&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Administration and
Resources Management
(PM-218B)
April 1989
Geographic Information
Systems
Case Studies Of
EPA's Implementation
ERL-C
Oregon
CWS
EMSL-LV
CBP
RTF
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section
I. Introduction 1-1
II. Findings and Conclusions H-l
A. Summary Assessment of CIS Implementation within EPA H-l
B. Approaches for CIS Implementation H-9
C. Key Success Factors for CIS Implementation H-ll
D. Constraints on CIS Implementation H-12
III. Case Studies of CIS Implementations HI-1
- Region I ffl-1
- Region m ffl-14
- Chesapeake Bay Program ffl-28
- Region IV m-40
- Region Vn HI-53
- Region VIE HI-66
- Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory at Las Vegas ffl-80
- Environmental Research Laboratory at Corvaliis ffi-97
- National Data Processing Division, National Computer Center
at Research Triangle Park HI-111
- Oregon Clean Water Strategy m-120
Appendix A. List of Interviewees A-l
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I. INTRODUCTION
This report on Case Studies of EPA's Implementation of Geographic Information Systems
has been prepared by American Management Systems, Inc. for the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Information Resources Management (OIRM), Program
Systems Division (PSD). This work represents Deliverable 2 under Task Order Number
N4B688015 of GSA Contract Number GS-OOK-85AF-D2777. The objectives of this report are
to document current GIS applications and those under development within EPA and to identify
management, technical, staffing, and other "lessons-learned" from implementing GIS programs.
This report is part of a larger effort being undertaken by OIRM and PSD to further the
goals and objectives of EPA's GIS program, which were identified in a GIS management study
done in cooperation with the Office of Research and Development and the Office of Policy,
Planning and Evaluation. In addition to this report on GIS case studies, PSD has initiated the
following information resource management studies as part of its effort to further agency GIS
goals:
• Analysis of requirements for an EPA GIS workstation;
• Identification of EPA GIS training requirements for managers, technical staff, and
end-users and recommendation of a training curriculum to satisfy those requirements;
• Development and implementation of a pilot GIS application using ARC/INFO
software currently installed by EPA on the Washington Information Center (WIC)
PRIME.
This report updates a previous GIS case studies document produced over a year ago for
OIRM/PSD. Five sites visited for the previous document were revisited for the current report.
The current report presents a new picture of GIS at these sites, since many changes have
occurred during the past year, including acquisition of new software and hardware and new GIS
applications. These five sites are EPA Regions I, ffi, and IV, the Chesapeake Bay Program, and
the Environmental Research Laboratory at Corvallis.
Four additional sites were also visited under the current task. Case studies are presented
for these sites of EPA Regions Vn and Vffl, the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory
at Las Vegas, and the National Data Processing Division, National Computer Center at Research
Triangle Park. A case study is also included for the Oregon Clean Water Strategy, which is a
cooperative GIS project between EPA Headquarters and the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality. Interviews for all of the sites described in this document were conducted
from August through October, 1988.
This report is organized into the following major parts:
(1) Section I: Introduction
(2) Section II: Findings and Conclusions; GIS applications for the case studies are
summarized, and key success factors and constraints to the implementation of GIS are
identified.
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(3) Section m: Case Studies of CIS Implementations; A case study is presented for
each of the following sites:
Region I
Region m
Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP)
Region IV
Region Vn
Region VIE
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory at Las Vegas (EMSL-LV)
Environmental Research Laboratory at Corvallis, Oregon (ERL-C)
National Data Processing Division, National Computer Center at Research
Triangle Park (RTP)
• Oregon dean Water Strategy
Each case study is divided into the following sections:
• Executive summary
• Overview of GIS at the site, followed by descriptions of the site's current and
planned GIS applications
• Implementation issues related to the use of GIS, grouped into five topics:
Management/Communications
Data
Staffing
Software
Hardware
• Constraints
• Conclusion
(4) Appendix A: List of Interviewees
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H. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
This section presents findings and conclusions drawn from the case studies of EPA GIS
implementations. These findings and conclusions arc organized into four topics:
• Summary assessment of GIS implementation within EPA
• Approaches for GIS implementation
• Key success factors for GIS implementation
• Constraints on GIS implementation
A. Summary Assessment of GIS Implementation within EPA
EPA's use of GIS has been marked by substantial progress since the production of a
previous case studies document over a year ago. Significant activities have included the
following:
• Installation of GIS hardware and software at Regions I, m, and Vn and the forming
of GIS teams at Regions ffl, VH, and Vffl;*
• Establishment of a GIS Support Group at the National Data Processing Division at
Research Triangle Park;
• Planned GIS hardware/software installation and staffing at Regions V, Vm, and X;
• Use of GIS products and results at Agency GIS sites in support of environmental
programs and analyses.
It is this last point, i.e.t the application of GIS to support EPA programs, that underscores
the progress that has been made throughout the Agency in its use of GIS. GIS is assisting EPA
in identifying and assessing environmental problems and trends. Although some of EPA's GIS
sites are still in the pilot stage of implementing the technology, both these newer GIS sites as
well as the more experienced GIS sites have conducted analyses and generated useful products
from GIS in support of Agency programs. A few examples of this support include the following:
• Region I is identifying potential contamination sources for ground water in two river
basins with GIS and will use this information to develop wellhead protection plans.
• Region HI has also used GIS to identify sources of ground water contamination
relative to receptors, to identify and map locations of high-risk underground storage
tanks, and to develop wellhead protection plans.
• With GIS, Region IV identified and ranked which RCRA sites should be assigned to
the National Priority List as Superfund sites. Region IV is implementing a system
that will utilize GIS as a tool to target regulatory activities based on environmental
problems and risks and to determine if programs are improving environmental
quality.
GIS teams had been established at Regions I and IV at earlier dates.
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Region Vn is assisting the state of Missouri in utilizing GIS to develop an
emergency response management plan for hazardous spills that may contaminate
water supplies.
Region Vm is using GIS in conjunction with other technologies to determine the fate
and transport of the Denver Brown Cloud. With GIS, a distant smokestack was
identified as a contributor to the Brown Cloud problem.
• EMSL-LV is assisting other units in building GIS data bases for the Clark Fork River
NPL sites that will be used for many years for remedial investigation and cleanup
activities.
Both the CBP and .ERL-C use GIS extensively to support their ongoing research
activities. With GIS, the CBP has examined the relationships between habitats
required for living resources and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. ERL-C uses
GIS in its work with ecoregions for resource management
Table 1, which is presented in the following pages, summarizes the program applications of
GIS at the sites visited. Because some of the applications may support numerous activities,
either presently or in the future, only the major uses of the applications have been listed. The
applications are described in greater detail in the individual case studies of this document.
The programs for which the most GIS applications have been implemented are the water
programs, especially ground water protection. Applications done in support of the Superfund
and RCRA programs are the next most frequent, and these usually have a ground water
component involved as well.
An important next step in the implementation of GIS at EPA is the integration of GIS as a
tool in support of management decisions related to environmental policies and programs. To
date, most of the Agency's uses of GIS have focused on identification and prioritization of
environmental problems and trends. Some efforts towards using GIS as a management tool have
begun, however, such as Region IV's work on a Results/Risk Analysis and Management System
which will utilize GIS to target regulatory activities based on environmental risks and to
determine- if programs are having an impact on environmental quality. Similar systems that
support management decision-making need to be undertaken as the Agency seeks to expand its
use of GIS. Section ILD describes challenges that must be addressed and resolved as such
expansion occurs.
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Table 1
Summary of Program Applications of GIS
at Sites Visited
Site Program Applications
Region I Ground water protection
Cape Cod Aquifer Management Project
Assess risks to ground water from contaminants
Identify sites for new public wells
Develop planning scenarios for impacts to ground water quality
Ground water mapping
Identify wellhead protection areas
Map and prioritize water supplies at risk and potential
contamination sources
Radon risk assessment
• Map radon hotspots
• Identify populations at risk
• Identify priority areas for additional sampling
Bays Program
• Map discharge and samples data in Quincy Bay for
presentation at public meetings
Ozone monitoring
• Map ozone monitoring stations and areas exceeding ozone
standards for presentation at meetings
Superfund site support
Characterize extent of site problems
Identify contaminant migration routes and populations/
locations at risk
Map sites subject to legal actions (future use1)
Evaluate proposed cleanup strategies (future use)
Plan and prioritize enforcement activities (future use)
1. Future use: Uses for GIS applications that have been considered, but probably will not be done during the pBot
project.
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Region III
Ground water protection
• Map sources of contamination relative to receptors
• Identify potential vulnerability of areas to ground water
contamination
• Develop a management plan for wellhead protection
• Prioritize inspection and enforcement for underground storage
tanks (future use)
• Target and prioritize other rites (e.g., Superfund) for inspection
and enforcement (future use)
Radon evaluation
• Examine predictive value of selected variables for high radon
readings
• Identify populations at risk, and prioritize high-risk radon areas
• Identify rural areas and private wells at risk
• Effectively communicate findings to the public
Wetlands protection (planned2)
• Evaluate requests for wetlands permits
• Cumulative assessment and advanced identification
• Study and assess trends of wetlands loss
Chesapeake Bay
Pro gram
Research and analysis on the Chesapeake Bay and land conditions
impacting the Bay
• Non-point source pollution analysis
• Transform data for watershed modeling
• Identify areas for Best Management Practices (BMPs) and
evaluate BMPs' effectiveness
• Examine relationships between land use practices and water
quality
• Living resources analysis
• Study impact of water quality on living resources
- Water quality monitoring
• Integrate data from water quality monitoring program with
other analyses
2. Planned: Projects that may be implemented in the future. Ibis does not include projects that have begun and
are in the planning or scoping stage.
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Region TV
Environmental priorities initiative
• Identify and rank RCRA sites for the Superfund National
Priorities List (NPL)
Superfund site evaluation
• Map Superfund sites and wells for identifying and ranking new
NPL sites
Drinking water vulnerability
• Prioritize well inspection efforts and reduce inspection costs
Ground water protection
• Allocate inspection efforts for water contamination from
woodtreaters, and prioritize other enforcement actions
Construction grant evaluation (planned)
• Determine if construction grants and loans are being used in
problem areas and have improved water quality
Air program (planned)
• Assess adequacy of air monitoring network
• Identify pollution sources
• Analyze ambient air quality trends
Region VII
Non-point source pollution analyses
• Determine best land management practices to minimise runoff
• Effectively communicate results to farmers
Emergency response to hazardous spills
• Develop wellhead protection plan
• Develop an emergency response management plan for
hazardous spills
Ground water protection
• Map results of DRASTIC ground water vulnerability analysis
• Develop wellhead protection plan
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Prioritization of RCRA sites
• Prioritize RCRA sites on environmental hazard and quality
indices
Wetlands protection (planned)
• Prioritize inspection efforts
• Prioritize wetlands for protection
• Evaluate requests for wetlands permits
Region VTO Surface water quality assessment
• Map aquatic life use and impairment data for streams by
ecoregion, and identify patterns of impairments
• Identify attainable water quality goals to be used in resource
management strategies (future use)
Air pollution exposure assessment
Determine optimal locations for air quality monitors
Determine fate and transport of Denver Brown Cloud
Identify and locate pollution sources
Ground water protection
• Map results of DRASTIC ground water vulnerability analysis
• Identify locations of underground storage tanks
• Delineate wellhead protection areas
Superfund site evaluation
• Characterize nature and extent of site problems
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory at
Las Vegas Superfund site analysis
Characterize nature and extent of site problems for remedial
investigation
Perform macro and micro site analyses
Support monitoring activity
Assess human and environmental exposure and potential risks
from contaminants
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• Identify potential polluters through contaminant pathway
analysis
Air pollution exposure assessment
• Validate new technology for monitoring atmospheric
particulates
• Assess populations at risk from paniculate pollution
Wellhead protection
• Map results of DRASTIC ground water vulnerability analysis
• Develop wellhead protection plan
Intertidal habitat analysis
• Integrate GIS with remote sensing to assess habitat exposure
Point and non-point pollution monitoring
• Monitor nutrient contributions to pollution problems
Research
Laboratory at Corvallis Regional geography and ecoregion analysis
• Map data to assist in analytical definition of regions
• Use ecoregions as basis of resource management strategies
Direct/Delayed Response Project - Acidic deposition
• Understand long-term impacts on surface water of
continued acidic deposition
• Assess current status of and forecast acidic deposition
• Predict causes and effects of acidification
Surface water quality assessment (with Region Vffl)
• Map aquatic life use and impairment data for streams by
ecoregion, and identify patterns of impairments
• Identify attainable water quality goals to be used in resource
management strategies (future use)
National Lakes and Streams Survey
• Characterize chemical status of lakes and streams
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Ground water protection
• Map Superfund and RCRA sites in relationship to aquifers
Other research efforts
• Infer historical water quality through paleoecology research
• Examine contribution of road salt to chloride
concentrations
Research Triangle Park Ozone and air pollution research
Conduct quality assurance analyses by comparing modeled
and monitoring ozone data
Review the effectiveness of control strategies for meeting
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Evaluate the relationship of air quality data to health statistics
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B. Approaches for GIS Implementation
The current GIS programs in EPA reflect several approaches to implementing GIS.
Although all of the GIS work at a site does not fit neatly into one of these approaches, this
categorization helps to obtain a broad overview of the range of approaches to GIS
implementation. These approaches are listed below, and examples are described in the following
paragraphs.
(1) Site-specific pilot or demonstration projects
(2) Development of regional data bases
(3) Cooperative projects with states
(4) Support to ongoing programs and activities with a research orientation
(5) Projects at multiple scales of analysis
1. Site-specific Pilot or Demonstration Projects
Much of the GIS work conducted by Region I, Region ffl, and EMSL-LV consists of pilot
or demonstration projects for specific sites. These sites range in size from a small section of a
harbor to a large site consisting of four National Priority List sites and ISO river miles.
The demonstration projects conducted by EMSL-LV are typically done as a mechanism for
transferring its GIS knowledge and expertise to EPA Regions and programs. As EPA's GIS
Center of Excellence, EMSL-LV's GIS activities extend far beyond conducting demonstration
projects, as described in the case study for EMSL-LV.
2. Development of Regional Data Bases
A major emphasis of GIS work at Region IV is developing regional data bases that can be
used by multiple regional programs. Several programs, such as the Environmental Priorities
Initiative, Superfund, and Drinking Water, require the same data but use mat data from different
perspectives. By concentrating on data base development, Region IV plans to support the use of
GIS in managing regional environmental programs and in relating programs to improvements in
environmental quality.
Most of the Regions have indicated that regional GIS data bases will be developed over
time. Regions Vn and Vffl have begun initial work towards that goal. However, regional data
base development is not the overriding emphasis of current GIS work at these Regions in the
same manner that it is in Region IV.
3. Cooperative Projects with States
Region VII's GIS pilot projects are being done as cooperative efforts with the Region's
states. Formal agreements in the form of grants from Region Vn to each of its four states are
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funding the pilot projects. The projects are true cooperative efforts in which both parties share
responsibilities and work for the projects. The Oregon Clean Water Strategy is another example
of a cooperative project being done with a state.
4. Support to ongoing programs and activities with a research orientation
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) uses GIS for many tasks to support its ongoing work
with the Bay and the surrounding land. Rather than conducting enforcement and program
management activities like EPA Regions, the CBP focuses on analyses that can support the
programs of the political jurisdictions and agencies with responsibility for the Bay and its
watersheds.
As EPA's center for atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic ecological research, ERL-C also
has a research orientation in its use of GIS. Much of ERL-C's work is based on an analytical
approach focused on ecoregions. GIS is used as a tool in support of this research.
The primary goals of the RTF pilot project are tied to the major research laboratories
involved in the pilot These goals are related to air pollution modeling and monitoring,
assessment of the effectiveness of control strategies for meeting air quality standards, and an
evaluation of the relationship of air quality data to health statistics.
5. Projects at Multiple Scales of Analysis
Most of the sites have implemented GIS projects at more than one scale of analysis. For
example, Region VIH has initiated GIS pilot projects at the state, metropolitan, and site-specific
scales. In addition to their site-specific pilot projects, Regions I and m have radon projects that
may include their entire regions.
In evaluating these various approaches to GIS implementation, the GIS programs at the
EPA Regions are still too new to determine which, if any, of these approaches is the preferred
method for initiating a GIS capability. Each of the approaches has benefits if projects are done
with proper planning and are staffed by a sufficient number of skilled staff. Site-specific pilot
and demonstration projects provide an effective means for Regions to acquire GIS expertise
through projects of manageable size. Successful pilot projects produce tangible results within a
limited time frame. Through these tangible results, which may be CIS-produced maps, the
capabilities and potential of GIS are'demonstrated, which may in turn gain additional support for
using GIS with regional programs. Development of regional data bases will provide direct
support to numerous regional programs and will be required if GIS is to support program
decision-making on a broad basis throughout a Region. Region VH's cooperative projects with
its states have served to bring the states along in their use of GIS at the same time that the Region
is acquiring GIS expertise. The seed money provided by the Region's grants to the states has
also resulted in additional funds being allocated to GIS by the state legislatures.
At the CBP and ERL-C, GIS is a tool that supports the missions of those organizations.
Their approaches to the use of GIS serve then* organizations well but would not meet all of the
decision-support needs of the Regions' regulatory programs.
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C. Key Success Factors for GIS Implementation
Key factors that have
been instrumental in the
successes of GIS to date in
EPA are described in the
following paragraphs. These
success factors are also
essential as the transition is
made throughout EPA from
using GIS on a pilot basis to
using GIS as a tool that
supports management de-
cisions.
• Management commitment: The successes of GIS to date have depended on upper
management support of GIS at the deputy regional administrator and assistant regional
administrator levels as well as on support by program managers. Successful GIS implementation
requires that upper management provide the resources and support needed to initiate a GIS
capability, especially by providing a sufficient number of personnel to form a viable GIS staff.
Program management support is also a key factor. For GIS to be used ultimately as a tool'to aid
environmental programs and for environmental decision-making, program managers must fully
support the use of GIS in their programs. Such support means providing funding for projects
that are utilizing GIS, funding the acquisition of data that are required to support their GIS
applications, and allocating staff time to participate actively on GIS project teams.
• Staffing: One of the most important factors for the success of GIS is a skilled GIS
staff. The ideal GIS staff consists of a multi-disciplinary team in which the team members have
expertise in an array of environmental sciences and EPA programs. An understanding of
fundamental concepts of maps and geographical analysis is also essential, as well as general
problem-solving skills. Although some experience with computers is necessary, degrees in
computer science are not required for GIS team members. Most of the GIS sites that were
visited emphasized the importance of having a GIS staff with environmental expertise as
opposed to a staff of computer scientists.
• Agency support: GIS work within EPA has been placed on a tinner base during the
past year. This improvement has stemmed from the support given to the Regions and other GIS
programs by EPA Headquarters in terms of hardware, software, and training. Without the
hardware provided to the Regions, GIS programs could not have been established. Provision of
key peripherals, especially electrostatic plotters that produce high-quality maps, has also done
much to garner support for GIS. EPA's selection of ARC/INFO as the Agency's GIS software
of choice has simplified the process of establishing a GIS capability. By having a common GIS
software package throughout EPA, Agency expertise, processing techniques, and common
procedures can be shared more easily between Headquarters, the Regions, and the Labs. Finally,
the efforts to provide ARC/INFO training to all the Regions with GIS capabilities have helped to
increase the number of those with GIS expertise within the Agency.
