Document ID: EPA-HQ-OEI-2006-0157-0005
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2006-03-09T05:00Z

Well
Information
Data
Standard
FAQs
Page
1
Frequently
Asked
Questions
about
the
Final
Draft
Well
Information
Data
Standard
The
questions
and
answers
are
arranged
in
three
categories:

·
General
·
Implementation
of
the
Data
Standard
·
Use
of
the
Data
Standard
General
Q1:
What
is
a
Data
Standard?
A1:
A
"
data
standard"
is
a
documented
agreement
among
organizations
that
share
or
exchange
data.
A
data
standard
includes
data
elements,
data
element
definitions,
notes,
formats,
and
XML
tags.

Q2:
How
does
a
Data
Standard
relate
to
a
schema
or
program
specific
implementation?
A2:
EDSC
data
standards,
such
as
the
ESAR
Well
Information
Data
Standard,
represent
the
foundation
for
Exchange
Network
XML
schema
development.
It
is
assumed
that
the
data
element
names,
definitions,
and
groupings
defined
within
the
ESAR
collection
of
data
standards
will
be
used
as
needed
to
develop
data
exchange
templates
for
each
particular
programmatic
exchange.
Data
providers
would
ensure
that
the
proper
mappings
are
complete
and
use
the
appropriate
schema
to
build
the
exchange
file.

Q3:
Who
developed
this
draft
Data
Standard
 
is
it
another
federal
mandate?
A3:
No,
this
is
not
another
federal
mandate;
however
it
will
be
expected
to
be
used
for
data
transmittals
that
go
through
the
National
Environmental
Information
Exchange
Network.
The
Well
Information
Data
Standard
was
developed
by
a
group
of
professionals
and
submitted
as
a
comment
on
the
ESAR
Suite
of
Data
Standards
published
in
the
Federal
Register.
The
recommendation
to
put
the
Draft
Well
Information
Data
Standard
out
for
review
was
made
jointly
by
US
EPA,
States,
and
Tribes
(
through
the
Exchange
Network
Leadership
Council
(
ENLC),
an
organization
that
represents
the
US
EPA,
states,
and
Tribal
entities.
All
recognize
that
sharing
and
exchanging
accurate
data
is
important
and
will
remain
so.
All
recognize
that
the
public
increasingly
expects
and
deserves
to
have
access
to
shared
information.
Together,
they
established
the
Exchange
Network
to
manage
and
guide
the
process.
The
ENLC
took
over
the
responsibility
for
Data
Standards
development,
administration
and
management
from
the
Environmental
Data
Standards
Council
in
January
2006.
Since
the
Well
Information
Data
Standard
is
intended
to
be
used
on
the
National
Environmental
Information
Exchange
Network,
the
EDSC
initiated
standard
and
its
adoption
process,
will
be
managed
by
the
ENLC.
They
have
determined
that
data
exchanges
where
possible
are
to
follow
Exchange
Network
data
standards.
Well
Information
Data
Standard
FAQs
Page
2
Q4:
Why
do
we
need
this
"
common
vocabulary"?
A4:
There
are
many
different
environmental
programs,
and
many
different
government
agencies
involved
in
reporting
environmental
data.
Often,
these
different
programs
or
different
agencies
use
different
naming
conventions
and
different
codes
when
identifying
the
same
data.
The
lack
of
a
"
common
vocabulary"
makes
it
difficult
to
share
and
to
integrate
information.

