# Presentation: 489086

## Use of Expert SystemsforWater Monitoring

- Larry Keith
- Instant Reference Sources, Inc.
- Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI)Herndon, VA
- September 9, 2003

## NEMI and NEMI-CBR

- The National Environmental Methods Index (***NEMI***) is a database of methods applicable for monitoring water for chemical and microbiological pollutants.
-  Online searches at _www.nemi.gov_
-  Endorsed by ACWI in 2001
***NEMI-CBR*** is a database of methods applicable for anti-terrorism use with chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) agents.
- Password protected secure database uses *NEMI* algorithms to save time and money.
- Expert systems have been developed to help support the use of both databases.

## What is an Expert System?

-  An expert system is an _interactive_ computer program that incorporates the knowledge of one or more people into a series of decision trees so that answers (**as advice**) to specific questions are the same ones that a human would give.
-  Advantages include:
-  Help and _advice_ when a human expert isn’t available
-  Answers are consistent (versus human answers)
-  Ensures that all important factors are considered so that none are forgotten during decision making
-  Get right to answers needed quickly and efficiently

## Water Monitoring Expert Systems

-  Two expert systems for water quality monitoring have been produced:
-  Environmental Monitoring and Measurement Advisor (***EMMA***) - produced in 2002 under a NSF SBIR grant.
-  Supports the National Environmental Monitoring Index (***NEMI***)
- 3 modules: 1 Planning What, When, Where, & How; 2 Selecting best method(s); 3 Calculates numbers of samples needed
-  NSF grant required a commercial product but the second module is free to use at _www.EMMA-expertsystem.com_
-  EPA and USGS implementing a CRADA with the developer
-  EPA’s Water Anti-Terrorism Expert Response (***WATER***)
-  Support to NEMI-CBR database of methods for anti-terrorism
-  Planning for Methods Selection, Site Entry and Water Sampling

## Why WATER is Needed

- Methods for each kind of agent (chemical, biological or radiological) vary greatly from each other by sample collection techniques, sample preparation, instruments used for analysis, and analytical protocols (i.e., methods).
- Public and/or private labs, utility and lab managers are not often familiar with CBR methods and the special protocols, requirements, and dangers that CBR samples pose.
- Two scenarios are possible and both must be covered:
- First - selecting the best methods for typical monitoring and/or analyte or organism confirmation.
-  Second - selecting the best methods for an emergency situation where the identity of the suspect analyte or organism may or may not be known.

## How WATER Supports NEMI-CBR

-  Used for planning and training as well as supporting searches for best methods
- Provides advice, information, report forms, etc. for special procedures involving initial evaluations, pre-entry activities, sample planning, sampling, and sample packaging and shipping when CBR agents may be present in water samples.
- Recommends methods appropriate for emergency use _**or**_ for monitoring and confirmation of target analytes and, *just as importantly*, recommends when particular methods in the  *NEMI-CBR* database are _**not**_ appropriate for a specific use.
- Provides advice and information for finding methods when analytes are _**not known**_ in an emergency.

## Three “Planes” of Information

**The top level "Executive/Emergency Plane"**
-  Gives the user advice and answers for his or her specific needs as quickly as possible.
**The second level "Educational Plane"**
- Provides explanations and ancillary information to help users to understand what is being asked of them, why it is being asked, and what the consequences of their actions may be.
**The third level "Research Plane"**
-  Reached by internal and external hyperlinks from the second plane - contains extensive in-depth discussions and links to other web sites such as those of US EPA, CDC, CIA, USGS, etc.

## Planes of Information Illustrated

## Dual-Screen Viewing

-  Special programming is used to provide two “frames” for viewing the expert system.
- The expert system question and answer software appears in a _**left**_ screen frame.
-  It drives a particular project planning  or training session though its questions and “decision trees” that provide advice and answers.
-  Associated with each question is information on what, why, when, where, how, etc. in the _**right**_ screen frame.

## Example of Dual Screen Use

**Expert System Side**

**Explanation Box Side**

## WATER and NEMI-CBR are Complimentary

- WATER - Designing Monitoring Projects Based on Objectives, Site Situation, Time Frame, and Use (Planning, Training, or Method Selection).

**NEMI - CBR**
*Method Selection*

## Expert Systems for Monitoring Framework Areas

- Areas Currently _Partly_ Covered by ***EMMA*** and/or ***WATER***

- Areas Remaining to be Covered

## How Expert Systems Could Support Water Monitoring

- Incorporate the algorithms already developed from NSF and EPA funding into a comprehensive expert system used for planning, training, and execution of water monitoring projects.
- Special features would include dual screen viewing and multi-level depth of information given as a user desires
-  Development would incorporate knowledge of experts versed in many areas for multi analytes and organisms
- Product would cover all areas of the Water Quality Monitoring Framework

## Advantages of Developing an Expert System for Water Monitoring Projects

- Product would be freely available from an Internet site
- Product would facilitate consistant and _comparable data_ _quality_ across many different organizations and programs
- Updates and information expansion easily accomodated
- All important factors in planning and executing a project would be considered and _documented_
- More cost-effective project plans would result
- Project plans would _**always**_ fit available budgets
- Help would be available when experts are not
- Training would be facilitated using built-in links and forms

## Demonstration

- EPA’s ***WATER***
- Expert System
- will be demonstrated