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D. Constraints on GIS Implementation
Areas in which there arc constraints to the use of GIS and especially to the use of GIS as a
tool to support management decisions are described below. Because GIS has been demonstrated
within EPA to be a useful tool with broad application for helping the Agency to fulfill its
mission, these constraints should not be viewed as roadblocks to the implementation of GIS but
as challenges to be addressed as the Agency seeks to implement GIS to its fullest potential. For
each of these constraints, EPA should formulate a plan for its resolution and then provide the
necessary resources to implement the appropriate solutions. Although the recommendation of
specific solutions to these constraints is beyond the scope of this document, actions through
which EPA has already begun to address these constraints are mentioned, along with other
possible actions that should be considered.
• Spatial data: The quality of locational data in EPA's data bases is often poor.
Locational references, such as latitude and longitude coordinates, are frequently missing or are
inaccurate when present Because GIS is a spatially-based technology, the successful
implementation of GIS requires accurate and complete locational data. The need for good
locational data will become even more apparent as more programs seek to use GIS in support of
their activities. Determining accurate locations is often an expensive and time-consuming task
that may increase the cost of a project, especially if extensive field verification work must be
done.
EPA has taken a few initial steps towards addressing the problem of poor locational data,
specifically:
A spatial data policy has been drafted which, when approved as Agency policy, will
require the collection, management, and reporting of locational data and will establish
Agency roles for implementing this policy.
EMSL-LV and OIRM are conducting research on and evaluating alternative
geopositioning techniques for Agency use.
EPA's Office of Water has initiated a program to improve locational data accuracy
and coverage in the Permit Compliance System (PCS).
EPA should seek to provide sufficient funding for efforts to improve the quality of
locational data in the Agency's national data bases.
Another aspect of spatial data that is a constraining factor on using GIS is the lack of
quality indicators for spatial data and GIS products. Because GIS is a technology that can
combine data from a variety of sources, the maps produced by GIS may contain cumulative
errors that are the result of combining data with different levels of accuracy. Since EPA's
mission includes enforcement of environmental regulations, knowing the accuracy of
information used to support legal actions is of the utmost importance. Without quality indicators
for GIS products, it will be difficult, at best, to use GIS to support legal actions. Quality
indicators are also required to gauge the cost and effort required to improve the accuracy of
EPA's data bases.
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To address this problem, EMSL-LV should receive funding for research on GIS QA/QC
issues. This funding should not be tied to a specific Agency program, since the need for quality
indicators for spatial data and GIS products extends across all programs using GIS. Cooperative
efforts with academia for research and development of spatial data/GIS quality indicators should
be encouraged and supported by the Agency.
• Staffing: The need for more GIS staff is critical to the expansion of the use of GIS
throughout EPA. Many of the GIS teams at the sites visited are supporting near their maximum
workloads for GIS. Without additional staff, developing GIS data bases and applications to
support EPA programs will require too much elapsed time.
The demand for additional staff to support GIS includes the need to have program staff that
can work on GIS projects. GIS projects require that program staff serve on the project teams and
be able to devote a sufficient amount of time to the projects. The need for this type of support is
tied to the constraint described below on program management commitment
For each fiscal year, staffing needs for current and planned GIS applications should be
carefully evaluated. When inadequate staffing resources are projected, steps should be taken to
hire additional staff. This may require cooperative efforts in sharing the funding for a new FEE
position by the GIS unit and the program for whom an application will be developed. In
preparation for hiring additional staff, job descriptions and categories for GIS staff that can be
used across the Agency should be prepared so that hiring can proceed quickly when authorized.
• Program management commitment: As stated above under key success factors,
GIS must be used as a tool to support environmental programs and environmental decision-
making if it is ultimately to be successful within EPA. These uses of GIS require full
commitment to GIS from program managers. With some exceptions, which have contributed to
the successful use of GIS in the Agency, program managers within EPA are either very tentative
towards the use of GIS or do not understand how it may help their programs. On the other hand,
environmental scientists in the Agency who have been exposed to GIS are often excited about
the potential that GIS has for assisting them in their work. Application of GIS to Agency
programs needs program management support, because the participation of program staff is key
to successful GIS implementation. Program management commitment must extend beyond
financial and staff support to a clear long-term commitment to using GIS as a day-to-day
analytical decision-support tool.
In a recent document on GIS training recommendations for EPA, an Executive Briefing for
upper and mid-level managers was identified as an important pan of a training program for GIS.
Development and presentation of this Executive Briefing should proceed as one method of
educating managers on the benefits that GIS may have for their programs. As managers
understand how GIS can assist them in managing their programs and meeting their program
objectives, management commitment to supporting GIS should follow.
• Non-project specific research and development funding: GIS is a technology that
cuts across all EPA programs. Consequently, the development of advanced techniques and
preferred methods for using GIS can be of great benefit throughout the Agency. Such techniques
and approaches include data standards, quality assurance and control measures and procedures,
data base design standards and guidelines, common routines and macros to be shared among
users, new methods of applying GIS towards environmental analysis, and integrating other
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technologies, such as remote sensing, with CIS. Such research and development work needs a
separate source of funding that is not tied to specific projects or programs.
• Communications: The need to know what others within EPA are doing with CIS
was expressed by numerous individuals that were interviewed. Effective communications
between GIS teams at EPA Headquarters, the Regions, and the Labs must be established to foster
sharing of knowledge and to prevent the same errors from being made more than once. Much
useful information can be gained from the experiences of others who have worked with the same
data sets or who have implemented GIS applications in support of the same programs at different
sites. This report on GIS case studies is one mechanism initiated by EPA Headquarters to
support communication on GIS applications within the Agency. As recommended in the
document "EPA Training Recommendations for Geographic Information Systems," a
mechanism should be developed for effective GIS technology transfer, so that others in EPA can
take advantage of the knowledge gained by the Agency's more experienced GIS users, including
EMSL-LV, ERL-C, Region IV, and NDPD.
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CCAMP
Ground Water Mapping
Toxici
V\Sue«m/'X" J?^
Radon Evaluation
Quincy Bay
Spatial Data
High-Quality
Map
Ozone
Plot Monitoring
Locations
Presentation
Map
Superfund
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
GIS at Region I has been implemented successfully in support of several
pilot projects. These projects have utilized CIS-produced maps as tools to
assist engineers, scientists and managers to visualize environmental data.
The planned completion of a pilot project in ground water protection in
December, 1988 has enabled Region I to take the first steps towards the
application of GIS as a day-to-day tool in support of ongoing environmental
programs.
The following programs are being conducted or planned at Region I:
CCAMP - As part of the Cape Cod Aquifer Management Project, GIS
was used to assess environmental risks to ground water, to determine
new sites for public wells, and as a planning tool for development of
ground water protection scenarios.
GROUND WATER MAPPING - GIS is being used to visualize ground
water environmental characteristics and potential contamination
sources and to identify hazardous waste sites in wellhead protection
areas.
RADON EVALUATION - High-risk radon areas will be identified with
GIS, and correlations between those high-risk areas and bedrock
geology will be examined.
QUINCY BAY - A high-quality map of various environmental attributes
of Quincy Bay was produced for presentation at public meetings.
OZONE - The locations of forty ozone monitoring stations situated
throughout the region will be mapped with GIS.
SUPERFUND - This pilot consists of several planned projects in which
GIS could assist in environmental analysis and the planning and
prioritizing of enforcement activities.
Region I's GIS work has depended upon four key factors:
o Continual efforts of Region I's Information Management Branch in
communicating the usefulness of GIS;
o Support of program management in some areas;
o A GIS team staffed by systems and graphics experts; and
o Help from states in terms of their ARC/INFO expertise and data
sharing.
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m-3
CIS at Region I
As part of the Planning and Management
Division, Region I's Information Management
Branch (1MB) has been supporting regional
program data integration needs, including
various types of geographical analysis, for
many years. During the past year Region I's
1MB implemented GIS at the pilot level. The
recognition by program managers that GIS
maps are powerful communications tools has
stimulated Region I's GIS work. Further
adoption of GIS as a day-to-day tool will
depend, in part, on program managers'
recognition that GIS can be used to enhance
data quality and to support program decision-
making.
Region I began its entry into GIS by using
the ARC/INFO system located at the USGS
District Office. In December, 1987 Region I
acquired its own ARC/INFO software and
installed it on a PRIME 2755. Since that time
additional peripherals, including graphics
terminals, a digitizer, and a plotter have been
acquired. Region I's GIS staff consists of two
EPA staff members and three Computer
Science Corporation contractors.
The six GIS pilot projects of Region I are
described in the following sections.
CCAMP
Region I has almost completed work on
the Cape Cod Aquifer Management Project
(CCAMP), which has examined existing
groundwater protection programs at the
federal, state, regional and local levels of
government. The project has been a
collaborative effort between Region I, the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Quality Engineering, the U.S. Geological
Survey and the Cape Cod Planning and
Economic Development Commission.
Initially, CCAMP participants selected a
series of ground water management issues to
be examined and set up three specialized work
groups to focus on these issues. The work
groups, consisting of an Aquifer Assessment
Group, a Data Management Group, and an
Institutions Group, were concerned with
development of scientific understanding of the
aquifer, management of data pertaining to the
aquifer, and analysis of institutional
arrangements to govern use and abuse of the
ground water resource, respectively.
GIS has been the springboard for the
identification of appropriate data sets,
collection of new data, and extensive quality
control/quality assurance of acquired data sets
for CCAMP. 'Base' maps were generated
from an assemblage of digital data including:
- primary transportation routes
- town boundaries
- well locations
- aggregated land use (commercial,
residential)
- water-table contours
- groundwater flow lines
The risk to the quality of groundwater
near existing and planned public water-supply
sites has been assessed by overlaying ground
water and well data with data for possible
sources of contamination. Contaminant data
include:
(1) Underground Storage Tanks (UST).
Attribute data desirable for analysis include
number, volume, age, material, content, and
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m-4
location by land parcel.
(2) Toxic and Hazardous-Material Sites.
Regulated facilities, location by parcel,
volume, character of material, and known
contamination extent
(3) Waste Water. Municipal sewage-
disposal sites, ground water discharge sites,
sewered/unsewered areas, feed lots, known
septic systems.
(4) Road Salt Salt storage areas, volume,
type of cover (shed, plastic, no cover), road
application rates (if available).
CIS was used in CCAMP to determine
new sites for public wells in the towns of
Barnstable and Eastham. Based on land use
data, requirements were defined for locating
well sites, and a series of overlays were
developed. Only two possible well sites were
identified.
CIS was also used to help local officials
predict which underground storage tanks
(UST) pose the greatest risk to public wells.
Utilizing a USGS model of leaking
underground storage tank (LUST) dispersion
and well risk, factors such as UST
composition, UST age, and ground water flow
patterns were entered into the CIS. The
resulting area of contaminant contribution was
then delineated and referenced to well
locations. This CIS application clearly
demonstrated the utility of CIS in assisting
officials to prioritize management of UST
risks and potential hazards.
CCAMP was Region I's first CIS project
and was considered to be a valuable learning
experience. Indeed, the main purpose behind
Region I's involvement in CCAMP was to
gain experience in CIS. The benefits derived
from this project include:
(1) Use of CIS as a planning tool for the
development of risk scenarios by the Cape
Cod Planning and Economic Development
Commission.
(2) The assimilation of dispersed and non-
standardized environmental data from
numerous agencies into a uniform, accessible
database.
(3) Development of a data base with
extensive QA/QC.
(4) Demonstration of the utility of using
CIS for developing Wellhead Protection plans
and understanding relevant issues.
(5) Region I's belief that the development
of the GIS will assist future modeling efforts,
ground water risk assessments, and support
State environmental management programs.
Ground Water Mapping
Toxics Wdl
Region I's second largest GIS project
after CCAMP is its Ground Water Mapping
Project for Rhode Island's Branch River Basin
and southern New Hampshire's river basin
near Nashau. The study is examining the
relationship between ground water/surface
water resources and their potential
contamination from sites such as:
- Superfund
- RCRA
- Waste water treatment plants
• Salt storage
- Underground storage tanks
- Auto salvage yards
The objectives of this project are to:
(1) Identify wellhead protection areas. By
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ffl-5
highlighting facilities for hazardous wastes in
wellhead protection areas, this information
can be presented to local officials for planning
purposes.
(2) Present data on one map. By showing
sources and affected areas on one map, the
information can be communicated easily.
GIS is used in this project to visualize
various parameters (i.e., waste volume, waste
toxicity, distance to underground drinking
water, etc.) that are input to the Superfund
Program's Hazard Ranking System to make
up a hazardous waste site "score". This will
enable programmatic staff to prioritize and
rank hazardous sites throughout Region I, and
has helped them attempt to reach their goal of
more accurately mapping the hazardous sites.
Base data layers obtained include:
- Hydrography
- Aquifers
- Cultural boundaries
- Administrative boundaries
- Roads
. Surface water basin/sub-basin
boundaries
- Ground water/surface water monitoring
sites
The Ground Water Mapping Project is
expected to finish by December, 1988, after
which more basins may be studied. Region I
considers this project to be successful and
believes it may be the first project to move
from pilot stage to production.
Radon Evaluation
Region I's Air Division is conducting a
GIS pilot project that will identify potential
high-risk radon areas. The project will both
map sample radon values and investigate the
correlation between geology and radon air
data. The data layers have not yet been
overlayed, as the Air Division is still
determining what other information is needed,
and deciding on the best method for
performing the analysis.
Region I's objectives for the project are as
follows:
(1) Create maps to show radon hotspots.
(2) Determine health risks by analyzing radon
data with population data.
(3) Statistically determine where more radon
samples should be taken.
(4) Input radon data by town instead of by
rip-code. More exact latitude/longitude
location data can be determined from town
names than from rip-code areas. Towns,
therefore, will reflect more accurate locations
of radon samples.
Region I believes the most beneficial
contribution of the radon GIS project is that
information can be given to the states, which
can then focus resources on their largest and
most critical radon areas. By comparing low-
income areas with radon data, areas that may
need government assistance to correct radon
problems may be identified.
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m-6
Quincy Bay
Spatial Data
High-Quality
Map
For the Water Division's Bays Program,
Region I conducted a GIS mapping project for
Quincy Bay, which is a small section of
Boston Harbor. The Bays Program asked for
a map of sample data from Quincy Bay of:
- Emergency discharge/combined
sewer overflow;
- Sludge discharge;
- Effluent discharge; and
- Oyster, lobster, clam and flounder
samples.
The goal of this project was to produce a
high-quality 1:25,000 scale map which
contained these data and could be presented at
public meetings. Region I can use the map
and sample data for many years and regards
this information as being of great use towards
future work in Boston Harbor.
Ozone
Plot Monitoring
Locations
Presentation
Map
Region I is just beginning a pilot project
that will use GIS to plot the location of forty
ozone monitoring stations located throughout
the Region. The Region's managers can then
use the GIS map at presentations to show the
locations where ozone levels exceed the
standard set by EPA. Presently, base maps
are being assembled from data provided by
other sources, and the GIS staff is attempting
to secure latitude/longitude data of the ozone
monitoring stations.
The project is considered to be a relatively
straightfoward mapping effort at the present
time. There is, however, interest in using the
GIS to do modeling, perhaps incorporating
dynamic changes into the models.
Superfund
GIS is viewed as a tool that has great
potential for assisting several Region I
Superfund projects that are still in the
planning stage:
(1) New Bedford Harbor Superfund Site -
Large electronic firms have dumped great
quantities of PCB's into the harbor, creating a
pollution problem that may require as much as
$200,000,000 to clean up. Since much data
has been collected by contractors to determine
cleanup stratagies, GIS could be used to map
this data, and lawyers could then use these
GIS maps in court cases. In addition, GIS
could assist in evaluating the proposed
cleanup strategies, as well as do analysis when
corrective action does begin.
(2) Old Southington Landfill - This effort
was conceived as an EPA GIS demonstration
project that addressed such issues as:
- Site characterization;
- Potential routes of contaminant
migration; and
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m-7
- Populations and environments
potentially affected.
Region I's Superfund staff are now
interested in using GIS as a day-to-day tool
for the Old Southington Landfill Project
However, due to the demonstration nature of
the project, necessary sections of the data base
(i.e., ground water monitoring information)
were never developed. Region I believes that
if these sections of the data base are developed
it will provide important information for
Superfund site management and decision-
making.
(3) The Waste Division believes GIS could be
used internally to plan and prioritize
enforcement activities for Superfund and
RCRA sites.
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m-8
Implementation Issues
w
Management!
Communications
Three important factors have contributed to the successful implementation of GIS at Region
I:
(1) The support of program management in some areas (i.e., Water Division) has been
instrumental in implementing GIS. Their support was developed through the continual efforts of
1MB management, who saw the usefulness of GIS as a decision-making tool.
(2) Region I was able to utilize USGS GIS expertise for its first GIS project USGS guidance in
CCAMP provided Region I the opportunity to gain valuable GIS experience.
(3) GIS and ARC/INFO are successfully used by the Region I states, and there is an active
ARC/INFO users group in New England. These were factors in creating support for the
acquisition of ARC/INFO at Region I, as well as providing Region I with expertise helpful in
getting started with GIS.
GIS is perceived by Region I's 1MB to be a powerful communications tool. With its ability
to visualize information, GIS makes tasks such as site prioritization much easier to accomplish
than by working with tabular representation of the data alone. Moreover, applications such as
the Ground Water Mapping Project and the Quincy Bay Project demonstrate how basic mapping
products prepared with the GIS can effectively be used as presentation products, readily
accessible by local officials for their decision-making purposes.
Region I expressed concern about the user's perception of GIS maps. Program staff believe
that some users might think of the maps as highly accurate, authoritative sources of information.
Without knowledge of the accuracy of the data from which the maps were compiled, there is a
possibility of inadvertently circulating inaccurate data. Region I program staff recommend that
this potential problem can be minimized by verifying the accuracy of the data as it is input into
the database.
Region I's 1MB also expressed concern about the expense of operating a GIS. Although
Region I management generally regards GIS as a useful communications tool, and is beginning
to recognize the analytical value of GIS, it is, however, an expensive technology and there are
concerns as to whether it can be afforded.
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m-9
A project management factor crucial to the success of a GIS project is focusing on the goals
and objectives of that project In Region I's experience, scientists may want to obtain all possi-
ble data related to their project If project objectives are not clearly defined, the time-consuming
data ollection phase may extend longer than necessary. By focusing on clearly-stated project
goals, efforts can be directed towards collecting the data needed to meet those goals.
Region I's 1MB believes that the key to future GIS success at Region I is sustaining interest
in GIS. If a sustaining project was found that could provide enough resources to keep the GIS
staff funded, then this would give the staff a solid basis on which to grow, during which time the
Region's GIS expertise could be built up.
Data
Region I obtains much of its data through informal data sharing arrangements. The fact that
ARC/INFO is used extensively throughout Region I's states enables the Region and states to
share data easily. Although informal data sharing has worked much better than formal arrange-
ments would, the states may be reluctant to continue informal data sharing in the future as they
fund the development of expensive data bases.
Data sets acquired by Region I include:
POINT COVERAGES
- Underground storage tanks
- Regulated facilities
- Public water-supply wells
- Hazardous waste disposal sites
- Municipal sewage disposal discharge
- Road salt piles
- Public water-supply test sites
- Spills and leaks (SPOT)
- Geographic names
LINE COVERAGES
- Primary transportation routes
- Water-table contours
- Ground water flow paths
- Town boundaries
- Hydrography (ponds, wetlands)
- 'DRASTIC' contours
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m-io
POLYGON COVERAGES
- Bamstable zone of contribution (ZOC)
- Landuse, aggregated parcel level or better
- Zoning from Cape Cod Planning and Economic Development Commission
- Public water-supply service areas
- Planned growth zones (proposed changes)
- Planned water-supply ZOC's
• Known contamination plumes in aquifer
- Sewered service areas
- Seasonal-use areas
Region I staff expressed dismay that locational data in EPA data bases are often non-existent
or of such poor quality that the information cannot be used with any reliability. Since the
effectiveness of GIS requires comprehensive locational data to be included in a data base, EPA's
poor locational data are regarded as the biggest constraint to Region I's GIS implementation.
