# Presentation: 391220

## The National Environmental Information Exchange Network

- Overview and Opportunities
- National AQS User Conference
- August 20, 2008

**Notes:**
My background—here to learn
OR DEA and “volunteer—later on staff, and now National coordinator
To me it is “the network” please forgive if you have another in mind

No open source background, but “open standards” is key
Commonalities

## What is the Exchange Network?

- HTTP servers using SOAP messaging and a common WSDL to enable synchronous and asynchronous *blah-blah, blah-blah*..*.*

*An Internet and standards-based method for *
*exchanging environmental information between partners.*

*A common approach to sharing data that lets you use your partners’ data as if it is a part of your own systems.*

_**Principles:**_
- Each partner manages their own data, and is the steward for data they originate.
- The Network “doesn't care”  how a partner manages and stores information.
- Partners who need to store copies of data locally are responsible for the design, format, and maintenance of the copy they create.
- Network partners agree to use adopted technology and data standards.

## Why?

- High demand for access to environmental information among partners
- Multiple approaches to information exchanges are inefficient and burdensome
- States modernizing information systems and migrating away from use of EPA national systems
- Use of integrated informationtechnologies and approaches is onthe rise
- Yesterday’s Answerfor Today’s question

**Notes:**
High demand for public access to environmental information, as well as the ability to share information among partners (i.e. state-state, state-local, etc.)

Many current stove-pipe approaches to information exchanges are inefficient and are overly burdensome, especially to states with integrated systems

States are investing in the modernization and integration of information systems and migrating away from primary use of EPA national systems

Use of sophisticated integrated informationtechnologies and approaches is on the rise

Current methods of reporting to EPA are burdensome and compromise data integrity

## So Why Are We Still Talking?

- The Exchange Network  looks like an IT Initiative
- AQS worked just fine before you came along, thanks!
- Besides, I’m busy.  What’s in it for me?
- Checking the box doesn’t matter much.  And it doesn’t seem to do much.

- You’re right.  Your IT shop just doesn’t get it
- Full Disclosure:  I’m one of them
- But they mean well—and they have money!!
- It really does pay off for IT
- Air program innovators have made it work for them
- You only see the payoff when you do cool new stuff.

- I’m not saying don’t use the Network—just understand why, and make work for you.

## Business Case:  New Jersey 

- States share airsheds
- Air quality data isn’t easily shared among states and is limited in EPA systems
- Information is needed consistently and timely for:
- Environmental & Health assessments
- Homeland security

## Share data for multiple purposes—not just reporting

## GIS Analysis Tool – AirNow Tech 

## Results

- Improved sharing, use, and consistency of air quality data among states and EPA Air Programs
- Provided tool for states to publish air quality data in a near real-time fashion
- Enabled air quality data to be available on-demand and analyzed online, geospatially through Air Now Tech
- Minimized effort by harmonizing 3 different data sharing needs (AQS, AirNow, State to State) into one data flow
- Collaborated and re-used existing technology
- Ensured easy reuse by other States and Tribes

## 1 effort reused 5 times in New Jersey

## Other efforts

- Public Health Projects (6 states)
- Data Extraction (Water, at present)
- Are AQS reports everything you can imagine?
- HERE Project (Emergency Response data sharing in a region), built on FRS exchange
- TCR, EIS, and GHG exchanges

**Notes:**
OR, WA, ID recipient of an EPA Challenge Grant in 2003

Provide access to a comprehensive collection of Water Quality data for the Pacific Northwest
Support jointly regulated watersheds such as the Columbia River

Apply Exchange Network principles
Use of Nodes

Enable participation from a wide range of data sources
List them – local, state and federal agencies, tribes, watershed councils, etc
Use of host database, metadata registry, partners without nodes.

Design data exchange flow to support partner needs and eventual upload to EPA STORET

## Potential Data Exchanges

- State

- Business

- Business

- State

- Business

- NEI

- FRS

- AFS

- State DB

- Policy, science, management

- State

## Status of Network - Today

**CA**

**OR**

**WA**

**ID**

**MT**

**WY**

**CO**

**NM**

**TX**

**AK**

**HI**

**OK**

**KS**

**SD**

**ND**

**MN**

**IA**

**WI**

**IN**

**OH**

**KY**

**TN**

**MS**

**AL**

**GA**

**FL**

**NC**

**WV**

**PA**

**NY**

**DE**

**CT**

**NH**

**RI**

**IL**

**MO**

**AR**

**LA**

**NV**

**UT**

**AZ**

**OR**

**NM**

**MS**

**WV**

**PA**

**NJ**

**MA**

**NH**

**MD**

**DC**

**VA**

**MI**

**NM**

**SC**

**NE**

**VT**

**ME**

**FL**

- St. Regis Mohawk

- Cherokee Nation (OK)

- Navajo Nation (AZ)

- Samish Indian Nation

- Snohomish County

- Yurok Tribe

## Not Just Another Web Site!

- Can be “built in” to tools you use
- Send reports—or look it up.
- Build once, use many times
- Diminishing cost for new initiatives
- As protected as the owner chooses
- Shared Quality Assurance tools—before you try to load
- Data Standards—shared understanding
- Discovery Services

**Notes:**
Not highly interoperable with other web services

WSDL/UDDI have limits-find out how to call, but not what might make sense.  

Not entirely consistent with normal web services
Asynchronous methods

The BIG plus—almost everything you can learn from uddi, and lots more, you already know when you say Network Node

Common service types can be defined and enforced with a light touch.

## Finding Data

- Discovery services let you:
- Find out what is on the Network
- Learn which partners have the data you need
- Find out how to access each node and how to request the needed data.
- For sensitive data, learn how to obtain permissions for data you have a need to access
- If someone has made tools that improve usability of the data, find and use those tools

## Where am I going with all this?

- Define services
- Implement them on AQS—and between partners (want to call a sensor directly?)
- Tell your IT shop what you need to get done.
- The Exchange Network is built on innovation.  You can create the “next big thing”
- We want you to ask “What’s in it for me”
- Get together with IT, and let the network buy you that next “killer app”.

## Questions?  Need Info

- _[www.exchangenetwork.net](http://www.exchangenetwork.net/)_
- Mitch.West@exchangenetwork.net