Q5:
What
was
the
business
need
for
developing
this
draft
Data
Standard?
A5:
Environmental
sampling,
analysis
and
results
data
have
been
"
standardized"
in
an
ad
hoc
manner
by
individual
programs/
entities
exchanging
information
for
regulatory
reporting,
monitoring
requirements,
etc.
in
specific
media
(
e.
g.
air,
water,
waste).
Unfortunately,
this
multiplicity
of
ad
hoc
"
standards"
makes
it
difficult
to
aggregate
environmental
data
collected
across
specific
program/
reporting
systems.
Aggregation
of
environmental
sampling,
analysis,
and
results
data
is
critical
in
trends
analysis,
emergency
response,
risk
assessment,
etc.
The
ESAR
Standards,
including
the
Well
Information
Data
Standard
component
will
help
standardize
data
elements
used
by
generators
of
environmental
monitoring
data
to
report
results.
The
Well
Information
Data
Standard
was
developed
in
response
to
comments
about
the
need
for
a
more
comprehensive
set
of
data
elements
related
to
wells
during
the
ESAR
comment
period.
The
Well
Information
Data
Standard
will
be
a
companion
to
the
ESAR
Suite
of
standards.
This
will
further
expand
the
data
covered
and
better
enable
the
accurate
and
timely
integration
of
environmental
sampling,
analysis,
and
results
for
secondary
uses.

Implementation
of
the
Data
Standard:

Q6:
Will
my
Agency
(
or
my
program)
be
required
to
use
this
Data
Standard
in
our
Information
Systems?
A6:
No.
Federal,
State,
Tribal,
or
local
government
agencies
or
programs
are
not
required
to
adopt
or
use
this
Data
Standard,
or
incorporate
them
into
their
data
systems.
However,
data
standards,
when
final
must
be
used
for
exchanging
information
across
the
Environmental
Information
Exchange
Network.
Agencies
may
choose
to
adopt
the
standards
or
maintain
their
own
and
only
use
them
for
exchanging
environmental
information
between
partners.

Q7:
If
my
program
or
agency
decides
to
implement
this
Data
Standard,
must
it
begin
collecting
information
for
every
data
element?
A7:
No.
This
Data
Standard
provides
a
range
of
well­
related
data
elements
that
may
be
of
interest
to
programs
and
agencies.
Programs
or
agencies
may
collect
information
for
one
or
more
of
the
data
elements
but
there
is
no
requirement
for
any
program
or
agency
to
collect
information
for
all
data
elements.
Well
Information
Data
Standard
FAQs
Page
3
Q8:
When
will
this
draft
Data
Standard
be
approved
by
the
ENLC?
A8:
The
ENLC
is
expected
to
approve
this
standard
after
reviewing
the
comments
received
during
the
45­
day
comment
period.
Approval
is
planned
for
spring
2006.

Q9:
Can
some
programs
within
a
State,
Tribe
or
local
government
follow
this
Data
Standard,
while
others
do
not?
A9:
This
Data
Standard
when
final
must
be
used
for
sharing
or
exchanging
data
over
the
Environmental
Information
Exchange
Network.
State,
tribal,
or
local
government
programs
 
especially
those
that
do
not
use
the
Environmental
Information
Exchange
Network
are
certainly
not
obliged
to
adopt
or
use
this
Data
Standard.

Q10:
I
am
in
a
State,
Tribal
or
local
government
agency
and
my
program
doesn't
use
the
same
data
elements
that
are
used
in
this
Data
Standard.
Is
there
an
expectation
that
we
will
change
our
data
elements?
A10:
No.
The
Data
Standard
uses
terminology
intended
for
data
exchange
and
is
applicable
only
after
the
data
you
send
crosses
the
threshold
of
your
organization.
Data
that
is
exchanged
will
need
to
be
mapped
to
existing
data
holdings
or
conform
in
definition,
meaning,
and
format
to
the
Standard.

Q11:
My
US
EPA
program
doesn't
use
the
data
elements
used
in
this
Data
Standard.
Is
there
an
expectation
that
US
EPA
programs
will
change
our
own
data
elements?
A11:
Data
standards
are
intended
for
use
in
data
exchange.
US
EPA
programs
may,
as
necessary
(
and
over
time),
modify
the
data
elements
that
they
currently
collect
to
correspond
to
the
data
elements
and
terms
in
these
data
standards.
It
is
usually
more
cost
effective
to
adapt
systems
in
the
proper
phase
of
the
life­
cycle
to
data
standards
than
to
maintain
mappings.
US
EPA
approves
internal
business
rules
to
govern
the
use
of
data
standards.
Waivers
to
data
standards
are
sometimes
issued
in
consideration
of
modernization
and
update
schedules
for
US
EPA
systems.