Region I would like to devote more time to data base quality assurance/quality control.
Documentation is considered an important pan of data base development work, and documenting
the quality of data bases is a top priority. Furthermore, Region I believes that data standards and
quality control will only become meaningful and operational by working with real GIS
applications.
CCAMP pointed out the difficulties of working with large-scale parcel maps. The quality of
data collected by different assessors varied considerably, and Region I had no knowledge of the
standards employed by each assessor. Consequently, work at such a large scale of analysis with
numerous sources of parcel data requires more work in verifying the quality of data.
Staffing
ijijSSSSS: .'.': :
The core GIS team in Region I consists of five individuals, each performing a specific GIS
function. The Regional GIS Application Manager supplies hardware and software tools to GIS
users, helps users to apply GIS technology to specific site problems, and conducts file
management activities. The Region's Technical Manager is the team's graphics expert and
manages the PRIME Computer. The CSC contractors consist of an Operations Manager who
conducts internal data processing activities, while the other two contractors are responsible for
data research, overseeing cartographic work, applying standards to digital and cartographic plots,
and conducting CAD/CAM activities. Region I considers the systems and graphics expertise of
this team to be a critical success factor in the implementation of its GIS.
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m-ii
CIS staff and environmental scientists at Region I have distinct, separate roles. ARC/INFO
is considered too complicated, with its four hundred commands, for the environmental scientists
to become experts in its use. ARC/INFO requires constant use to develop expertise, and envi-
ronmental scientists are much too busy with other responsibilities. Providing such expertise is
the function of Region I's CIS staff. Moreover, a "lesson-learned" in Region I from pilot
projects is mat "dabbling" in GIS does not prove successful. Two commitments are necessary:
(1) The GIS staff must work with GIS daily, not just on an occasional basis, to acquire the
necessary expertise to support the technology.
(2) Program staff working with GIS projects must be able to commit at least one third of their
time to a GIS project
The technology transfer required between the GIS staff and the environmental scientists is an
issue Region I is presently evaluating. Environmental scientists need to know GIS and
ARC/INFO as well as EPA regulatory programs. An example of this need for technology
transfer occurred during Region I's Ground Water Mapping Project Environmental scientists
did not understand the complexities and effort involved in changing GIS base coverages for the
Branch River Basin, RI, so they requested that its boundaries be changed several times. This
created extra work that may have been avoided if the scientists had known earlier in the project
the implications of such changes and the importance of getting accurate base coverages.
Region I's 1MB management expressed the opinion that EPA may be evolving in its use of
data — from managing systems that collect and maintain data to a more active role by program
staff in their use of the data. As program staff become more involved in working with data to
support their activities and make decisions, the following resources will be required:
(1) Environmental scientists that know enough about GIS to use tools, such as macros,
developed for their benefit
(2) Technology transfer (training) for environmental scientists.
(3) Sufficient staff resources so environmental scientists working with GIS have enough time to
devote to their projects. A workable staffing arrangement for a GIS project requires that at least
one third of the scientist's time be spent on the project
(4) Sufficient GIS staff to write macros, user-friendly interfaces, and provide support so
environmental scientists can work with the data.
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m-i2
Software
ARC/INFO was installed at Region I in December, 1987 and is viewed as a successful GIS
package. Presently, Region I is writing ARC/INFO macros to help the GIS operations staff
perform various GIS activities (i.e., plotting, editing). The macros help the operations staff
perform the tasks more efficiently, and reduce the chances of tying up the system due to errors
incurred while performing these operations.
The program staff expressed interest in using macros as well. They desire the GIS to be
more user-friendly so that they may be able to experiment with the system more often. Region I
hopes to develop macros for the program staff in the near future.
All of ARC/INFO's modules are utilized by the GIS team with the exception of NETWORK
and COGO. The only constraint they have experienced with ARC/INFO is that map display may
occasionally be time-consuming (i.e., 10 - 15 minutes per display), depending on how many
people are using the PRIME computer. This slowness may be a combination of ARC/INFO and
the PRIME 2755, and modifications to the hardware are expected to improve this condition.
The GIS staff has had much success using ARC/INFO's LIBRARY function (which allows
for efficient data maintenance and organization) in their small scale DLG applications. They
have great regard for LIBRARY'S ability to pull out various pieces of the data base, as well as
analyze and map these pieces individually.
Hardware
As shown in Figure 1, Region I's current hardware configuration consists of a PRIME 2755
CPU, Tektronix graphics terminals, a Calcomp digitizer and electrostatic plotter, and other
supporting peripherals.
The PRIME slows down considerably when it simultaneously supports four GIS users. The
Calcomp electrostatic plotter produces high-quality maps and is much faster than a pen plotter.
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ffl-13
Constraints
Several constraints are seen as impacting future GIS work in Region I:
(1) Locational data in EPA data bases are often poor: A major benefit of GIS is providing
maps of various sites of interest (i.e., wells, hazardous waste sites, etc.) to EPA programs and
showing the relative location of these various sites to each other. However, the lack of locational
data (or the poor quality of much existing data) constrain this effort. Poor or missing locational
data is considered the biggest barrier to Region I's GIS implementation. Acquiring the accurate
locational data will require an extensive, time-consuming effort, but will be a worthwhile one for
the future.
(2) Need to sustain interest in GIS: Region I's 1MB needs to find a sustainable GIS project
that could fully secure upper management support, even through transition years or budget
cutbacks. This project would create a stable base upon which Region I's GIS expertise could be
built
(3) Need for additional GIS staff to support program staff: Program staff do not have much
ARC/INFO expertise and must rely on the GIS staff to support their programs. The program
staff, however, believe the GIS team lacks the manpower to handle all of their requests for
processing data. For instance, several program staff members have a long list of GIS tasks they
would like to have accomplished, but since they regard the GIS staff as being too busy with
current assignments, only a fraction of the GIS tasks are requested.
(4) Need for recurrent training of GIS staff: Region I's 1MB would like to see resources
become available to support the continued development of the GIS staff. It is recommended that
for the training program to be successful, it must be accomplished on-site for a brief period (2-3
days) and only cost several hundred dollars per session.
Conclusion
GIS at Region I has been successfully implemented in several pilot projects. This success
has been due to the continual efforts of Region I's 1MB in communicating the usefulness of GIS,
and the resulting support of Region I's program management Other important factors include a
talented GIS team with system and graphics expertise, USGS guidance in Region I's initial GIS
project, and the help of Region I's states in terms of then- ARC/INFO expertise and data sharing.
The continued evolution of GIS from pilot stage to production, however, will require better
locational data in EPA data bases and more resources/manpower for Region I's GIS staff.
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Figure 1
Overview of Region IGIS
and Related Computer Systems
Tektronix 4014
Tektronix 4016
PRIME 2755
Tektronix 4207
A- \
Calcomp
9100 Digitizer
PC with Tgraph-
to emulate Tektronix
Calcomp 5835
Electrostatic Plotter
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in-14
GIS Pilot Projects
Ground Water Protection
Tnxicj. „ WeU
*s
*.
Radon Evaluation
Wetlands Protection
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m-is
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Although Region m is in the pilot stage of GIS implementation, the
region's GIS work to date has been successful and has the potential of
becoming an integral part of program activities. Efforts in late 1987
and early 1988 were directed towards acquiring GIS hardware and
software and hiring a GIS staff. With the planned completion of a pilot
project in ground water protection in the fall of 1988, the first steps
have been taken towards using GIS as a tool to support management
decisions in ground water protection. The successful completion of
projects in other divisions is required to incorporate GIS into the
decision-making process of those divisions.
The following GIS pilot projects are being conducted or planned at
Region HI:
GROUND WATER PROTECTION - For New Castle County,
Delaware, GIS is being used to identify potential sources of
ground water contamination and to delineate wellhead protection
areas. Future work will assist in prioritizing inspection and
enforcement actions to protect ground water. A second ground
water project, which is a cooperative effort with Temple
University, is utilizing GIS to identify and prioritize "hotspots" in
the Region with the greatest ground water contamination risks.
RADON EVALUATION - A planned pilot project will identify and
prioritize high-risk radon areas and will investigate relationships
for predicting high-risk areas.
WETLANDS PROTECTION - GIS will support the evaluation of
permits for filling or dredging wetlands in a planned pilot
Region Ill's GIS work has depended upon the following key
factors:
o Support of upper management and program management
o Environmental scientists with an understanding of GIS who
can devote sufficient time to GIS projects
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m-i6
CIS at Region III
During the past year CIS has been
implemented at the pilot level in Region m.
Initial activities have included the installation
of hardware and software and the formation of
a CIS support team. The first pilot project,
which was scheduled for completion in the fall
of 1988, has demonstrated the feasibility of
using CIS as a tool to make management
decisions related to ground water protection.
Other pilot projects on radon and wetlands
protection are in the planning stage.
Region Hi's entry into GIS occurred with
delivery of its PRIME 2755 and ARC/INFO in
December, 1987. Since that time additional
peripherals, including graphics terminals, a
digitizer, and plotters have been acquired. A
GIS staff, which originally consisted of three
Computer Science Corporation contractors,
was formed in the Information Resources
Management Branch. In October, 1988, an
EPA staff member joined the GIS group to
complete its initial staffing level. ARC/INFO
training for all four staff members occurred
during the spring of 1988.
Region ffl's GIS pilot projects are
described in the following sections.
Ground Water Protection
WeD
The Ground Water Protection Section has
initiated two GIS pilot projects to demonstrate
how GIS could be used as a tool to support
management decision-making for ground
water protection. The first project has used
New Castle County, Delaware, as a case study
area, whereas the second project is being
conducted as a cooperative effort with Temple
University.
New Castle County Pilot Project
The New Castle County Pilot has shown
the utility of using GIS in the area of ground
water protection. Examples of decisions that
may be supported by the pilot and by further
analyses of data collected during the project
include the following:
(1) Delineate boundaries of wellhead
protection areas, and assist New Castle
County in developing a management plan for
wellhead protection.
(2) Assist the Underground Storage Tank
Section in prioritizing inspection and
enforcement actions for underground storage
tanks (USTs).
(3) Identify other "environmental
hotspots", and target these sites for
enforcement actions (e.g., Superfund sites
near wellhead protection or recharge
protection areas).
The possibility of using GIS as a tool for
geographic targeting of sites for enforcement
action has generated much interest in the
Ground Water Protection and Underground
Storage Tank Sections. By using GIS to
prioritize inspection and enforcement actions,
limited resources could be applied to the most
critical problems.
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ffl-17
The New Castle County pilot was begun
in May, 1988, and was scheduled for
completion during the fall of 1988. A
contributing factor in selecting New Castle
County as a pilot site was that the county had
already collected 77 data layers in its ARIES
GIS. However, only one of these data layers
was used for the pilot project Approximately
two man-months were required to convert the
ARIES data to an ARC/INFO format
The first two months of the pilot were
spent obtaining data from New Castle County
and other agencies, such as USGS, and
converting data into ARC/INFO coverages.
Types of data gathered or to be obtained later
include:
Locations of CERCLA and RCRA sites
Locations of NPDES major dischargers
Locations of high-risk USTs
Location of Public Water Supply (PWS)
wells
Locations of PWS surface water intakes
Recharge areas
Aquifers
Hydrology
Land use
Soils
Slope
Political boundaries
Tasks to be completed for the pilot that
will be of jpiTni'/Katft benefit to New Castle
County are as follows:
(1) Identify sources of ground water
contamination relative to receptors. This has
been accomplished by mapping recharge
protection areas, PWS wells, CERCLA and
RCRA sites, NPDES major dischargers, and
USTs which are fifteen or more years old.
Preliminary wellhead protection areas were
identified as two-mile buffers around PWS
wells. For mapping the UST locations,
Region HI used the NETWORK module of
ARC/INFO to match UST addresses to the
road network from the 1980 Census DIME
file.
(2) Identify the potential vulnerability of
county areas to ground water contamination.
This will involve looking at both the
vulnerability of wells to contamination and the
relative degree of hazard of sources of
contamination. The DRASTIC index, which
is a ground water vulnerability index, will be
used with this task.
(3) Select the highest third of the
DRASTIC values, and identify which areas
have the selected level of ground water
vulnerability.
These tasks will lead to the identification
and prioritization of PWS areas with the
greatest risk for contamination.
The New Castle County pilot project will
serve as the springboard for much additional
work in the area of ground water protection.
Specific efforts for New Castle County will be
based on the extensive ARC/INFO data base
for the county that is being created as part of
the pilot project Since the number of
potential tasks is very large, the following
tasks are listed as only a few examples of
projected future work:
(1) As stated above, Region ffl will assist
New Castle County in developing a
management plan for wellhead protection.
Various ground water models will be used to
delineate wellhead protection areas. This
modeling task is projected to begin following
completion of the pilot
(2) The locations of high-risk USTs may
be mapped with GIS for other areas in Region
m. Automating the mapping of UST
locations would save months of effort
(3) GIS can be used to target and
prioritize sites for inspection, enforcement
and cleanup efforts. An example of this
involves the requirement to prioritize these
efforts for underground storage tanks in the
next three years. With GIS, all high-risk tanks
within a quarter mile of wellhead protection
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rn-is
areas could be identified. These sites would
be prioritized for inspection and enforcement
actions.
(4) The work with New Castle County has
already been used to demonstrate to Delaware
and to other states in Region IE the utility of
CIS in establishing wellhead protection plans.
Delaware will be able to use the New Castle
County work as a basis for developing a state-
wide management plan for wellhead
protection. Projects similar to the New Castle
County work are planned for Anne Arundel
County, Maryland, and Jefferson County,
West Virginia. Both of these projects will be
cooperative efforts involving Region HI and
state and local agencies. With CIS, Region ffl
will be able to provide assistance to the states
in developing wellhead protection plans.
(5) The states are required to develop
management plans for protecting ground water
from pesticides. Region m will also be able
to assist the states in this effort by using CIS
to identify both areas with high potential for
ground water contamination from pesticides
and populations at risk from pesticides in
drinking water.
Temple University Cooperative Project
The Ground Water Protection Section at
Region m and th Laboratory for Geographic
Information Systems, College of Engineering
and Computer Science, Temple University are
conducting a cooperative GIS project with the
following objectives:
(1) Identify areas in Region ID that are
most susceptible to ground water
contamination.
(2) Identify the Region's major sources of
ground water contamination.
(3) Prioritize the Region's ground water
supplies in terms of vulnerability to
contamination and risk to affected users.
Through this work, Region m plans to
prioritize ground water problems and obtain a
broad view of ground water contamination
"hotspots" throughout the Region. The
Region's resources can then be allocated to
the highest priority areas for more detailed
subregional analyses.
In addition to providing grant funds to
meet the project's costs, Region ffl's
responsibilities in the cooperative project are
to formulate research objectives, work with
the Temple University GIS Lab to design a
research procedure, provide data, assist the
GIS Lab in using constructed GIS programs,
and evaluate project results. The Temple
University GIS Lab will design the research
procedure with Region ffl's assistance, build
the GIS data base, and construct and run the
GIS programs needed to address the project's
objectives. Temple University's ARC/INFO
system will be used for building the GIS. At
the completion of the project, the GIS data
base and programs will transferred to Region
m.
The types of data required for the Temple
University project are similar to the types used
in the New Castle County project The data
that Region m plans to provide to Temple
University include:
Locations of CERCLA and RCRA sites
Locations of NPDES major dischargers
Number of USTs per county
Locations of PWS wells and surface water
intakes
Identification of PWSs using ground
water that violates maximum
contaminant levels
Hydrology
Political boundaries
Land use and land cover
Number of ground water contamination
incidents per county
Per county DRASTIC evaluations
Population dependency on ground water
per county
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m-i9
The Temple University project will also
benefit from the experience of the New Castle
County project in mapping UST locations
with the address matching capabilities of
ARC/INFO's NETWORK module. Because
this process was so successful for the New
Castle County effort, a similar procedure may
be done to map USTs in major metropolitan
areas throughout Region HI.
The Temple University project is a good
example of a cooperative effort between an
EPA Region and a university in which both
parties gain from a joint project. The
cooperative effort has provided to Region El
the external manpower needed for another
GIS project Temple University has benefited
from the grant that provides financial support
and experience with a real-world GIS
application for its students.
Radon Evaluation
The Special Programs Section of the Air
Programs Branch is in the planning stage of a
GIS pilot project to identify and rank potential
high-risk radon areas. The Special Programs
Section has previously undertaken other radon
studies in which house samples of radon levels
have been mapped. The pilot project will go
beyond mapping radon sample values by
investigating the relationships between several
variables and exploring possibilities for
predicting potential high-risk radon areas. It
is anticipated that the pilot will focus on areas
in Maryland first, followed by Virginia.
Data to be collected for the pilot project
include:
Digital National Uranium Radiometric
Evaluation (NURE) data available from
USGS
House radon samples
Private well-water samples
Digitized base maps with topographic,
geologic, and hydrologic data
Digitized political boundaries
Census tract population data
News media listener/viewer/reader areas
House radon sample data for the Section's
previous work have been obtained through
arrangements in which commercial radon
monitoring firms have given copies of their
data to Region m. One set of such data was
obtained through a home radon testing
program initiated by WJLA TV of
Washington, D.C. As more home tests are
conducted, the data will be given to Region
m.
Analyses for the pilot will address several
project objectives, including those listed
below:
(1) Compare NURE, geologic, indoor
radon, and private well-water data to
determine the extent of correlation of radon
values with other variables.
(2) Determine if NURE and/or geologic
data are useful for predicting potential high-
risk radon areas.
(3) Prioritize geologic units in counties on
the potential of a high radon risk, and
determine if erosion has produced sediment
deposits that result in high radon areas.
(4) Prioritize high-risk radon areas based
on population and radon data.
(5) Identify rural areas with high and low
radon risks.
(6) Identify possible areas where private
well-water may be contaminated by high
radon levels.
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m-20
(7) Explore whether occurrences of radon
in private well-water can be predicted by well
depth and location.
In addition to the research and risk
identification orientation of these pilot
objectives, the Special Programs Section is
also concerned about effectively
communicating the results of this work to the
public. GIS-produced maps will be one
means by which the results will be
communicated With the incorporation of
news viewer/listener/reader areas in the
ARC/INFO data base, analyses can be done to
determine the best media for reaching various
populations at risk in high radon areas.
Wetlands Protection
The Wetlands and Marine Policy Section
views CIS as a tool that has great potential for
assisting in wetlands protection work. A
primary use of CIS would be for evaluating
permits related to wetlands, such as permits
for filling or dredging. By using CIS to assist
in making recommendations on wetlands
permits, CIS would be incorporated into the
decision-making process for wetlands
protection.
Linking CIS and expert systems in the
permit evaluation process has also been
considered Expert systems technology would
be used to guide an analyst through questions
asked in evaluating a permit, while the GIS
would store data and perform spatial analyses
based on questions that were asked
and advanced identification of wetlands.
Trends of wetlands loss in a watershed over
time could be studied and assessments made
of the impacts of such losses.
