peak Technical Services
Envite is Wyoming DEQ’s independent application that uses web services for agency permitting and authentication systems. All of Agency applications will be using the one CROMERR approved application. This presentation will discuss how the Agency approached the application process and how they technically met the CROMERR requirements.

Wyoming DEQ nSite Facility Data Warehouse Solution – Ben Way, Wyoming DEQ and Guy Outred, Windsor Solutions, Inc.
Wyoming DEQ will present a facility-site, data warehouse solution that will reconcile redundant information from multiple data management systems and consolidate the environmental interest data from all the source data systems into a single, summarized site profile. The solution provides a single interface where users can obtain summary information about all WDEQ facility-sites, and will improve Exchange Network data flows to the EPA and other partners by providing a source of clean, de-duplicated and authoritative facility-site data.

Session 11: Collaborative Geospatial Networks

Centralizing GIS Services in Ohio – Bridget Simpson, Ohio EPA
Ohio EPA, in partnership with the Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program (OGRIP), has recently developed and implemented centralized GIS Services. The GIS team has created a cutting edge model for delivering GIS services in the state of Ohio.  This model will act as a template for centralizing other state-level GIS programs in the near future.  These efforts reflect significant innovations in geospatial data access and streamlining of GIS tools and services to engage and communicate with environmental partners and the citizens of Ohio.

The Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Collaborative Effort – Kristi Laughlin, Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and Garet Couch, Wind Environmental Services, LLC
This presentation will focus on the Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Exchange network, which is comprised of six federally recognized Tribes. These Tribes are currently collecting and submitting EPA 106 water quality data through an exchange node that was customized to the needs of the Northeast Oklahoma Tribes.  Additionally, the project allows for participating Tribes to perform collaborative reporting and analysis on the data.  The presentation will discuss the evolution of this project, current capabilities, and future goals.

Cadastral Data Exchange and Restful APIs – Jeff Harrison, Carbon Project, Inc., and Jeff Brown, North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
This presentation will discuss North Carolina’s progress on implementing the next generation of EN ‘REST’ Services technology for a project called the NC Cadastral Data Exchange. The exchange has been developed and now features tools to transform North Carolina county parcel boundaries into standard, integrated datasets, and share online data services with users of the NC OneMap Geospatial Portal. This deployment will provide data services that many levels of government can use and data services that support many other exchanges.

Session 12: Innovations in Data Access and Publishing III

Large Aquatic Ecosystem Data Exchange – Michael Beaulac, Michigan DEQ and Daniel Jeng, enfoTech & Consulting, Inc.
The Michigan Department of Environment Quality (MDEQ), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), Wayne State University (WSU), and Great Lakes Commissions (GLC) have partnered together to pilot a data sharing mechanism to support environmental assessment, human health, environmental quality and climate change-related human health impacts, and planning long-term sustainability for a large aquatic ecosystem. The Large Aquatic Ecosystems (LAEs) data exchange consists of: (1) EPA’s WQX 2.1 Schema for data exchange, (2) a LAEs Node Plug-in to streamline the publishing of water quality data, and (3) an enhanced version of the Exchange Network Browser for data discovery, retrieval and analysis. The project team aims to involve research institutions and non-profits in the exchange of water quality data, share project results with EN partners, encourage reuse of the EN technologies, and to further advance technical capabilities for other large ecosystems.

EPA’s Water Quality Framework – Dwane Young, US EPA
The Water Quality Framework (Framework) will streamline water quality assessment and reporting, eliminate paper reporting and provide a more complete picture of the nation’s water quality by allowing for tighter integration with data at the local, state, and national scale. The Framework will start by focusing on better integrating three systems: 1) EPA’s water quality monitoring repository (STORET and the Water Quality Exchange), 2) EPA’s Assessment TMDL Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS), and 3) EPA’s surface water mapping tool (the National Hydrography Dataset Plus –NHDPlus). Following the integration of these systems, further integration is possible with other water programs such as: water quality permits, enforcement and compliance, source water protection, and nonpoint source projects. EPA has already taken steps to improve this process by developing automated approaches for capturing water quality monitoring data via the Exchange Network.

WSWC’s Water Data Exchange (WaDE) – Tony Willardson, Western States Water Council; and Jurgen Koch, Texas CEQ
In 2011, the Western States Water Council (WSWC), in coordination with the Western Governors’ Association, the DOE National Laboratories, and the Western States Federal Agency Support Team initiated the Water Data Exchange (WaDE) project to enable the exchange of water planning, water use and water allocation data between state water agencies, federal agencies, and the public. The goals of the project include the establishment of a governance structure, the evaluation of the current capabilities and methods used by the states, the design of a common format that specifically targets derived water data products and/or water-quantity type information, database and web service design and development, and implementation within state IT environments.

Working Sessions I

US EPA Facility Registry Service and E-Enterprise
This Working Session will describe new FRS API’s available to State and Tribal Partners, and gather requirements for improving them to better meet Partners’ business needs.

SDWIS Prime
Description needed.

Communications and Marketing: ENabled by the EN
Your ideas can help shape the future of EN outreach! Come to this session to hear about the new EN Communications and Marketing Plan, and contribute your thoughts on how we can reach current and new audiences, improve awareness of the EN, develop ways to share news about the EN with data users, and better enable them to share information.  Attendees are encouraged to bring examples of outreach materials they have created (whether for the EN or for anything else).

US EPA’s Water Quality Framework
During this Working Session, US EPA will go into further details on the Water Quality Framework discussed in Session 12, including some proposed approaches for updating the Assessment TMDL Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS), the OWIR-ATT data flow, and discuss approaches for exchanging continuous water quality monitoring data. EPA will be looking for feedback from attendees on these topics and will use this feedback as important input into the design of the Water Quality Framework.

Shared CROMERR Services
US EPA will share the results of a year of collaboration with States to develop US EPA’s CROMERR in a way that can be leveraged by States and co-regulators implementing electronic reporting programs.  The Session will consist of a brief history of events leading to implementation of a shared CROMERR services concept, followed by a demonstration from user and administrator perspectives as well as other tools that can assist in obtaining CROMERR approval and quickly building services into States’ 40 CFR regulated applications.

Working Sessions II

Virtual Node
The Virtual node is a cloud-based Network Node that can provide an alternative to building and maintaining a local node implementation. Dataflows can be developed using a series of web screens and templates for specific flows such as AQS or ICIS-Air. This Working Session will provide some background on the virtual node, a brief demonstration of using the virtual node, and a question and answer session on how US EPA can make the virtual node best accommodate Network Partner needs.

EN Website
An open discussion to brainstorm possible new improvements and additions to the EN Website.

EN-Node Users
An open discussion among users and developer of EN-Node.

OpenNode2 Users
An open discussion among users and developer of OpenNode2.

Terminology Services and the US EPA System of Registries
Terminology Services is a repository of terms, acronyms, glossaries and taxonomies of importance to the US EPA and its partners. We will walk through the Exchange Network glossary, as well as discuss the tools and services available to Exchange Network partners for terminology management (and don’t worry- we’ll hit the basics such as “What in the world is a taxonomy?”) We will also present other resources, such as chemical information and code libraries, that are freely available in the US EPA’s System of Registries.

E-Enterprise Architecture Plan and Regulatory Portal
Description needed.