Q12:
My
program
currently
uses
the
EDSC
approved
standard
"
Reporting
Water
Quality
Results
for
Chemical
and
Microbiological
Analytes".
How
is
this
standard
related
to
the
ESAR
standard?
Which
standard
do
I
use?
A12:
You
can
continue
to
use
the
"
Reporting
Water
Quality
Results
for
Chemical
and
Microbiological
Analytes"
standard;
however
the
standard
has
been
superseded
by
the
more
comprehensive
ESAR
standards.
As
such
the
"
Reporting
Water
Quality
Results
for
Chemical
and
Microbiological
Analytes"
standard
was
retired
by
the
EDSC.

Q13:
How
is
the
Well
Information
Data
Standard
associated
with
other
reporting
specifications
used
by
environmental
laboratories
such
as
the
Staged
Electronic
Data
Deliverable
(
SEDD)?
A13:
Specifications
such
as
the
SEDD
will
require
the
reporting
of
additional
data
as
directed
by
the
specification.
Input
regarding
SEDD
was
provided
during
the
development
of
the
ESAR
standard,
therefore,
needs
for
the
SEDD
have
been
considered
and
incorporated
as
a
part
of
the
core
data
elements
relevant
to
all
environmental
laboratory
reporting
and
the
Well
Information
Data
Standard
FAQs
Page
4
media
specific
extensions.
The
ESAR
team
worked
with
SEDD
to
develop
ESAR.

Q14:
The
Well
Information
Data
Standard
does
not
contain
some
data
elements
that
my
program
is
required
to
report
to
US
EPA.
How
will
this
be
addressed?
A14:
The
Well
Information
Data
Standard
is
meant
to
be
complete
but
if
there
are
additional
needed
data
elements,
it
is
assumed
that
you
would
agree
on
the
exchange
format
and
definitions
with
your
partner(
s).
The
ESAR
exchange
model
is
an
excellent
template
for
all
kinds
of
environmental
information.
As
need
arises,
it
is
assumed
that
additions
will
be
made
to
the
exchange
and
to
the
standard
if
appropriate.

Q15:
Is
there
a
minimum
set
of
data
elements
for
the
Well
Information
Data
Standard?
A15:
No,
but
it
is
assumed
that
there
must
be
enough
data
provided
to
make
the
provided
data
components
meaningful.

Q16:
There
are
so
many
options
for
well
intervals 
can
I
only
use
the
sections
relevant
to
the
interval
information
that
I
have?
A16:
Yes,
there
are
several
options
in
Well
Intervals
to
accommodate
the
information
needed
to
fully
describe
the
well
from
the
ground
surface
to
total
depth.
It
is
expected
that
you
will
use
only
those
intervals
that
are
needed.

Q17:
Is
this
Data
Standard
the
basis
for
a
new
data
system
design?
Will
we
have
to
change
our
existing
data
system
to
conform
to
it?
A17:
The
answer
for
State,
Tribal
and
local
government
agencies
is
No.
This
Data
Standard,
like
others,
is
more
like
a
dictionary
to
help
translate
or
exchange
data
from
any
one
data
system
to
any
other.
Use
of
these
Data
Standards
does
not
require
any
non­
US
EPA
agency
or
program
to
change
its
current
data
system.
When
data
is
exchanged
from
one
system
to
another,
this
and
other
Data
Standards
will
provide
the
necessary
templates
to
ensure
that
data
from
a
given
field
in
the
sending
system
are
"
mapped"
to
the
correct
location
in
the
receiving
system.
Local
system
designers
may,
once
they
choose
to
use
these
data
standards
for
data
exchange,
elect
to
modify
their
system
(
perhaps
in
the
context
of
a
previously
planned
system
modernization)
in
order
to
create
the
capability
of
exchanging
data
that
conforms
with
these
standards.
US
EPA
will
incorporate
the
Data
Standard
as
its
own
data
systems
are
modified
and
updated.