The biggest barrier to these GIS
applications is collecting the large amount of
data required for wetlands analysis. Types of
data that should be part of a wetlands data
base include:
Hydrology
Ground water
Aquifers
Wells
Recharge areas
Watershed boundaries
Wetlands locations, size, classification
Topography
Land use
Soils
Parks
Historical sites
Critical areas
Furthermore, the data need to be collected
is at a very large scale for some wetlands
analyses, perhaps at 1:6,000 or larger. The
largest scale readily available for much data is
1:24,000.
To avoid a large data collection effort for
a pilot project, the Wetlands and Marine
Protection Section would like to identify a
pilot area where data have already been
collected. A potential candidate area is the
Elizabeth River watershed, for which USGS
has developed an extensive data base for a
joint USGS/EPA project. Region III may
select a sub-watershed within this area for a
pilot project on evaluation of wetlands
permits. Although the scale of some of the
data collected for the Elizabeth River
watershed may not be as large as desired, the
data may be adequate for a pilot project.
In addition to permit evaluation, GIS
could be used in the cumulative assessment
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m-2i
Implementation Issues
Management!
Communications
Both the GIS staff and program staff in Region HI emphasized the need for upper
management support if GIS is to be fully implemented in the region in support of agency
programs. To date, GIS has received support that should continue if the pilot projects are
successful and demonstrate that GIS can save time and money vis-a-vis the enhanced analytical
capabilities that it provides. Successful pilot projects will also prove the utility of GIS to the
program divisions and will be crucial in getting more staff and resources to support a larger GIS
operation in the future.
An important factor in ensuring the success of a pilot project is to have a management plan
that clearly states the pilot's objectives, the data required, and analyses to be done. Such a plan
helps to focus the time and resources invested in the pilot The Ground Water Protection Section
assessed the relative costs and benefits of GIS to various management decisions and applications,
an activity which helped to focus the direction of the New Castle County pilot A detailed action
plan, which addressed the tasks of every stage of the pilot, was then constructed and served as a
guide throughout the project
A general understanding of GIS throughout the Ground Water Protection Section has aided
the program staff working on the New Castle County pilot Because the pilot occasionally has
required the assistance of staff who are not assigned to the project, cooperation among the
section staff has been important to the pilot's success. The high level of cooperation that has
been demonstrated has been attributed to the general level of understanding, interest and
excitement about GIS in the section.
Concern about communication among EPA headquarters, regions, states, and counties
involved with GIS was expressed. There is a need for staff at these various levels to know what
others are doing with GIS and especially to know what data are available through other offices.
Program staff, as well as the GIS staff, emphasized this need for communication. Program staff
also were concerned that some information from EPA headquarters regarding GIS may not filter
down to them.
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Data
The biggest challenge encountered by program staff for the region's pilot projects is finding
high-quality digitized data. In many cases either data are not available at required scales, or the
quality of available data is questionable. A contributing factor in selecting New Castle County
as the study area for the ground water protection pilot was the existence of a digital data base.
The largest constraint for the radon pilot is that geological data being digitized by USGS will not
be available for one or two years. The wetlands protection pilot requires many types of data at
relatively large scales. Although a data base for the Elizabeth River watershed may be used for a
pilot, evaluating wetlands permits with GIS will require data at a larger scale than is normally
available.
A common theme expressed by Region HI staff was that many federal, state, and county
agencies are collecting much data and may be duplicating efforts. A great amount of time can be
spent in determining who has data that may be useful for a project The need for a clearinghouse
that would include information on digital data collected at all levels of government was
emphasized.
Even after data are found that may be used for a project, the quality of the data may be poor,
or the data may not have been collected with a common spatial reference that allows the data to
be used easily. It was stated that the locational accuracy of EPA data historically has been poor.
When ARC/INFO was used to compare the locations of the same hazardous waste sites obtained
from EPA and from New Castle County data bases, large discrepancies occurred. The New
Castle County locations were generally correct Even if the GIS staff corrected the EPA
locations in the GIS data, they presently have no mechanism for making the corrections in the
original EPA data bases. Since the locations of hazardous waste sites is vital information that
must be accurate, the issue of correcting this locational data must be addressed.
At the present time the data quality control functions performed by the GIS staff involve
ensuring that data added to a GIS data base for the region are reproduced accurately from the
source of the data. The program staff are relied upon to determine whether the quality of the
data is adequate for their purposes. It is felt that EPA headquarters and the Environmental
Monitoring Systems Laboratory in Las Vegas should take the lead in providing guidance to all
EPA offices on data standards and quality assurance/control issues. This is especially critical to
guarantee that data are collected with a common spatial reference and therefore can be shared.
Some data that are available are too obsolete. The most critical of these data sets is the 1973
land use/cover data obtained from USGS. More frequent updates to land use/cover data are
required for many analyses, such as those related to ground water protection.
Because the data capture and quality assurance/control stages of a project can be so time-
consuming, it was suggested that it may be necessary to be more selective in terms of how much
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m-23
data are collected for a GIS data base. By devoting sufficient time to planning a GIS project and
especially the data capture stage, a balance might be achieved between obtaining enough quality
data and the time required for data capture. Questionable data could be flagged in the data base
until time is available to assess the data's quality, rather than delay a project Long-term goals
that require additional data must also be kept in mind when planning the amount of data to
collect
Even if quality data are available, getting the data may be a slow process. Although USGS
data was praised for its quality, it generally took two months for Region HI to get data from
USGS. If EPA headquarters obtained base coverages from USGS, it was felt that the regions
would have faster access to these coverages.
As more GIS data bases are developed in the region, the GIS staff stated that guidelines and
procedures for archiving data will be needed. To date, development of archive procedures has
not been necessary for Region ffl.
_
Staffing
Two key types of personnel have been essential to GIS pilot projects in Region IQ: (1) a
member of the GIS staff and (2) an environmental scientist with an understanding of GIS. For
the pilot projects, the GIS staff member is responsible for all GIS tasks involving use of
ARC/INFO and other software. These tasks include digitizing, writing data conversion programs
in other languages, creating ARC/INFO coverages, analyzing data with ARC/INFO as directed
by the environmental scientist and producing maps. The environmental scientist is responsible
for deciding what data are needed and where to obtain the data, assessing the quality of the data,
determining the analyses to be performed, and evaluating the results of the analyses. Both GIS
staff members, environmental scientists, and program section chiefs stated that having talented
people in both roles is vital to the success of GIS projects. Cooperation and a good working
relationship between the GIS staff member and the environmental scientist are also essential
The GIS staff emphasized the importance of having an environmental scientist on a GIS
project that can devote sufficient time to the project If a scientist could perform some analyses
in ARC/INFO, a project could be expedited by saving time required for back-and-forth
communications between the GIS analyst and the scientist Although program staff agreed that
GIS projects required large time commitments from environmental scientists, concern was
expressed by some sections that the workloads of their scientists are already too great making it
difficult to devote much time to GIS. ARC/INFO is viewed as a very complex package that
takes a year to become proficient in its use. For future GIS projects, the Environmental Planning
Section may hire a contractor with environmental expertise who also knows GIS to provide the
day-to-day environmental expertise needed for GIS projects.
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m-24
The need for staff at a lower level to perform many routine tasks for GIS projects was also
mentioned. By having other individuals do digitizing and handle some data collection
responsibilities, such as making numerous phone calls to locate data, the highly-trained GIS staff
and environmental scientists can devote more of their time to the creative and analytical tasks of
GIS projects.
The size of the GIS staff is sufficient to handle the GIS work currently being done at Region
m. As more GIS projects are initiated, the staff may need to be larger. The staff may also play a
more active role in identification of data sources in the future, especially as Region IH builds up
its GIS data bases.
Software
Although ARC/INFO is viewed as a successful GIS package at Region HI, INFO may not be
the best language for numerical data processing that will be required for some projects. Region
m may write models and other programs that perform extensive mathematical calculations in
FORTRAN or another language. Outputs from the models would be imported to an INFO data
base, and maps could then be generated with ARC
As GIS becomes more widely used, common procedures for reading data from tapes,
creating ARC/INFO coverages, and archiving data will be needed. Region m is acquiring a
ground water workstation for site-specific work with RCRA and Superfund sites. Routines to
convert data from formats used by models running on the ground water workstation to a format
easily imported into ARC/INFO may be required to support the use of GIS with some
applications.
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ffl-25
Hardware
The PRIME 2755 and associated hardware that support CIS in Region HI (Figure 2) are
adequate for the current number of GIS projects. Although some ARC/INFO functions are
rather slow, such as selecting arcs from a data base or drawing maps, the slowness may be a
combination of ARC/INFO, the PRIME 2755, and the use of 9600 baud lines.
As the use of GIS increases in Region ffl, hardware upgrades will probably be required.
Supporting dial-up access to ARC/INFO for the states was mentioned as an option that some
states in Region ffl may desire. Dial-up access to ARC/INFO would also require hardware
upgrades, since the present hardware capacity and user support facilities of Region HI arc not
adequate to support remote state users.
Region ffl has attempted to get a Tektronix 4958 digitizer to work with ARC/INFO.
Although ESRI has said that there is a device driver that should work with the digitizer, Region
m has not been able to resolve problems with the driver and stated that EPA headquarters has
had the same problem. A Calcomp digitizer has been ordered to replace the Tektronix 4958.
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Figure 2
Overview of Region III GIS
and Related Computer Systems
Hardcopy Unit
Electrostatic Plotter
Calcomp Digitizer
Tektronix 4692
Color Printer
Tektronix
4958 Digitizer
Epson
Equity III
Calcomp 1043
Plotter
(3) Line Printers
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m-26
Constraints
Although the ground water pilot projects have been successful to date, three constraints are
seen as impacting future GIS work in Region
(1) Lack of program staff time to support GIS: The GIS staff has emphasized the
necessity of having an environmental scientist associated with a GIS project who can devote
sufficient time to the project As questions regarding data or analyses arise, the GIS analyst
needs prompt responses so that work can proceed. The time and effort spent by ground water
staff on the New Castle County pilot project are one major reason for the success of that pilot
The lack of program staff time contributed to delays in starting a wetlands protection pilot and a
multimedia pilot involving comparative risk management
As stated above, the program sections also recognize the need to commit sufficient time to
GIS projects, but existing large workloads have in some cases prevented such time
commitments. For continued success in implementing GIS, resources must be provided so that
the staff time needed for GIS projects will be available.
(2) Lack of high-quality locational data: As discussed in the Data section, the lack of
high-quality locational data is a major problem for much GIS work. Even if digitized data are
available, the data may not be at the scale needed for a particular project, or the data may be
obsolete. Of special concern is the lack of current land use/cover data that is updated on a
regular basis. The need to have all agencies collect data with a common spatial reference is also
a requirement for sharing data among agencies.
(3) Costly duplication of effort: The lack of information on who is collecting what data has
raised concerns about costly duplication of effort Because the data capture stage of a GIS
project is generally the most costly and time-consuming, there is a need for a clearinghouse to
know what data have been collected at all levels of government
Duplication of technology is also an issue that may impact future GIS work. Workstations
obtained for ground water work in the area of hazardous wastes may duplicate some of the
capabilities that GIS has to offer. Without an easy method to convert data used by the
workstations to an ARC/INFO format, additional analyses that could be performed with
ARC/INFO may not be done.
Conclusion
GIS at Region ffl has been successful to date in its pilot stage of implementation. The
ground water protection pilot for New Castle County has been successful because the pilot has
had upper management support and the commitment of sufficient GIS staff and program staff
time. The pilots for evaluation of potential high-risk radon areas and for wetlands protection also
require these key factors.
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ffl-27
The completion of successful pilots that demonstrate the utility of GIS in supporting
management decisions, as has been done by the New Castle County project, will promote the
expanded use of GIS in Region m. Greater use of GIS in the region will require that adequate
staff time and other resources be made available to support the work.
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m-28
Watershed Modeling
County
Dau
Data Transformation f Pullman'
Jnpta
Data Analysis
C Habitat/Water Quality Modeling
Habitat "-' intersection
Quality i
Best Management Practices
Urban BMP Tracking Agrlc. BMP Tracking
Water Quality Monitoring
Monitor
Sution
Display Data
Collect Tributary/Bay Data J
ARC/INFO
Documentation
Quality Control/
Quality Assurance
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m-29
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) completed its initial research phase in
1983 and moved into a second major phase of activity directed towards
improving and protecting the quality of the Bay. During this implementation
phase, the CBP's activities have been focused on land conditions that impact
the Bay. GIS has supported this shift in the CBP's focus to the land
surrounding the Bay by providing an effective tool for the analysis and display
of spatially-distributed land and Bay data. For the CBP, GIS is no longer an
emerging technology with a separate budgetary line item but is a useful tool
that has been incorporated within program budgets.
GIS supports ongoing CBP activities through its use with many small tasks
that are often completed in several days or weeks, rather than through large
GIS projects requiring months to finish. These ongoing programs and activities
include:
NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION - Work is directed toward
watershed modeling and analysis of urban and agricultural best
management practices.
LIVING RESOURCES - The distributions of water quality indicators
and the habitats of living resources are mapped to identify the
impacts of water quality on habitats.
WATER QUALITY MONITORING - Data from the Bay and tributary
monitoring programs are converted to a common format that can be
displayed efficiently by the GIS and used with other analyses.
DATA BASE DESIGN - Data base design and development is
supported by the common format required by GIS and by
documentation and quality control/assurance activities.
CBP experience has highlighted key factors needed for implementing
a GIS:
o Management commitment of necessary resources required for an
extended start-up period.
o The support of upper management and mid-level program
igers.
o Effective communication between program managers and GIS
implementors.
o Mechanisms for information transfer of data, GIS techniques, and
GIS experiences within EPA and with other organizations.
o Development of and compliance with good data management
practices, including documentation and quality control/assurance.
o A multi-disciplinary core staff with expertise in GIS.
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m-30
CIS at the Chesapeake Bay Program
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) is a
cooperative program involving the EPA, the
states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and
Virginia, the District of Columbia, and five
other federal agencies: the National Oceanic
and Atmosperic Administration (NOAA), the
Army Corps of Engineers (COE), the Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS), the Geological
Survey (USGS), and the Soil Conservation
Service (SCS). The CBP was commissioned
by Congress in 1975. During the following
year, the CBP, in cooperation with other
federal, state, and private organizations, began
studying primary sources of Bay pollution.
This scientific research phase ended in 1983,
and the CBP began to focus on
implementation efforts to improve the quality
of the Bay.
In December 1983, chief executives from
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the
District of Columbia, and EPA signed the
Chesapeake Bay Agreement, which called for
implementation of coordinated plans to
improve and protect the quality of the Bay.
Memoranda of Understanding also have been
signed between EPA and the other federal
agencies with environmental responsibility for
the Bay to create joint ventures that more
efficiently use public funds and other
resources committed to the Bay programs.
The earliest GIS tasks at the CBP used the
MOSS GIS software on the CBP's VAX 780.
ARC/INFO was installed on the VAX in
November 1987 and was later installed on the
CBP's new VAX 8600. All MOSS GIS files
were converted to the ARC/INFO format.
At the CBP, GIS provides support for
ongoing CBP programs and activities. Many
of the GIS tasks undertaken are smaller
requests that can be completed in several days
or weeks, rather than large projects extending
over many months. These smaller tasks often
focus on using GIS as a mapping and
information comparison tool. The data for
these tasks are taken from the approximately
5000 files that have been developed or
acquired by the CBP for use in multiple
projects. Data capture and data base
construction are the heart of CBP's long-term
GIS task. The depth and accuracy of CBP's
data base has provided CBP the ability to
undertake many projects.
This integral use of GIS for many small
tasks supporting ongoing work is an
outgrowth of the CBP's research orientation.
Rather than conducting enforcement and
program management activities like EPA
regions, the CBP focuses on analyses that can
support the programs of the political
jurisdictions and agencies with responsibility
for the Bay and its watersheds.
The following four major activities of the
CBP are supported by GIS and are described
below:
(1) Non-point source pollution
(2) Living resources
(3) Water quality
(4) Data base design and implementation
N on - P o i n|§|Jlillfl
Source Pollution
Addressing the problems of non-point
source pollution is a major focus of the CBP's
implementation phase. Seventy-five percent
of CBP program funds are to be directed
towards activities concerned with non-point
source pollution. GIS has or will assist CBP
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m-si
in this work through watershed modeling and
the analysis and implementation of best
management practices.
Watershed Modeling
Data Transformation
Data Analysis
Most soil and agricultural data needed to
develop and verify watershed models are
collected by political units, such as counties,
rather than by watersheds. With the tools
provided by a GIS, data collected by county
can be transformed into data by watershed for
use with watershed models.
The CBP plans to use data transformation
techniques of GIS in its development of
watershed models for the Bay. The results of
these models will be displayed with the GIS.
After the watershed models are refined, the
GIS will be used to combine landuse data with
the results of the watershed models to examine
the impacts on Bay pollution of various land
uses.
' Best Management Practices '
Urban BMP Tracking Agrlc, BMP Tracking
implemented to control both urban and
agricultural pollution.
In urban areas BMPs may help to control
the runoff problem from sources such as lawns
and gutters. The runoffs high concentration
of nutrients and toxic materials are not treated
by the sewage treatment plants but reach the
Bay directly. The CBP wanted to find areas
which could be easily constructed for the
containment and treatment of these nutrients
and toxics before they reached the Bay.
In a demonstration project the CBP used
ARC/INFO to map land use and stream
segments in the Baltimore area from USGS
land use/land cover files. By locating areas
where streams intersected with highway
cloverleafs, the Stemmer's Run area near the
Baltimore beltway was identified as a
potential BMP area that could easily be
transformed into dry/wet ponds for
impounding urban runoff. This type of urban
BMP would trap oil, greases, and other
elements that runoff from paved surfaces, such
as highways.
In agricultural areas the effectiveness of
various BMP practices, such as no-till
fanning, may be analyzed with a GIS. In
general, agricultural BMPs have been tracked
only by the dollars that have been spent on
such programs, rather than by the
effectiveness of such measures in non-point
source pollution control. A project vested
with the Virginia Department of Soil and
Water Conservation has been using VIRGIS
with the Universal Soil Loss Equation to
target county conservation districts for
implementation of BMPs. VIRGIS is a
custom grid-based GIS developed at Virginia
Tech.
To support its work with non-point source
pollution, the CBP has examined how GIS
may be used to identify areas for best
management practices (BMPs) and to analyze
the effectiveness of BMPs. BMPs may be
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Living Resources
vegetation, anadromous fish, wetlands, and
oysters for the entire Bay and tributaries.
Habitat/Water Quality Modeling
Habitat
Water
Quality
Intersection
The CBP has implemented several
projects that have examined the relationships
between habitats required for living resources
and the Bay's water quality. In separate
studies of oysters and striped bass, the
distribution of potential habitats was overlaid
with water quality monitoring data. By
looking at the spatial distribution of dissolved
oxygen, temperature, and depth, the impact of
water quality on potential habitats could be
examined. In a project with the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources, the CBP
will combine historic oyster bar location data
with data on shipping channels, bathymetry,
and dissolved oxygen to identify areas that
satisfy basic habitat requirements for oyster
spat sites. With this information, artificial
reefs may be constructed in areas that have a
high probability of success.
The CIS has also been used to digitize
detailed maps of submerged aquatic
vegetation at scales of 1:12,000 or 1:24,000.
The GIS has provided an effective tool for
processing data on submerged aquatic
vegetation. This time-consuming and detailed
activity will contribute important data files for
future analyses on living resources.
In another project on living resources, the
CBP is working closely with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to produce species
distribution maps for the Habitat Use Report
of the CBP's Living Resources Subcommittee.
The GIS-produced maps show relative
distribution of waterfowl, submerged aquatic
Water Quality Monitoring
Z\
Display Data
Collect Tributary/Bay Data
During the initial research phase of the
CBP, which extended from 1976 to 1983,
large quantities of Bay data were collected.
The Bay monitoring effort begun then has
continued through the collection of data on
water quality from a series of monitoring
stations in the Bay and its tributaries. The
CBP is responsible for collecting and
processing data from stations in the Bay.
Tributary data are collected and processed by
the states in which the tributaries are located.
The states in turn submit their data to the
CBP, which converts the data into a format
usable by ARC/INFO when needed.
The display capabilities of ARC/INFO
permit the water quality data to be displayed
easily and in common formats that facilitate
comparison between data. In addition, once
the water quality data have been converted to
the ARC/INFO format, the data can be
incorporated into other GIS analyses, such as
those described above for living resources and
non-point sources of pollution.
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D at a B ase Design
m-33
Other Projects
- ARC/INFO
• Documentation
• Quality Control/
Quality Assurance
A major effort by the CBP has been the
development of a data base for use with CIS.
Development of this data base is an integral
pan of other CBP GIS activities and is crucial
to performing analyses on the quality of the
Bay.
During the time that CBP was using the
MOSS GIS software, numerous files on
political boundaries, land use/land cover, and
other data had been either digitized using
MOSS or purchased in a grid-cell format
compatible with MOSS. After acquiring
ARC/INFO, CBP wrote a series of programs
to convert the MOSS files into ARC/INFO
coverage files. These programs arc used
regularly to create ARC/INFO coverages of
point data from flat files in the MOSS format,
since entry of a MOSS data file with a text
editor and running, the conversion programs
are relatively easy processes.
As part of its data base activities, the CBP
has developed a documentation format for its
data base files. The documentation form,
which includes information on the content,
source, purpose, and quality of the data, must
be completed for each new file added to the
CBP's data base. This documentation has
been done for the CBP's 5000+ data base files
and is accessible on-line. The data quality
information maintained for each of these files
is an invaluable resource for all work involved
with planning and designing projects
analyzing the Bay.
Other GIS projects being conducted by
the CBP include the following:
• The CBP has produced a
"Monitoring Adas", which is a series of 200+
maps showing monitoring station locations for
all types of programs, ranging from water
quality to breeding birds, for the entire
Chesapeake Bay Drainage Basin.
• The CBP does much general
mapping on a daily basis to support staff at the
Chesapeake Bay Liaison Office and various
state offices.
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m-34
Implementation Issues
Management!
Communications
One of the biggest initial challenges encountered by the CBP has been selling CIS to upper
and mid-level management. Upper level management needed to understand how GIS could be
used as a tool to support EPA's missions. Moreover, mid-level managers had to be shown that
GIS could be applied specifically towards their programs. Since the CBP director became
convinced of the problem solving capability of GIS, he has emphasized the need to utilize GIS to
its fullest capabilities to manage the problems his programs are addressing. As a result, GIS at
the CBP has evolved from being an emerging technology requiring a separate budgetary line
item into being a fully integrated tool used in support of CBP programs.
The efforts to convince CBP management of the usefulness of GIS would have been aided
by a formal GIS policy statement from EPA Headquarters establishing a GIS implementation
mechanism. It is hoped that the recent EPA policy statement will increase management's
awareness of GIS throughout EPA and show that it can be a useful tool in the decision-making
process.
The CBP has also been successful in getting state agencies to cooperate in terms of data
validation and data standards. State agencies have realized the necessity of this cooperation and
therefore insure the validity of their data by signing off on its quality as it is sent to the CBP.
The CBP recommends that similar procedures be applied to all GIS data obtained from other
agencies.
There is a need for information transfer between EPA Headquarters, Regions, and state
offices. Managers must be aware of what information concerning data sources and techniques is
available to them, and there must be a method which facilitates ease of communication between
users. For instance, the CBP developed utilities to convert data sets built by MOSS software into
an ARC/INFO format. However, it had no method for communicating this information to EPA
managers who might need this data or who might be interested in its MOSS to ARC/INFO
conversion routines. Another example concerns the fact that basic data sets developed by other
government agencies take care of 90% of EPA's data needs. EPA managers must be made
aware of data available for their use.
The CBP has found that management needs to be told upfront what to expect from GIS.
There must be realistic expectations on resources required (i.e., staff, time, dollars) before any
results can be achieved. Since much time is required to develop a GIS data base, management is
faced with the constraint between the development of future GIS applications, and the need to
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m-35
produce immediate results. It has been the CBP's experience that during the time the data base is
being developed, the GIS can be used immediately to produce improved graphic displays (i.e.,
maps) very quickly. For example, the quick production of a Superfund site map convinced the
CBP that the GIS was extremely useful as a map-making tool and able to provide results when
management needed them.
ds_..
Data
m
The CBP has been acquiring Chesapeake Bay data since its inception. This has resulted in
an environmental data base that contains over 100 million data points. The data covers the entire
64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay basin, and dates back as far as the early 1900's.
Much of the data base is geo-refercnced with associated latitude and longitude, hydrologic
unit, or some other spatial parameter. Since 1986, the CBP has used this as the basis for building
a more specific and integrated GIS data base. Its GIS data base includes the following data files:
- Land use/land cover
- Hydrology by watershed
- Agricultural practice
- Pesticide application
- Timber survey
- Shellfish, fmfish
- Waterfowl
- Bathymetry
- Political boundaries
- Shoreline
- Topography
-RCRA/CERCLA .
- Transportation
A factor critical to the success of CBP's GIS implementation is its commitment to good data
base management practices. This is illustrated by the fact that a data base design was
implemented prior to the creation of an ARC/INFO data base. As the CBP considers complete
documentation of the data files an integral pan of the data base, it created and tested the
documentation format to ensure that it was useful and could be implemented. Furthermore,
CBP's coordination of other agencies' data validation/standards assurances has permitted quality
control to become a major factor in the management of their data base.
The CBP successfully implemented a GIS data base conversion from MOSS to
ARC/INFO. The MOSS GIS data base included land use/land cover, state, county, city,
watershed, and other significant GIS data files. However, the MOSS GIS program had several
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m-36
limitations which affected storage, analysis, and presentation of the data. The CBP wrote a
series of programs which converted the MOSS files into the ARC/INFO format and retained the
attribute data of the original MOSS files. The resulting ARC/INFO applications can now map
data which were originally in MOSS GIS data bases. The CBP recommends that the EPA issue a
policy stating that all data should be collected in formats compatible with ARC/INFO to
minimize future data integration problems.
In addition to collection of data in an ARC/INFO-compatible format, the CBP has found that
data integration problems can also be eliminated by the purchase of only high quality data. This
is considered the best method for data acquisition when large quantities of data are needed. The
CBP recommends in-house digitization as a cost-effective alternative when quality data are
unavailable elsewhere and large quantities of data are not needed.
Various land use/cover data collected by EPA are generally obsolete and somewhat
inconsistent with one another. Timely and accurate land use/cover information is critical to
CBP's GIS applications. The CBP recommends that EPA Headquarters purchase a land
use/cover data base every five years. This data base should be provided by the federal
government, who should also maintain it Through this mechanism, EPA Headquarters could
provide base coverages for use by all EPA Regions and offices.
Staffing
All GIS technical work at the CBP is done by Computer Sciences Corporation contractors,
as opposed to EPA or other governmental staff. The CBP considers its staff to be its most
valuable resource. Several key positions have been identified as being crucial to its GIS
implementation. The CBP stressed that a successful GIS team must consist of a core of
ARC/INFO experts with a multi-disciplinary background (i.e., geographers, geologists,
hydrologists, biologists). They must also be familiar with EPA programs. Furthermore, all
supporting personnel (i.e., digitizers) must be very skilled.
In addition to this multi-disciplinary team, the CBP has found the need for a manager who,
in addition to understanding EPA policy and programs, has a strong knowledge of GIS. The
CBP believes that this person can greatly facilitate the use of GIS with management's decision-
making process through his/her ability to understand how GIS may be integrated with the overall
EPA program.
The CBP recommends that the most useful ARC/INFO training will be gained by sending a
staff member to a functioning ARC/INFO site for approximately three months. At this site, the
staff member will receive practical, hands-on experience which will enable him/her to clearly
understand the many factors involved with implementing GIS.
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ffl-37
The CBP also sees the need for a full-time staff member to perform hardware/software
support, such as routine maintenance, backups, and similar tasks. These support responsibilities
should be handled by computer operators rather than by CIS staff.
Software
Because MOSS could not adequately handle the large data sets needed for the Bay
Program's analyses and had some inherent inadequacies in its basic algorithms, the CBP
purchased ARC/INFO and convened its MOSS data to the ARC/INFO format This conversion
has proven to be very successful for the CBP. ARC/INFO has much greater functionality on the
VAX computer than MOSS and has been very reliable. MOSS nevertheless proved to be a
convenient format for creating geo-based data sets, ultimately to be converted to a more
successful format at a later point in time.
The CBP encountered a limitation with ARC/INFO when it utilized the TEN module to
perform 3-D volumetric modeling of the Chesapeake Bay. It was found that TIN could only
perform 3-D modeling of the Bay's surface, not 3-D volumetric modeling.
Previously classified as a secondary site in terms of access to ESRI's ARC/INFO user
support, the CBP was limited in the amount of assistance it could receive from ESRI. A
secondary site must coordinate its requests for support through a designated primary site, rather
than contact ESRI directly. This procedure often resulted in delayed answers for CBP questions
needing prompt answers. The CBP is now a primary site, and this has proven to be useful in
obtaining rapid response to problems. Based on the CBP's experience, careful consideration
should be given to whether all major CIS programs in EPA should have primary site licenses.
Hardware
As shown in Figure 3, the CBP's current hardware configuration consists of a VAX 8600
computer, Tektronix graphics terminals and printers, Calcomp and Nicolet pen plotters, and
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Figure 3
Overview of Chesapeake Bay Program
GIS and Related Computer Systems
Nicolet 836
Zeta Plotter
1 P
Tektronix 4695
Ink-Jet Printer
Calcomp 1012
Plotter
An,
Altek Digitizer
(36) DEC
VT220s
r '
VAX 8600
Anticipated
Purchase
X2) Macintosh Us
(2) 1200 lines/min. printers
(1) 600 lines/min. printer
Tektronix 4696
Ink-Jet Printer
(11) DEC
VT241s
Altek Digitizer
(3) Macintosh
(4) IBM PC
compatibles
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m-38
other supporting peripherals. The CBP plans to order two Macintosh Es to increase its number
of graphics terminals. On the average, 30 online users access the VAX 8600 at any given rime.
However, the VAX is capable of handling up to 100 possible users.
The CBP currently is creating more maps than can be plotted on the pen plotters. The
demand for high quality, fine resolution plots in color necessitates the acquisition of a high
resolution electrostatic plotter. Several options for obtaining a new plotter are being considered.
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m-39
Constraints
Two major constraints on the success of CIS at the CBP were eliminated during the past year
with the installation of both the VAX 8600 and ARC/INFO. Without this increased hardware
capacity and better software that could handle the CBP's large data sets, GIS work at the CBP
would have been constrained by inadequate tools to perform necessary tasks.
Management support for GIS was essential for the acquisition of new hardware and
software. It is vital that such support continue as the CBP further develops data bases required
for subsequent analyses. As demonstrated by the CBP experience, the necessity of management
support and availability of adequate resources during the data base development stage of GIS
analyses are crucial to any GIS implementation.
The CBP's secondary site license for ARC/INFO was a limiting factor in its implementation
of ARC/INFO. The secondary license required CBP to go through a designated primary site for
ESRI support, which resulted in delays to resolving problems. The CBP has since acquired a
primary site license, which has eliminated this former constraint The issue of primary site
licensing for regions and other major GIS programs needs to be addressed very carefully.
Although a secondary site license may be appropriate for a site with PC ARC/INFO, major
programs may need the support that only a primary site license provides.
The major constraint on continued GIS success at the CBP is the lack of high-quality,
timely land use/cover data. The land use/cover data available to the CBP is generally obsolete.
With the focus of the CBP on non-point sources of pollution, the necessity of acquiring updated
land use/cover data for the Bay's watersheds at five-year intervals is important to addressing the
problems of non-point source pollution. The CBP hopes to obtain more recent land use/cover
data by acquiring Landsat data. The CBP is working with OIRM on its initiative to obtain better
GIS data sets in support of EPA programs.
Conclusion
The CBP has successfully implemented GIS as a useful tool applied to the CBP's ongoing
activities. ARC/INFO is perceived as a tool to be used daily, not unlike word processing and
spreadsheet software, in support of the CBP's analysis and research work. This success has been
based on extensive efforts that obtained both management's support for GIS and the required
hardware and software. The CBP's commitment to good data base management practices and its
ability to produce useful graphical outputs while building data bases have also been essential to
the success of GIS.
Future applications at the CBP will focus on using GIS to combine output from water quality
and land use models with other data layers, such as living resources. Other work will involve
living resource and water quality trand analyses. The CBP hopes to incorporate dynamic
changes into its Bay models. These analyses will permit further study of land/Bay interactions
and of those practices that may be used to improve the quality of the Bay.
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o
3
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m-40
|||JP!« A Tool
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Environmental Priorities Initiative
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Drinking Water Vulnerability
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Air Program
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m-4i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Region IVs approach to CIS is part of a regional data integration initiative
designed to provide better methods of ma«ggi«g environmental programs.
GIS staff at Region TV's Office of Integrated Environmental Analysis (OIEA)
are supporting this approach to decision-making by developing region-wide
data bases that provide separate EPA programs access to the same data. To
relate programs to improvements in environmental quality. OIEA is
implementing a Results/Risk Analysis and Management System (RAMS)
which will utilize CIS as a tool to tie data and monitoring efforts to
regulatory programs. This will enable managers to target regulatory activities
based on problems and risks and to determine if programs are effective. As
an EPA Center of Excellence for GIS, Region IV is helping other Regions to
get started with similar practical regional GIS applications.
RAMS and GIS currently support, or are planned to support, the following
programs:
ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITIES INITIATIVE - GIS has been used to
identify and rank which RCRA sites should be assigned to the National
Priority list as Superfund sites.
DRINKING WATER VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS - A planned project
will utilize GIS to reduce sampling requirements of well water by
analyzing relationships between well data and Superfund/RCRA sites.
SUPERFUND - GIS has helped to identify and evaluate Superfund sites
for the National Priority List by integrating well data with Superfund
data and the Hazard Ranking System (HRS).
SURFACE WATER - In this planned project, the relationship between
surface water quality and construction grants will be evaluated with
GIS.
RCRA - GIS is being used to identify potential areas of ground water
contamination from dioxins produced by woodtreaters, prioritize
enforcement actions, and facilitate site management.
AIR PROGRAM - GIS will be applied as a tool for integrating air quality
data and analyzing air quality trends.
Region IV's GIS work has depended upon several key factors:
o Support of upper management and program management;
o OIEA as a service organization that supports programs;
o OIEA staffed by environmental experts with EPA program
experience and computer technology expertise; and
o Development of common data bases needed by many programs.
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m-42
CIS at Region IV
Region IV has adopted a regional
approach to CIS which focuses on developing
region-wide data bases, rather than conducting
pilot projects for small areas. This is based on
the fact that Region IV's primary purpose for
using CIS is to help regional managers to
effectively manage their programs. The
regional approach allows the CIS staff to work
on individual applications while
simultaneously developing methodologies that
can be applied in other situations.
To support the regional managers, a
Results/Risk Analysis and Management
System (RAMS) is being implemented. This
is a management system based on risk
reduction and environmental improvements.
For all media (surface water, ground water,
air), the objectives of RAMS are to:
(1) Identify and prioritize problems and
risks.
(2) Relate problems/risks to needed
regulatory controls.
(3) Track environmental trends,
improvements, and risk reductions.
(4) Relate trends to regulatory controls.
Region IV regards CIS as a tool to
implement RAMS.
The Office of Integrated Environmental
Analysis (OIEA) was established by Region
IV and is responsible for the development of
advanced technology and information
management tools required to support
effective Regional environmental decision-
making. GIS is one of the tools supported by
OIEA and is used in response to programs.
OIEA staff:
supports projects developed by
program management
integrates data
technically analyzes data
reduces data to a useful form for
decision-making based on risks
develops management systems after
the RAMS model
As part of this work, OIEA has produced
products for management demonstrating how
GIS will help in policy setting, program
management, and resource allocation.
Region IV installed ARC/INFO on a
PRIME 2655 in November of 1986. Since
that time the PRIME has been upgraded to
two 2755s, and additional peripherals,
including graphics terminals, digitizers, and
plotters, have been acquired.
The six major programs of Region IV that
are either currently supported by GIS or will
be supported by GIS in the future are
described in the following sections. It is
important to note that several of these
programs utilize the same data and will
therefore benefit by regional data base
development
Environmental Priorities Initiative
Toxic Waatt
BCRA
Toxic Waste
SUPER
FUND
As part of the Environmental Priorities
Initiative, Region TV is using GIS to identify
and rank which RCRA sites should be
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m-43
assigned to the National Priority List (NPL) as
Superfund sites. Region IV will assign these
sites to the states by October 1st, 1988.
Utilizing the DRASTIC index as well as
other data, Region IV is identifying aquifer
vulnerability to pesticides for developing
pesticides strategies. This work has enabled
drinking water vulnerability data to be used as
input to the ranking of sites and to determine
monitoring requirements.
Among the CIS maps which Region IV
produced in order to identify and prioritize
RCRA ground water problems are:
Geology of Georgia
Population density of Georgia
RCRA/Superfund sites with municipal
withdrawls
Depth to top of aquifer
Soils
Major aquifer outcrop and recharge areas
Other DRASTIC vulnerability
components
RCRA land disposal municipal
withdrawls
To relate problems to needed RCRA
regulatory activities, Region IV generated GIS
maps showing data such as:
RCRA land disposal sites with 5000 and
10,000 meter buffer zones and municipal
withdrawls
Municipal withdrawls on potentiometric
surf ace map
Municipal withdrawls with
potentiometric surface map, wetlands,
and low permeability soils
RCRA sites and withdrawls on
potentiometric surface map
This use of GIS allows Region IV to be
proactive, not reactive, in identifying and
prioritizing environmental problems, and
enables the region to go beyond statutory
requirements and look at facilities that are
problems.
Drinking Water Vulnerability
Region IV is in the planning stage of a
project which will examine drinking water
vulnerability. The states are unable to inspect
every well site and would like to use GIS to
allocate resources so only key sites are
inspected.
Presently, the states in Region IV are
required to sample every well site four times
per year. It is estimated that approximately
100,000 samples would be needed to satisfy
these requirements. However, at $400 - $2500
per sample, the minimum cost would be
$40,000,000.
The states only need to sample one time
per year rather than four times per year
provided:
(1) A well is acceptable after the first
sample in a year.
(2) No potential sources of
contamination are nearby.
GIS could be used to identify wells near
potential sources of contamination by
overlaying well data, drinking water data,
Superfund and RCRA sites. Region IV
believes that GIS can save up to $15,000,000
per year by reducing sampling requirements.
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Superfund
Region IV has used GIS to help identify
and evaluate Superfund sites for the National
Priority List (NPL). GIS has been utilized as
a tool to map the locations of public and
private wells. This data was then combined
with Superfund site data and the Hazard
Ranking System to identify and rank new sites
for the NPL.