Q18:
We
are
planning
to
update
(
one
or
more
of)
our
current
data
system(
s).
How
can
these
Data
Standards
be
of
help
to
us
in
this
effort?
A18:
This
Data
Standard
provides
guidance
to
programs
and
agencies
on
naming
conventions
and
relationships.
Using
this
information,
you
can
update
your
system(
s)
so
that
it
is
in
conformance
with
the
standard,
thus
facilitating
data
exchange
between
your
system(
s)
and
other
systems
that
manage
environmental
data.
Well
Information
Data
Standard
FAQs
Page
5
Q19:
Are
there
any
federal
funds
available
to
help
States,
Tribes,
or
local
government
agencies
that
implement
federal
programs
if
they
choose
to
update
their
systems
to
enable
them
to
communicate
more
easily
using
the
ESAR
or
Well
Information
Data
Standards?
A19:
Yes,
although
such
funding
is
not
linked
directly
to
this
Data
Standards
development
effort.
US
EPA
has
and
will
continue
to
provide
grant
funding
to
assist
other
levels
of
government
that
implement
federal
environmental
programs.
Such
assistance
has
often
been
used
by
grantees
to
help
develop
and
update
data
management
systems.

Q20:
What
does
this
standard
have
to
do
with
the
Exchange
Network
I
keep
hearing
about?
And
I
thought
everything
was
supposed
to
be
in
XML
 
is
this
XML?
A20:
The
Network
concept
relies
upon
common
"
Data
Exchange
Templates"
(
DETs)
expressed
in
"
XML,"
and
exchanged
based
on
common
protocols.
The
data
elements
in
these
data
standards
contain
XML
tags.
XML
schema
components
will
be
developed
for
all
of
the
modules
in
ESAR
and
will
be
available
on
the
Exchange
Network
web
site
in
the
XML
registry
at
http://
www.
exchangenetwork.
net.
In
addition,
the
leadership
of
the
Exchange
Network,
the
ENLC,
is
assuming
data
standards
administration
and
development
for
standards
to
be
used
on
the
Network.

Use
of
the
Data
Standard:

Q21:
Who
will
use
this
Data
Standard?
A21:
All
government
agencies
involved
in
environmental
sampling,
analysis
and
results
activities
related
to
wells
are
encouraged
to
use
this
standard
when
and
if
they
share
or
exchange
data
with
other
partners.
They
are
also
encouraged
to
use
it
as
a
tool,
if
they
are
planning
to
update
or
enhance
their
own
existing
data
systems.
The
ENLC
has
determined
that
data
exchanges
over
the
Exchange
Network
are
to
follow
this
data
standard
if
possible.

Q22:
Will
US
EPA
be
issuing
rules
for
use
of
this
Data
Standard?
A22:
No,
at
least
not
in
the
sense
of
issuing
formal
regulations
to
be
used
by
everyone.
US
EPA
will
develop
Business
Rules
for
using
the
data
standard
within
their
own
systems.

Q23:
Will
this
Data
Standard
be
open
for
revision
in
the
future?
How
will
the
Standard
be
maintained?
A23:
Yes.
There
is
every
reason
to
expect
that
adjustments
or
revisions
will
be
necessary
in
the
future
as
new
or
existing
programs
or
agencies
determine
the
need
to
exchange
additional
data
elements
not
provided
in
the
current
standard.
The
ENLC
will
oversee
the
maintenance
on
any
needed
revisions
to
this
standard.
Well
Information
Data
Standard
FAQs
Page
6