By providing Region IV with the ability to
see information in graphical form instead of
tabular form, GIS helped reduce the project
time to eight weeks, which would have
required three to six months to finish
otherwise. While GIS in this case was used
only to show geographical locations of wells,
it demonstrated that maps help communicate
information much better than text In a similar
manner, this screening process for ranking
sites with GIS has been used to assign highest
priority projects to the FIT contractor.
m-44
(1) If grants and loans are actually going
to the areas where there are problems.
(2) If the waste water treatment plants
have made any difference in water
quality.
By overlaying data on industrial
discharges, municipal discharges, water
quality monitors (i.e., STORET stations),
permit violations, and grant information,
managers can easily determine if the
grants/loans and problem areas match.
Region IV believes this GIS application
has much potential, but sees the high cost
necessary to clean up the existing locational
data as a barrier to the success of this
program. However, if initial costs can be met,
Region IV estimates maintenance costs will be
minirpal.
RCRA
nWoodtrcater
WeD
Surface Water
Region IV sees great potential in using
GIS to help determine the relationship
between surface water quality and
construction grants for waste water treatment
plants. By mapping out this relationship,
managers can get a quick picture for
determining:
GIS is supporting the RCRA program in
Region IV through identification of potential
areas of ground water problems due to dioxins
produced by woodtreaters. Region IV has
mapped public water supply wells within a 5-
mile radius of the woodtreaters. In potential
problems areas, contractors have been sent
into the field for inspections. By allocating
inspection resources to the areas most likely to
have problems, Region IV believes it will get
"more bang for the buck."
With the same procedures used for
Superfund prioritization, areas for RCRA
enforcement prioritization arc being
designated. Region IV is automating RCRA
rite management and analysis to produce the
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ffl-45
analytical reports needed to be proactive in
RCRA enforcement.
Air Program
Region IV views CIS as a tool that has
great potential for targeting areas of emerging
air quality problems by integrating various
sources of air data and analyzing trends in
ambient air quality. Examples of CIS
activities that may support the Air Program
include the following:
Overlay air quality data and the
monitoring network to determine
if the network is adequate.
Overlay monitoring and compliance
data to flag sources not in
compliance in priority areas.
Overlay emissions data in
noncompliance areas to determine
sources of pollutants and target
priority areas.
Analyze trends for ambient air
quality. Region IV would like
to include demographic data,
meterological parameters, and
emissions data in the analysis.
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ffl-46
Implementation Issues
Management/
Communications
Several management and communications factors have contributed to the successful
implementation of GIS at Region IV. One of these key factors has been the support of the
Regional Administrator. This support has been obtained through OIEA's emphasis on using GIS
as a tool to tie EPA programs to improvements in environmental quality. Rather than assessing
the effectiveness of programs by improvements in environmental quality, EPA programs have
traditionally been evaluated by counting numbers of permits and grants issued. However,
through the Results/Risk Analysis and Management Systems (RAMS), GIS can be utilized to
help tie data and monitoring efforts to regulatory programs. GIS will allow managers to target
regulatory activities based on problems and risks and to see if programs are effective in
environmental terms.
Region IV managed its start-up period for GIS by choosing a few areas where GIS could
succeed in supporting management (i.e., resource allocation). By supporting only a few
applications which could be done well, Region IV used these successes to demonstrate what GIS
could do. Moreover, Region IV's focus was on applications that had national significance.
Using its successful results, Region IV convinced upper management of GIS's usefulness in EPA
programs and received their support Region IV also believes that by showing these results to
Regional Administrators in other regions, they might be convinced to adopt and support GIS as
well.
Another important factor in ensuring the success of Region IV's regional approach to GIS
has been that prior to its GIS implementation, Region IV conducted a study to find out what
managers needed for their programs to succeed. Region TV's GIS program was then built around
the managers' needs. The managers were then informed of how the region-wide GIS could
support their programs.
Communicating the benefits and merits of using GIS effectively requires talking with both
upper management and technical personnel (i.e., section chiefs and technical staff). While upper
management needs to understand how GIS can be used as a tool to support EPA's missions, it is
the technical personnel who really understand how GIS can be applied. OIEA has
communicated with both groups in its efforts to apply GIS to agency programs.
A significant factor contributing to Region IV's successful application of GIS has been that
the manager of OIEA was previously a technical branch chief in three different divisions and
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m-47
therefore has extensive programmatic experience. His ability to understand program needs and
to communicate easily with program managers and staff has been an important factor in the
development of applications that meet program needs.
A final factor in the success of CIS at Region IV is OIEA's orientation as a service
organization. Since it is the program staff that decides whether OIEA's services should be used
in the program, OIEA's mission is to assist programs and respond to their needs, rather than
direct these programs.
OIEA does not have any ongoing operating functions except developing RAMS and
providing analytical services. Region IV feels that this single objective has benefited the
Region's work in building applications focused on risk reduction and environmental
improvements. If OIEA was pan of an existing office with other priority activities, time and
energy could have been taken away from the RAMS effort.
The success of Region IV in producing practical applications, which management wants to
utilize in managing environmental programs, is reflected in Region TV's role as a Center of
Excellence for CIS in EPA. In this role and based on its experience, Region IV can assist other
Regions in developing management applications based on the RAMS model and by providing
guidance for obtaining management acceptance and support of those applications.
~
Data
Region IV's focus in GIS implementation is developing regional data bases. Its approach is
to acquire data bases already in existence and forgo digitizing, since OIEA does not have enough
staff to support time-consuming digitizing efforts. With this approach, Region IV is in a position
to evaluate if more data will actually benefit a project Data acquisition is considered the most
difficult part of Region IV's data base development, since locating and acquiring the data takes
much time. Data sets acquired by Region IV include:
- USGS 1:2,000,000 Digital Line Graph Data
Political Boundaries
Water Bodies
Rivers and Streams
USGS Hydrologic Unit Boundaries
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m-48
EPA River Reach File
U.S. Bureau of the Census Block Group Centroids
Thiesson polygons generated from centroids
U.S. Bureau of the Census DIME Files
U.S. Bureau of the Census Summary Tape File (STP #3)
Demographic and socio-economic data tied to census geography
USGS 1:250,000 Land Use/Land Cover Data
Land Use/Land Cover
Census Tracts
Political Boundaries
Hydrologic Units
Federal Land Ownership
USGS Public Water Supply Data
- U.S. EPA (derived from STORET, PCS, WHDMS.GICS)
Soil Conservation Service MIADS Soils Data
USGS Geographic Names File
EPA Pesticides Data
- USGS 1:100,000 Digital Line Graphs
Region IV is developing common data bases needed for all programs dealing with ground
water (i.e., Supezfund and Drinking Water Vulnerability Analysis). Data include:
(1) Sources of contamination and their locations (Superfund and RCRA sites).
(2) Water supplies, populations using these water supplies, and their locations.
(3) Vulnerability of water supplies to contaminants - how easily can contaminants move
from their sources to water supplies?
By focusing on development of regional data bases, many programs will benefit. For
example, the Environmental Priorities Initiative, Superfund prioritization, drinking water
vulnerability analysis, pesticide strategies analysis, and RCRA enforcement prioritization
programs all need the same data, even though each views the data from different perspectives for
analysis. With a regional data base, applications such as prioritization of Superfund and RCRA
sites for the entire region will be possible.
Region IV has obtained much of its data through cooperation with other federal agencies and
states. States are willing to provide data after they see that Region IV's work can assist the
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m-49
states. Formal Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) are not used by Region IV for data
acquisition since MOU's are regarded as an extremely time-consuming and restrictive process.
Instead, Region IV has developed person-to-person contacts in which both parties benefit from
borrowing or "bartering" for data.
GIS is being used as a quality assurance/control device at Region IV. By plotting incoming
data, staff are able to more easily identify errors and therefore verify accuracy of data coverages.
Because its focus is at a regional level, Region IV is willing to accept data of lesser quality than
would be required for projects dealing with a smaller area. Moreover, Region IV may have
several coverages of the same type of data at different scales, and will mix different scales of
data in the same analysis. Because the program offices want CIS applications to be developed,
the programs have begun very significant efforts to clean up data.
Region IV has encountered problems with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) discharge data. There is no locational data available for the minor dischargers.
Moreover, the form for minor dischargers lacks a latitude/longitude section. Latitude and
longitude are not required for the Permit Compliance System (PCS) as well. Less than 50% of
its sites have latitude/longitude coordinates. Without locational data, Region IV regards GIS as
being useless for regulatory work.
Staffing
Region IV's Office of Integrated Environmental Analysis (OIEA) was formed to develop
advanced technology and information management tools required to support effective regional
and state environmental decision-making. OIEA's responsibilities include:
Develop integrated environmental analysis techniques using the latest technology
(including but not limited to GIS).
Provide leadership and act as a catalyst for development of analytical tools to support
multimedia decision making.
Maintain liaison with Headquarters' integrated information management developments.
Develop analysis and report techniques for assessing environmental results.
Assemble a high quality staff with programmatic and ADP technology capabilities.
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Provide leadership and serve as a catalyst for joint data integration projects with other
federal agencies.
Develop a management system (RAMS) based on risks and environmental
improvements.
Coordinate data collection activities by the Region.
Liaison with states in the Region.
OIEA is staffed by environmental experts who have both experience with EPA programs and
expertise with computer technology. The staff has a high degree of technical expertise in areas
such as environmental engineering, chemical engineering, geology, and air and water programs.
In addition, the OIEA staff works directly with ARC/INFO.
OIEA stressed the fact that the GIS staff needs to have expertise in program areas. As a
result, Region IV does not want to have contractors as key GIS staff. The work requires close
contact with the program staff, and Region IV believes it would be difficult to develop an
iterative process with a contractor.
OIEA has emphasized the importance for a technical program person to work closely with
OIEA staff on GIS work supporting that program. This person should have environmental
science expertise and an understanding of how GIS may be applied to the program. Without this
program person, OIEA believes GIS work will not be successful at Region IV.
There is a need to have on staff an expert for each technical discipline related to the
environmental problems on which OIEA is working. These experts would come from areas such
as epidemology, meterology, and water quality.
To augment its staff, OIEA has initiated a personnel rotation plan in which individuals from
other agencies and divisions spend three months at OIEA. The benefits of this plan are:
(1) OIEA gains the expertise of the rotated staff.
(2) These individuals learn about GIS and bring this knowledge back to their agencies.
This rotation plan has been successful for OIEA, and it has expressed a strong interest to
continue the program.
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Software
ARC/INFO is viewed as a successful GIS package at Region IV, and the OIEA staff has
become very proficient in its use. They utilize INFO to do all their analysis and "number
crunching". In addition, ODEA plans to use AML to develop user-friendly, menu-driven
applications for managers.
OIEA uses map libraries (which allow for efficient data maintenance and organization) in
ARC/INFO extensively and recommends their use for regional coverages. They caution,
however, that if a region deals exclusively with site specific projects, a map library may not be
appropriate. There are also certain rules which must be followed if the map library is to be
successful. For instance, while data collected at different scales may be mixed in the library,
static and dynamic data may not
Ground water workstations are being acquired by Region IV (as well as other Regions) so
that site specific work utilizing ground water site data (i.e., RCRA and Superfund sites) may be
done. To access this data for regional GIS purposes, OIEA needs procedures to convert the
ground water workstation data into ARC/INFO coverages. However, there is a constraint on this
conversion as the workstation data does not contain latitude/longitude coordinates, but is instead
based on the cartesian coordinate system (i.e., 0,0).
Hardware
As shown in Figure 4, Region IV's current hardware configuration consists of two PRIME
2755 CPUs; Tektronix graphics terminals, printers and digitizers; Hewlett Packard and Calcomp
pen plotters; a Calcomp digitizer, and other supporting peripherals.
As the use of GIS increases in Region IV, hardware upgrades will be required. There is
presently a need for a larger CPU as well as more data storage capacity.
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\
Tektronix
4956 Digitizer
Figure 4
Overview of Region IV GIS
and Related Computer Systems
On Order
-jr \
ML
(2) PRIME 2755s
Houston Instrument
Plotter
Tektronix 4125
Tektronix 4125
\
\
Tektronix 4207
Calcomp
9100 Digitizer
12 PCs with Tgraph-
to emulate Tektronix
\
'A" \
Tektronix
4958 Digitizer
Tektronix
Ink-Jet Printer
Tektronix
Ink-Jet Printer
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Constraints
Although Region IV's service-based, regional approach to CIS has been successful to date,
three constraints are seen as impacting future GIS work:
(1) Key national data bases lack locational data: OIEA has expressed concern that
location is not a required field for several key data bases. This is seen as a major problem for
GIS applications which utilize the locationally deficient PCS and NPDES data bases. Moreover,
where latitude/longitude does exist in the PCS data base, its accuracy is questionable. Without
locational data, GIS would not be useful for regulatory work.
The conversion of ground water workstation data into an ARC/INFO format is another area
where locational data poses a constraint on future GIS work in Region IV. The cartesian-
coordinate based data of the workstations are completely incompatible with the geo-based data
(i.e., latitude/longitude, UTM, etc.) necessary for GIS work.
(2) Lack of staff: OIEA does not have enough staff to meet the increasing need for GIS
support in Region IV. They emphasized the necessity of acquiring more people with GIS and
environmental expertise. Without this additional help, the existing staff has reached its limit in
terms of GIS work that can be supported. Currently, a backlog of GIS projects is growing.
(3) Need for improved hardware: Region IV is approaching its limit as well in terms
of the hardware necessary to support its GIS applications. OIEA staff recommends that the two
PRIME CPUs be upgraded to a larger mainframe. There is also a need for more data storage
capacity.
Conclusion
Region IV has successfully implemented GIS as a useful management-decision tool in
several of its projects and has thus generated widespread interest at all levels in its use of GIS.
This success has been due to upper management support, a region-wide approach to data base
development, and the ability to act as a service organization for the support of programs.
Because of its success, Region IV has been designated as an EPA national Center of Excellence
for GIS.
Plans are underway to incorporate GIS in several more projects. Greater use of GIS in the
region, however, will require that the data, staff, and hardware constraints be eliminated.
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Kansas
Non-Point Source Pollution Analysis
Emergency Response Development
Nebraska
Wellhead Protection / Drastic Analysis
Iowa
Pilot Data Base Development/
Prioritizing RCRA Sites
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Region VIZ has adopted a CIS strategy based on cooperative efforts with
the Region's states and involvement of the regional program offices. GIS
pilot projects have been initiated with each of the Region's four states.
These pilots, which have been funded by grants from Region VH to the states,
are true cooperative efforts in which Region VH and the states share project
responsibilities and work. Regional program staff members were involved in
the initiation of these projects and actively serve on the project teams.
Region Vn's support and expertise for GIS reside in the Office of Integrated
Environmental Analysis.
Region VETs GIS pilot projects being conducted with the states are as
follows:
KANSAS - NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION ANALYSIS: GIS is
being used to generate input parameters for the Agricultural Non-
point Source model from a GIS data base and to map model outputs.
From this work, scenarios of different land management practices will
be analyzed.
MISSOURI - EMERGENCY RESPONSE DEVELOPMENT: An
emergency response management plan for hazardous spills will be
developed by examining various scenarios with GIS.
NEBRASKA - WELLHEAD PROTECTION / DRASTIC ANALYSIS: A
state-wide wellhead protection plan will be developed using a
DRASTIC ground water vulnerability analysis and GIS.
IOWA - PILOT DATA BASE DEVELOPMENT / PRIORITIZING RCRA
SITES: Data from a pilot GIS data base will be utilized in prioritizing
RCRA sites based on indices of environmental hazard and
environmental quality.
Region VTI is also conducting the initial planning for a GIS pilot
related to wetlands permits.
Key factors in the implementation of GIS at Region VII have been:
o Excellent start-up support for GIS from upper management;
o High level of program office interest and involvement with initial
GIS efforts.
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GIS at Region VII
Region VH has adopted a GIS strategy
based on cooperative efforts with the Region's
states and involvement of the regional
program offices. This strategy, which follows
an overall emphasis by Region VU on
working with its states, is being implemented
through joint GIS pilot projects between
Region VH and each of its four states. The
pilot projects are true cooperative efforts in
which both parties share responsibilities and
work for the projects. Formal cooperative
agreements in the form of grants from Region
VII to the states are funding the pilot projects.
Region VIFs pilot projects have been
designed to involve the EPA regional program
offices as well as the states. Both states and
regional program staff were asked for
proposals for GIS projects. The pilot projects
have been developed from both the state and
program proposals and have been designed to
produce work that is meaningful to regional
program objectives. Program staff members
are pan of the pilot project teams.
GIS support and expertise at Region
reside in the Office of Integrated
Environmental Analysis (OIEA), which is part
of the Office of Policy and Management,
Environmental Review Branch. OIEA was
formed during the first half of 1988 to provide
automated, multimedia analytical support to
the Region's programs. Through developing
applications that use state-of-the-art
information management technologies,
OIEA's goal is to support decision-making by
program managers. GIS is the core
technology around which OIEA is developing
applications for EPA programs.
At the time that this report was written,
OIEA's GIS staff consisted of one EPA
employee and one Computer Sciences
Corporation contractor. OIEA was in the
process of hiring two additional EPA
employees. When fully staffed, OIEA's GIS
staff will consist of five FTE's, which may be
met by a combination of EPA staff and
contractors.
OIEA acquired ARC/INFO and its
PRIME 2755 from EPA's Office of
Information Resources Management in
February, 1988. The Region's states are also
in the process of acquiring either ARC/INFO
or PC ARC/INFO. As described in the
summaries of the pilot projects given below,
both the Region's and the states' systems are
being utilized for some of the pilots.
Region VH's four pilot projects are listed
below and are described in the following
pages:
• Kansas — Non-pom source pollution
analysis
• Missouri — Emergency response
development
• Nebraska — Wellhead protection /
DRASTIC analysis
• Iowa — Pilot data base development /
Prioritizing RCRA sites
Completion of all four pilots is scheduled for
FY 89. Another planned GIS project
involving wetlands permits is described
below.
Region Vn also has a cooperative
agreement with the Kansas Applied Remote
Sensing (KARS) program at the University of
Kansas. Two research projects that are being
funded by this cooperative agreement are:
• Development of a methodology to
derive input parameters to a
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non-point source pollution model
from remote sensing data
• Development of a methodology for
an environmental quality index
The results of these two KARS projects
will be used in conjunction with work being
done with the Kansas and Iowa pilot projects,
respectively. The KARS projects are
described in more detail below as part of the
summaries for the Kansas and Iowa pilots.
Kansas
Non-Point Source Pollution Analysis
Region Vn is using CIS for an analysis of
non-point source pollution in an 8000 acre
watershed in Kansas. This project, which is
the regional CIS pilot for Region YE, is being
done in association with the Kansas
Department of Health and Environment, the
Kansas Water Board, the U.S. Soil
Conservation Service, and Region Vn's
Drinking Water Branch.
CIS is being utilized to generate inputs to
the Agricultural Non-point Source (AGNPS)
model and to map model outputs. AGNPS is
a grid-cell model that requires numerous
parameters related to slope, aspect, soil, and
other variables. OIEA is automating
procedures to generate these input parameters
from data in an ARC/INFO data base.
AGNPS outputs will then be mapped with
ARC/INFO and overlaid with land use and
land cover data. From this work, scenarios
involving different land management practices
will be developed to determine the best land
management practices for the area that
minimize runoff. These results will be
presented to local fanners, who are the
individuals responsible for land management
practices.
After completion of the Kansas pilot
project, state agencies would like to apply the
AGNPS model and GIS to the entire state.
Although field surveys were used to collect
and verify data for the Kansas pilot project,
field surveys would be far too time-consuming
for a state-wide project To alleviate this
problem, the KARS program is conducting
research on a methodology to derive twenty-
one input parameters to the AGNPS model
from remote sensing and other data sources.
This research is being funded by a grant from
Region VTL
Emergency Response Development J
Region Vn and the Missouri Department
of Natural Resources are developing an
emergency response management plan for
hazardous spills that may contaminate water
supplies. A GIS data base is being built that
contains data on soils, geology, landfills,
RCRA sites, and other data within a one-mile
radius of all public water supplies in Missouri.
From this information and data on public
water supplies, a state-wide wellhead
protection plan will be developed.
Using the NETWORK module of
ARC/INFO, various scenarios for hazardous
spills will be examined to determine the
following information:
• Length of time
contaminate water supplies;
for spills to
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• Which water supplies would be
affected by spills;
• Alternative water supplies for towns
with contaminated water supplies; and
• Economic impacts of using
alternative water supplies.
A detailed study will be conducted in SL
Charles County, where a data base for the
entire county is being built for examining
emergency response scenarios.
Much of the data needed for the CIS data
bases for this project is in paper files.
Missouri is responsible for data extraction
work and for construction of the data base.
Region YE will be involved with generating
and running scenarios for hazardous waste
spills.
Nebraska
V Wellhead Protection / Drastic Analysis >
Region VII and the Nebraska Department
of Environmental Control (NDEC) are
conducting a ground water vulnerability
analysis for the state of Nebraska using the
DRASTIC index. This analysis will be
combined with public water supply data to
develop a state-wide wellhead protection plan.
CIS will be utilized in the project to map the
results of the DRASTIC analysis, to examine
spatial relationships between data, and to
assist in buffer zone analyses around
wellheads. From the results of this project,
the most vulnerable wells could be identified
and prioritized for increased monitoring and
protection activities. The project is being
conducted at a scale of 1:250,000.
In conjunction with this project, Region
and NDEC will implement and test a
facility to transmit data between Nebraska's
ERDAS and PC ARC/INFO system and
Region VH's PRIME ARC/INFO system.
This facility will then be used to transmit data
layers comprising the DRASTIC index from
Nebraska to Region VIL
Iowa
Pilot Data Base Development/
Prioritizing RCRA Sites
With the assistance of Region VII, the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources is
developing a pilot CIS data base to be used
with its PC ARC/INFO system. Region VE
will then use this data base to prioritize RCRA
sites in Iowa.
Prioritization of Iowa's RCRA sites will
be based on indices of environmental hazard
and environmental quality being developed by
Region VH and the KARS program. RCRA
sites have already been ranked on a manual
environmental hazard index that gives a
relative measure of the hazard associated with
a site. The KARS program is being funded by
Region Vn to develop a methodology for an
environmental quality index. This research is
investigating methods for using CIS and
remote sensing technologies with the index.
Region VH plans to pilot test the index with
the Iowa RCRA sites. Region VU also hopes
to automate the manual environmental hazard
index.
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Wetlands Permits
ffl-58
Region Vn is in the initial planning stages
for a GIS pilot project related to wetlands
permits. Approximately three hundred to five
hundred wedands permits must be evaluated
per year by two Region Vn staff members.
Many of these requests for permits are
submitted after an activity requiring a permit
has already occurred. The lack of public
awareness about the law and the lack of strong
environmental groups in the Midwest
contribute to this situation.
GIS could be used to assist the wetlands
permit process in a several ways. A GIS data
base would allow consolidation of data on
permits and provide a means of identifying
areas with many permits or with permits
granted after unauthorized activities occurred.
This information could be used in turn to
concentrate inspection efforts in critical areas.
A baseline for current wetlands could be
established from a GIS data base. This would
assist in prioritizing wedands for protection.
Areas where fill and excavation activities
would be permitted or restricted could be
identified in advance, which would assist in
the permit review process. Finally, CIS-
produced maps could be used to increase
public awareness of the need to preserve
wetlands.
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Implementation Issues
Management/
Communications
The development of a CIS program at Region VH has been the result of much careful
thought and planning. Before establishing a GIS program, Region YE met with key individuals
at other GIS installations in EPA (e.g., Region IV, EMSL-LV) to learn from the experiences of
these other sites. An ad hoc group of Region VII's senior managers and staff interested in GIS
was established to assist in the formation of the Office of Integrated Environmental Analysis
(OIEA), which is the regional office responsible for GIS. Because GIS is viewed as a
management tool and service that must be available to all program divisions and the states, it was
decided that OIEA should reside within the Office of Policy and Management, as opposed to one
of the other programmatic divisions.
In its implementation of GIS, OIEA stresses serving program offices and involving
programs and states in the use of GIS. OIEA's service orientation is not that of a service bureau
which runs user applications. Rather, OIEA plans to design and develop applications that will
serve the needs of programs. These applications will then be turned over to the programs for
their day-to-day use.
To involve the programs in the implementation of GIS, OIEA sent a questionnaire on
information needs to all regional section and branch chiefs. The questionnaire asked what types
of information were needed to accomplish the goals of their programs, what sources of data were
used, and what types of outputs were required for program operations. Based on replies to the
questionnaire, follow-up interviews were conducted with the managers to identify ways in which
GIS might help managers in meeting their programs' goals and in the decision-making process.
From this work, forty-nine applications for GIS and the major data layers required for those
applications were identified. Through this input from program managers, OIEA has acquired
invaluable information to use in focusing its GIS resources on serving the needs of Region VII's
programs.
Another mechanism through which OIEA receives input from regional programs is through
two advisory groups of program staff. The first group, which consists of program senior
managers, serves as a GIS "board of directors" by approving GIS projects. The second group is
an advisory task group of technical staff that assists in proposing and implementing GIS
applications. This technical group helps OIEA to identify program sources of information for
GIS projects. Program staff may use the task group to obtain information on how GIS may be
applied to their programs.
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As stated above, OEEA has taken an approach to CIS that has involved the Region's states
as well as the EPA program offices. Proposals from both the states and the programs offices
were considered in designing the Region's GIS pilot projects. The pilots had to be of interest
and use to both the states and the regional programs. By taking an approach that has involved
the states as full partners in the pilot projects, OIEA has been able to bring the states along in
their use of GIS at the same time that OIEA is acquiring GIS expertise. This approach has been
successful in that the GIS seed money provided by Region VH's cooperative agreements with the
states has resulted in additional funds being allocated to GIS by the state legislatures.
The cooperative agreements between Region Vn and the states for the pilot projects are
formal written agreements that include approved project work plans. The project responsibilities
for both Region VQ and the states are specified in the agreements.
The involvement of the states and regional programs has been a major factor in the
successful implementation of GIS to date at Region Vn. Another key factor has been the
support of upper management at Region VH The Deputy Regional Administrator and the
Assistant Regional Administrator have been very supportive of establishing a GIS program, and
as a result, Region Vn has had excellent start-up resources for GIS. Enthusiam for GIS extends
to the program staff, who see GIS as a tool for assisting them in their work. While some division
directors are also supportive of using GIS, other division directors are more tentative in their
enthusiam and are waiting to see actual products from GIS before fully supporting its use.
To sustain interest and support during the life of a GIS project, Region Vn plans to identify
and produce useful interim products from a project Although these interim products, which may
be various types of maps, would not be the end goals of a project, they would provide useful
information to program offices supporting the project and would serve to sustain project support
Region Vn also plans to keep GIS projects relatively simple whenever possible. Although GIS
is a complex technology, every application does not have to be complex to be useful to EPA
programs.
Region VH expressed the need to communicate with the states, other EPA Regions, and
academia about developments in the use of GIS. With the explosion of interest and use of GIS, it
has become difficult to keep up with the work of others. To assist in this need for sharing
information and technology transfer, Region Vn holds an annual coordination meeting with its
states. This forum is one mechanism of enabling all states in the Region to know what the other
states are doing with GIS.
As another method of fostering communication about GIS, Region Vn plans to write
complete documentation for its GIS pilot projects. The documentation will include detailed steps
of the methods and procedures used in the projects, the results of the projects, and the impacts of
applying the project results. This documentation will enable Region Vn to share the findings of
its pilot projects with others.
Region VH's concern for GIS communications extends to its interest in communicating
project results to the public, since most efforts at improving environmental quality require public
support When a community relationship component of a project is known at the beginning of
the project a community relationship plan will be incorporated as part of the overall project plan.
This has occurred for some of the cooperative agreements that are supporting the GIS pilot
projects.
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The long-term support required to maintain a GIS program is an issue that Region VH
believes will need careful attention. Efforts to share project and data acquisition costs need to be
explored. Cooperative agreements coordinated by EPA Headquarters that would provide for free
data sharing with other federal agencies could reduce project costs. Other possibilities that
should be investigated include sharing project costs and work responsibilities with the states and
close cooperation with program offices in securing funding. All of these efforts require
advanced planning that would identify the resources needed for future projects. With its role of
developing common data bases, OIEA could coordinate common data requirements for GIS
projects in such pre-planning efforts.
Data
OIEA has developed a conceptual framework for a regional GIS data base for Region VH
This framework has been based on results from the questionnaire on information needs sent by
OIEA to section and branch chiefs. Responses to the questionnaire identified fifty-six major data
layers needed for proposed GIS applications. These data layers have been prioritized into high,
medium, and low categories for acquisition. Although the total number of data layers for
applications could be several hundred, the fifty-six layers represent most of the high and medium
priority data required for the Region's potential GIS applications, Key data layers required by
many of the applications include the following:
• Base map layers, including hydrography, political boundaries, transportation, and
elevation
Soils
Water quality
Public water supply locations
Air quality
Geology and hydrogeology
RCRA and Superfund sites
To implement its conceptual framework for a regional data base, OIEA has set up
ARC/INFO map libraries for each of Region VH's four states. As data are acquired for specific
projects, the data will be incorporated into the libraries. In general, OIEA will concentrate on
obtaining data needed for specific projects and will use that data to build a regional data base
over time, as opposed to developing all data layers for a regional data base immediately. As an
exception to this plan, some key layers, such as the base map layers listed above, may be
obtained for the entire region even if parts of the layers are not needed immediately by a project
Whenever possible, data will be acquired at a scale of 1:24,000.
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Region Vn staff stated that data acquisition is the most time-consuming task of a CIS
project Determining who has what types of data is often a long process. After data sources
have been identified, much time and money may be spent in acquiring the data and preparing the
data for use in a CIS. For Region Vn, the time and cost of acquiring data are constraints on the
immediate development of a regional data base. By taking a project-specific approach to data
acquisition, the problem of waiting for results from a CIS while large data bases are being
developed is minimized.
Region Vn's approach of working closely with its states for GIS implementation has aided
the Region in acquiring data. Although some federal and state agencies have been reluctant to
share data, both the personal contacts developed between OIEA and individuals in states
agencies and the general good relationships between Region VII and its states have made sharing
state data much easier. Because states and local governments generate much data needed for
environmental analysis, contacts with the states are important for obtaining data for many
projects.
Since data acquisition is such a major cost for GIS projects, Region VII is interested in
agreements that may be established with states or other federal agencies that permit sharing data
for free or sharing the costs of acquiring data. As stated in the Management/Communications
section, OIEA could play an important role in data sharing at Region Vn by coordinating
projects that need common data. GIS greatly facilititates such data integration efforts, and OIEA
would like to utilize GIS to meet data coordination goals.
Much of the state and local data that may be needed by Region Vn is based on the
section/township/range locational reference system. To use this data in the Region's GIS will
require converting the data to latitude/longitude coordinates. As the states develop their own
ARC/INFO data bases, they also will need to convert such data to latitude/longitude coordinates.
Region YE has expressed concern about data quality issues for GIS. Both the quality of
locational data and the need to measure the accuracy of source data and outputs from a GIS are
pressing problems that must be addressed. Region Vn has found that much of the locational
information in EPA's data files is poor. For some RCRA and Superfund sites, the mailing
address for a company associated with a site is found in the files, as opposed to the location of
the site itself. Region Vn also stated that methods must be developed to measure the accuracy of
GIS maps. An error measure is needed not only for source maps but also for cumulative errors
on GIS-produced maps that are the result of combining different types of data with different
levels of accuracy. This type of error measurement is vital for legal actions that may be based on
results of GIS analyses.
To begin to address data quality issues, Region YE has taken initial actions to verify
locations in the field and to conduct a study on data quality assurance and control (QA/QQ in a
GIS. Region Vn has purchased five portable Loran C units that may be checked out by program
and state personnel performing field inspections. These units will enable field inspectors to
verify latitude and longitude coordinates for RCRA, Superfund, and other sites that receive on-
site inspections.
Region Vn has also begun work on GIS QA/QC issues, with the goal of identifying a
quality indicator that could be used throughout a GIS application. OIEA would like to conduct a
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review of all literature on error tracking and measurement for spatial data. A pilot project may
alsobe conducted to track errors throughout the process of utilizing a CIS. Region VH plans to
coordinate its QA/QC efforts with work being done by the Environmental Monitoring Systems
Laboratory at Las Vegas.
Staffing
At the time that this report was written, ODEA's GIS staff consisted of one EPA employee
and one Computer Sciences Corporation contractor, who is also the PRIME systems
administrator. OIEA was in the process of hiring two additional EPA employees. The ideal
candidates will have expertise in environmental management, since OIEA believes that it is
easier to teach ARC/INFO and computer skills to someone with expertise in environmental
management than to teach environmental management to a computer scientist
Project teams that have been formed for GIS projects at Region Vn consist of an OIEA
staff member, representatives from each state agency involved in the project, and a regional EPA
staff member from the associated program. Having a program staff person on a project team has
been important to the successful planning and implementation of the projects. The program
staffer is involved with all meetings that are convened for the project
Software
Region Vn acquired all modules of ARC/INFO in February, 1988. After initial difficulties
were encountered in getting a Tektronix digitizer to work with ARC/INFO, ESRI wrote a driver
for the digitizer that permitted the digitizer to be connected directly to the PRIME computer,
rather than through a terminal. In general, Region YE has been satisified with ESRI's support
and responsiveness for resolving ARC/INFO problems.
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m-64
INFO is viewed as a limited data base management system. Although INFO is easy to use
for simple tasks, complex tasks are awkward to program in INFO. Programs requiring multiple
files are cumbersome to write, especially if the files cannot be related by a common key.
As OIEA acquires more staff and develops a broader base of expertise in ARC/INFO,
OIEA would like to develop user-friendly ARC/INFO macros for program users. These macros
would be part of OIEA's development of applications for program offices, who would then use
the macros and applications on a daily basis.
All of the states in Region YE have or will be acquiring a version of ARC/INFO. Missouri
currently has ARC/INFO installed on a PRIME computer, whereas Kansas has ARC/INFO and a
PRIME on order. Both Nebraska and Iowa have purchased PC ARC/INFO. With all the states
in Region Vn having the same GIS, exchange of common routines and ARC/INFO data bases
will be greatly facilitated.
Hardware
As shown in Figure 5, Region Ws current hardware configuration for GIS consists of a
PRIME 2755 and supporting peripherals. A Calcomp electrostatic plotter has been ordered.
Region VTTs hardware is adequate to meet its current processing requirements for GIS.
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FigureS
Overview of Region VII GIS
and Related Computer Systems
Calcomp
8-pcn Plotter
(2) Tektronix 4207s
Tektronix 4325
Workstation
PRIME 2755
On Order
Calcomp
Electrostatic Plotter
Epson PC
Tektronix Digitizer
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m-65
Constraints
The main constraints on CIS work at Region VH are data availability, data acquisition,
and data quality. As described in the Data section above, determining who has what types of
data is often a lengthy process. Some governmental agencies that may have useful data are
reluctant to share their data. After data that are available have been identified, acquiring that
data may be time-consuming and expensive. The data may be in paper files that have to be
searched, compiled, and automated. If no data of a specific type are available, expensive field
survey work may have to be done. These expensive procedures greatly increase the cost and
time required for a GIS project Even after data are obtained and automated as part of a GIS data
base, the quality of that data may cast doubt on the accuracy and reliability of GIS analyses that
used the data. Consequently, Region YE views these data problems to be the major constraints
on its GIS work.
The issues of data quality are especially of great concern to Region Vn, particularly for
GIS work that may lead to legal actions. Region YE staff stated that they have a responsiblity to
know the limits of accuracy of their GIS products and analyses and to convey those limits to
others, so that information from GIS analyses is not misused. Without good quality assurance
measurements for GIS, it is difficult to fulfill that responsibility.
Conclusion
Region Vn has involved both the regional program offices and the Region's states in the
implementation of GIS. The pilot projects selected for the Region were chosen to be of interest
and use to both the programs and the states. The pilot projects are being conducted as joint
cooperative efforts between Region VH and the states, and program staff are also part of the
project teams. This approach by Region Vn has been successful in gaining much interest and
support for GIS from both program staff and the states. Upper management has also provided
excellent start-up support for GIS, which has been a major factor in initiating the GIS program at
Region YE.
The small size of the Region's GIS staff has limited the amount of GIS work that could be
done. With the planned increase in staff size, additional GIS applications beyond the pilot
projects may be undertaken.
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TO
era
5"
3
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m-66
State
COLORADO
• Denver
Impairments to Aquatic Life
Metropolitan
Denver Brown Cloud
Ground Water Vulnerability
Regional
\MT
WY
N.D.
S.D.
CO
• Data Base Development
Site Specific
Clark Fork River
Lowry Landfill
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
GIS at Region vm has been implemented successfully in support of
several pilot projects and has the potential of becoming an integral part of
program activities. The Region is approaching GIS program development and
GIS pilot projects from a wide range of geographic levels of analysis. The
successful application of GIS in Region VHTs state and metropolitan pilot
projects has demonstrated that GIS is a useful tool in the Region's decision-
making process.
The following programs are being conducted or planned at Region VHI:
STATE — GIS has been used to map ecoregions in Colorado as well as
help identify patterns of impairments to aquatic life from metals,
sediments, salinity, and nutrients.
METROPOLITAN - As part of the Denver Brown Cloud project, GIS is
being integrated with UDAR (a laser-based air particle monitoring
device) to help scientists determine the fate and transport of the Denver
Brown Cloud. In addition, GIS will assist in the analysis of ground-
based air quality monitor placement.
GIS is also being used to visualize ground water environmental
characteristics and contamination sources to help identify the potential
vulnerability of northwest Denver to ground water contamination.
REGIONAL - A regional GIS data base is being developed for the
application of region-wide analyses as well as to provide separate EPA
programs access to the same data.
SITE-SPECIFIC - As part of Montana's Clark Fork River NPL Site
project, GIS is being used in macro site analysis and as a support for
monitoring activity. Region VHTs advisory role provides for quality
assurance in the project.
In a planned project, GIS will be used to develop scenarios that will aid
in the evaluation of a Superfund site in southeast Denver.
Region Vnrs GIS work has depended upon several key factors:
o Program staff that understands the value of GIS as a
communications tool;
o Program staff initiating a collaborative effort with the GIS team;
and
o A GIS team staffed by environmental experts with EPA program
experience and computer technology expertise.
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CIS at Region VIII
During the past year GIS has been
implemented at the pilot level in Region Vm.
Initial activities have included the acquisition
of software, hardware, and telecommunication
equipment and the formation of a GIS support
team. The Region has focused on
implementing pilot projects at four different
scales - Regional, State, Metropolitan, and
Site Specific. The projects have concentrated
on surface/ground water quality assessments
and air quality monitoring assessments.
Region VIE began its work with GIS in
the Spring of 1988 by remotely accessing
Research Triangle Park's (RTF) ARC/INFO
system in North Carolina. Region VHI plans
to install an on-site system in 1989. A GIS
team that consists of three EPA staff members
was formed in the Environmental Monitoring
and Assessment Section of Region VETs
Environmental Surveillance Branch. The GIS
team is augmented by another EPA staff
member who devotes fifty percent of his time
towards GIS applications. ARC/INFO
training for the GIS team occurred during
March, 1988. Region VIE senior manage-
ment's decision to commit additional
personnel to the GIS program will eventually
bring the GIS team's FTE total to five.
Using GIS, Region VHI plans to
accomplish the following objectives:
1) Significantly enhance the use and
analysis of environmental data in
Region VIE;
2) Integrate regional geographic
data into one framework;
3) Achieve better usage, control and
display of regional data:
a. across EPA data sets
b. across agencies; and
4) Incorporate more spatial analysis in
regional problems, programs, and
projects.
Six pilot projects are described in the
following sections:
STATE
- Impairments to Aquatic Life in
Colorado
METROPOLITAN
- Denver Brown Cloud
- Denver Ground Water Vulnerability
REGIONAL
• Data Base Development
SITE SPECIFIC
- dark Fork River NPL Site
- Lowry
State
COLORADO
• Dearer \
• Impairments to Aquatic Uf*
In a cooperative effort with the
Environmental Research Laboratory at
Corvallis (ERL-C), Region Vffl's Water
Management Division is conducting a
demonstration study that focuses on
assessment of surface water quality in
Colorado. The goal of the study is to
demonstrate the value of using GIS and an
ecoregion approach for water monitoring and
assessment, and to identify patterns of
impairment to aquatic life. Region VIE
suggests that ecorcgions provide an
appropriate framework for monitoring and
evaluating natural patterns in water resource
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m-69
quality, and help to determine regionally
Attainable quantitative, chemical, and
biological goals of water quality.
ERL-C is a leader in ecorcgion research
and has provided much assistance to Region
Vm by supplying ecorcgion data as well as
sending an environmental scientist to work
with the Region Vm staff on data base
development for one year. The demonstration
study is scheduled for completion in June,
1989.
Tasks completed or scheduled to be
completed for the project are as follows:
(1) Map ecoregions and sub-ecorcgions in
Colorado. With data provided by ERL-C as
well as other sources (i.e., Petroleum
Information Data Base), Colorado has been
divided into ecoregions and sub-ecorcgions,
and a draft map displaying this information
has been completed. The map has been
digitized and sample maps compiled at a
1; 500,000 scale have been printed. With
ARC/INFO, the ecorcgion and sub-ecoregion
data can be combined with stream trace data
to display areas within which stream quality is
expected to be relatively similar when
compared with the quality of other areas, and
to identify candidate reference sites to assess
attainable stream quality.
(2) Use statistical analyses of available
chemical and biological data (i.e., STORET
data) to demonstrate the process of assessing
present and attainable quality of aquatic
ecosystems. This requires:
a. selecting sites by location (e.g., latitude/
longitude, county, or hydrologic units);
b. selecting sites by station type (e.g., lake,
ambient stream, etc.).
This information- has been converted into
an ARC/INFO format through a series of
computer programs.
(3) Demonstrate the use of GIS for storage,
retrieval, and analysis of data. Among the
tasks Region Vm has accomplished are:
a. Created a River Reach File that divides
each of Colorado's streams into
segments and identifies each segment
with an 11 digit identifier, the reach
number. Region VHI's
ARC/INFO data bases can be accessed
using the River Reach Number.
b. Integrated hydrography data (i.e.,
streams, lakes and reservoir traces)
from Petroleum Information Data Base
into ecoregion and sub-ecoregion data.
c. Culled small streams for use in low-
level resolution maps.
(4) Produce Aquatic Life Use Maps and
Aquatic Life Use Impairment Maps. With
ARC/INFO, aquatic life use data has been
combined with stream trace data to produce a
composite map that displays the spatial
distribution of aquatic life use classes.
Aquatic life uses are mapped as the categories
Cold Water Classes I and n and Warm Water
Classes I and n.
ARC/INFO has also been used to display
aquatic life use impairment
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ffl-70
for implementing and benefiting from the
ecorcgion approach. The maps produced with
CIS help water quality managers see how the
information fits together geographically and
can assist in the setting of priorities for water
quality control.
Metropolitan
Dwiwr Brown Cloud
Ground Water Vulnerability
There are two pilot projects currently
taking place at the metropolitan scale. The
first project is assisting in the evaluation of the
Denver Brown Cloud, while the second
project is assisting in the evaluation of
Denver's ground water vulnerability.
Region VHTs Denver Brown Cloud
project assesses air pollution exposure among
the metropolitan area's residents. The project
is currently using CIS to help in:
(1) Determining if the ground-based air
quality monitors are in the optimal location for
the collection of data. Health risks of the
population may more accurately be
determined from the improved placement of
the monitors.
(2) Determining the fate and transport of
the Denver Brown Cloud.
A data base has been developed that
includes:
- air quality data
- soils data
- cultural features
- hydrography
- roads
- census tracts
- population data
CIS can help in determining more accurate
placements of the air quality monitors by
enabling scientists to visualize characteristics
of the pollution, population, and other
parameters. In addition, the CIS results can
be used as a quality control device whereby
scientists can compare the CIS results to those
of other air quality models to determine their
accuracy.
Region VHI has also been integrating
LJDAR data with CIS. LTDAR, which refers
to Light Detection and Ranging, uses light
waves to detect and range (measure the
distance to) airborne particles. For air
pollution monitoring, a very short burst of
laser light is beamed through a smokestack
plume or through the air above Denver. Back
scatter is then recorded from the particles or
other substances reflected in the laser beam.
The scatter is subsequently convened into a
"picture" of the air contaminants the beam has
encountered.
Region VHI has obtained LJDAR data
from the Environmental Monitoring Systems
Laboratory at Las Vegas (EMSL-LV) in an
ARC/INFO format, and is using LEDAR and
CIS as tools to help determine the fate and
transport of the Denver Brown Cloud.
Analyses for the pilot will address several
project objectives, including those listed
below:
(1) Determine the extent to which the air
mass has aged.
(2) Determine the extent of the air mass's
movement
(3) Determine the source of pollutants that
compose the cloud.
LJDAR has been of great use in helping
the Region VIE staff determine the source of
pollutants that compose the cloud. For
example, a Denver Brown Cloud study was
done previously by a private consortium at the
government's request Without the aid of
LJDAR, the consortium determined that
smokestacks in the Denver metropolitan area
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m-7i
were not a primary contributor to the cloud.
LIDAR, however, can collect data over a
much more extensive area than was previously
done and has enabled Region VHTs Brown
Cloud study to determine that the
smokestacks are a contributing source to the
Denver Brown Cloud.
The staff regards CIS as an important tool
in the interpretation of LIDAR data. For
instance, the ability of CIS to accurately map
the information contained in the LIDAR data
has enabled Region VIE to pinpoint a distant
smokestack that contributes to the Brown
Cloud. GIS makes LIDAR data more
comprehensible.
The LIDAR/GIS Denver Brown Cloud
project is regarded by the Region VIE staff as
being an influential study. It can help the
EPA scientists more accurately locate sources
of air pollutants, as well as help them
understand the Brown Cloud's air flow
pattern.
Region VET is also using the metropolitan
scale approach in a pilot project that will help
identify the potential vulnerability of
northwest Denver to ground water
contamination. The Region is working in
cooperation with the USGS, and is using the
DRASTIC index to assess the ground water
vulnerability of the area. The pilot will
demonstrate how GIS can be used as a tool to
make management decisions related to ground
water protection. Examples of decisions that
may be supported by the use of GIS include
the following:
(1) Delineate boundaries of wellhead
protection areas; and
(2) Identify the location of underground
storage tanks (USTs).
Extensive data sets have been collected for
this effort, including:
- locations of Public Water Supply wells
- roads
- counties
- streams
- elevations
- census data
- ground water vulnerability data
- geology
- aquifers
Region VIE intends to utilize these base
data sets for other projects in addition to the
DRASTIC study.
Regional
• Data B>M D*v»lopm»nt
Region VHI has begun the development of
a regional level GIS data base that will
integrate point (and to a lesser degree, non-
point) data from EPA's National Data Bases
as well as from other sources of data.
The data base consists of:
- STORETdata
- air quality monitoring data
- locations of NPDES major discharges
- locations of CERCLA sites
- locations of RCRA sites
- hydrography data
- point sources of air and water pollution
- non-point sources (i.e., feedlots, mining
areas)
The development of the data base has been
in operation since March, 1988 and will use
GIS to support several goals:
(1) Create base maps so the location of the
pollution sources may be easily identified.
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ffl-72
(2) Perform analysis on a regional basis.
For instance, CIS could be used as a tool to
help officials prioritize Region Vin's RCRA
sites.
(3) Stimulate upper management interest in
CIS. By demonstrating to senior management
the value of CIS in the Region's decision-
making process, it is hoped that they will more
actively support the Region's GIS
development
(4) Provide an effective means of
communicating information to the public.
Site Specific
. Clark Fork Rlv«r
• Lowry Landfill
The Clark Fork River NPL site in
Montana, which actually consists of four NPL
sites, is one of the largest NPL areas in the
country. With its 150 river miles and over
100 years of copper mining, the site will
require massive investigative and cleanup
efforts. The site involves numerous
environmental problems, many of which are
related to contaminant migration of heavy
metals.
The project was initiated by EPA's
Montana Operations Office in Helena. Staff
at this office felt that GIS may be a useful
technology to apply to the Clark Fork River
ite but had no knowledge about how to apply
the technology. The Montana office sought
EMSL-LV's help in formulating a work plan
and in designing and building a GIS data base.
Region VH3 has an advisory role in the
project Montana had little knowledge of GIS
at the start of the project in the summer of
1987, and Region Vm played a major role in
helping the state identify and more effectively
utilize available resources (i.e., data, GIS
knowledge, etc.). In addition, data must meet
Region VHTs high-quality standards before it
is recommended for use by the state.
The focus of the project involves using
GIS in macro site analysis and as a support to
monitoring activity. For the longer term GIS
will be used as a tool to augment the remedial
investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) process
for the site. Because the site has so many
environmental problems that overlap spatially,
GIS is viewed as the best method to
characterize the nature and extent of these
problems in a remedial investigation. It is
anticipated that the data base that is being
built may be used for twenty years in support
of a broad range of activities at the site.
In addition to its work at the Clark Fork
River NPL site, Region VET is also in the
planning stage of a GIS pilot project that will
help evaluate southeast Denver's Lowry
Landfill Superfund site. The Lowry Landfill
is a small (one-half square mile) NPL site that
Region Vm would like to use for GIS test
applications. With data provided from fifty-
four test wells as well as from other sources
(Le., chemistry data from waste ponds),
Region VHI plans to develop a data base with
extensive locational information for this site.
Ground water analysis will then be performed
with the GIS with the hope that Region VTH
can characterize the nature and extent of the
problems involved.
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m-73
Implementation Issues
~VA': Management!
Communications
Three important factors have contributed to the successful implementation of GIS at Region
VIH:
(1) The program staff in some areas (i.e., Water Management Division) sought the assistance of
the GIS staff for help in their programs. This initiation on the part of the program staff towards a
collaborative effort with the GIS team has demonstrated their interest in GIS and has been
instrumental in the application of GIS in Region VET.
(2) Program managers view GIS as a useful communications tool. The capability of GIS to
analyze and display large amounts of data enables program managers to more clearly determine
where their efforts should be focused.
(3) The program staff also helped to turn around initial resistance to GIS, as well as develop
priorities for determining where GIS was needed most (i.e., water quality and air quality
applications).
Region Yin's GIS team emphasized the need for upper management support if GIS is to be
fully implemented in the Region in support of agency programs. The GIS team believes that
successful pilot projects will prove the utility of GIS to upper management and will be a critical
factor in getting upper management's support The GIS team also emphasized the need to have
program staff support GIS applications.
The GIS team considers the communication of GIS experiences with other Regions and
States as being very important, and as something that should be done now. If communication of
experiences is done at a later time (i.e., 1-2 years) in a more documented form, decision-makers
will be more set in their ways and tend to resist any changes suggested by these experiences.
Providing information now will influence GIS decisions later.
The GIS team also expressed concern that Region VTH's GIS projects are not addressing
enforcement and regulatory concepts, but instead are taking a planning agency approach to GIS
applications. The GIS staff suggests that this issue needs to be resolved for GIS to continue to be
successful in EPA.
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ffl-74
Region Vm considers support from EPA Headquarters (Office of Information Resources
Management) to be a major factor in the successful implementation of Regional GIS. OIRM
involvement would be of benefit in the following areas:
(1) OIRM should enhance communication between Regions. For example, Region Vm needs to
know what Region VI or Region HI has been doing with GIS. It is recommended that OIRM:
a. act as a conduit to other agencies and get key people to share information;
b. recommend quarterly meetings and conference calls; and
c. advocate more thorough documentation of Regional GIS work.
(2) Headquarters should organize responsibilities for the Regions and research laboratories. For
example, the GIS staff at Region Vffl wants the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory
at Las Vegas (EMSL-LV) to develop AML macros for common applications so that a possible
duplication of effort will not take place at another Region. It is believed that OIRM should take
responsibility for coordinating efforts such as this.
(3) Headquarters needs to provide resources for the Regions. National support should be
provided for FTEs and contract dollars, as the Regions have limited control in these matters.
(4) Headquarters should take responsibility for setting data standards. For instance, the GIS
team expressed interest in having ARC/INFO's shade files standardized.
Region Vffl believes that a key factor in ensuring the success of a pilot project is to have a
management plan that clearly states the pilot's objectives, the data required, and analyses to be
done. Without having a specific end product in sight, program management will find it hard to
justify the commitment of resources towards the long term development of GIS.
The GIS team is concerned that CERGLA administrators do not view the usefulness of GIS
the same way as they do. While Region VIE is studying GIS applications from a scientific
approach in determining the role of GIS in the EPA, the management at CERCLA is driven by
the legal process and is more concerned with administrative requirements than the analytical
capabilities of GIS. The CERCLA administrators find it hard to see the value in GIS since it
does not affect their job responsibilities.
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m-75
/CZIZIL...
Data
Region Vffl's programs require the collection of surface water quality data and air quality
data. Much of this data is obtained through informal data sharing arrangements. The approach is
to either exchange or buy data bases already in existence and minimize digitizing, since the GIS
staff does not have enough manpower to support time-consuming digitizing efforts.
Data sets acquired by Region Vm include:
- STORETdata
- Petroleum Information Data Base:
o Land net (describes congressional townships)
o Hydrography data (stream, lake, and reservoir traces)
o Roads
o Political boundaries
- Air quality data
- Ecorcgion boundaries
- State and County boundaries
- USGS Hydrologic Cataloging Units
- Geology
- Ground water vulnerability
- Location of CERCLA/RCRA sites
A factor critical to the success of Region VIQ's demonstration study of impairments to
aquatic life in Colorado has been the commitment to developing and acquiring high quality
documentation. Region Yin's thorough documentation of data sources acquired (i.e., STORET
data and Petroleum Information Data Base) as well as map products developed (i.e., Aquatic Life
Use Map) has permitted the study's objectives to be more easily understood and analyzed.
It was mentioned by both Region VEH's program and GIS staff that the quality of the
locational data Region Vm has acquired varies from acceptable to poor. Only after the data has
been plotted out can the staff verify the locational accuracy of the data. Since the effectiveness
of GIS requires accurate locational information to be included in a data base, the issue of
correcting this data must be addressed.
GIS is used as a quality control/assurance device at Region VHI. Staff are able to
download data from the VAX, make any necessary corrections, and return it to the VAX in a
more improved version. It was suggested that QC/QA of this type could be best utilized during
the lengthy time the data base is being developed for GIS analysis.
There is a wide disparity of time and costs between the collection/preparation of the data and
the actual analysis of the data. Region Vm estimates that ten times more money is spent
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ffl-76
collecting data than analyzing it. The preparation (i.e., cleanup) of the data is considered the
most time-consuming element of Region YIU's data base development
Region Vm is acquiring data from sources such as the Soil Conservation Service, the
Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. The program staff has expressed concern
over the resource commitment necessary from Region VIE to keep this data current Moreover,
the GIS team recommends taking a regional approach towards data collection. They desire to
acquire data that can be used for more than one project
«__..
Staffing
The core GIS team at Region VHI consists of three environmental experts who have both
experience with EPA programs and expertise with computer technology. The staff has a high
degree of technical expertise in areas such as engineering and statistics. In addition, the team is
augmented by another EPA staff member who devotes fifty percent of his time towards GIS
applications.
Due to Region VHI upper management's decision to commit additional FTEs to the GIS
program, the GIS team will eventually consist of five ARC/INFO experts who will work with
ARC/INFO on a full-time basis. The GIS tram stressed that these additional positions will be
filled by either Environmental Scientists or Geographers with GIS skills, since their knowledge
of program areas is crucial to GIS application development The GIS team believes it is much
easier for an Environmental Scientist to develop expertise in ARC/INFO than it is for an ADP
expert to develop expertise in EPA program areas.
Region VHI has found great use for a GIS manager who, in addition to understanding EPA
policy and programs, has a strong knowledge of GIS. This individual has greatly facilitated the
use of GIS with program management's decision-making process through his ability to
understand how GIS may be integrated with the overall EPA program.
The GIS team has expressed interest in initiating a personnel rotation plan in which
individuals from other divisions (i.e., Water Division, Air Division) will spend several months
with the GIS staff . The benefits of this plan are:
1) The GIS team will gain the expertise of the rotated staff.
2) These individuals will learn about GIS and ARC/INFO and bring this knowledge back to
their divisions.
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m-T?
Interest has also been expressed in developing a personnel rotation plan with several Region
states that are working with GIS. The benefits the CIS team hopes to gain by this
collaboration are:
1) The possibility of developing CIS projects with the states.
2) The chance of a more extensive data sharing network.
The GIS team also sees a need for a staff cartographer. They believe that while information
on a GIS map will be correct, the complexity of the information might tend to confuse the
viewer. A cartographer's skills could be utilized to arrange the map's information in a more
presentable form.
The need to acquire staff at a lower level to perform many routine tasks for GIS projects, or
to contract out the lower level jobs, was also mentioned. By having other individuals do
digitizing and handle some data collection responsibilities, the GIS staff can devote more of their
time to the creative and analytical tasks of GIS projects.
Software
Both the program and GIS staff at Region Vm view ARC/INFO as a successful GIS
package. Region VHI has been using ARC/INFO since the Spring of 1988 through remote
access to RTF in North Carolina, and plans to acquire from OIRM an on-site system in FY89.
Region Vm still has a great deal more to learn about ARC/INFO and is getting much
support from RTF. The GIS team is generally pleased with the quality of support they are
getting from RTF. However, due to the relative unfamiliarity of GIS among program staff at
Region Vffl, ARC/INFO is still in the process of finding its "niche" among the different EPA
programs.
The GIS team is utilizing all ARC/INFO modules except NETWORK. They also desire to
have EMSL-LV develop user-friendly, menu-driven applications for Region VETs managers
through the use of AML.
Converting data bases from different sources (Le., River Reach File, Petroleum Information
Data Base, etc.) into the ARC/INFO format has been a relatively straightforward process, with
the only constraint being the occasionally lengthy amount of time required for such conversions.
The GIS tr-a*" also sees the need for EPA Headquarters to standardize ARC/INFO's shade files
so that the different EPA Regions will be consistent in their selection of thematic shading.
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Region Vffl has used ARC/INFO's LIBRARY function (which allows for efficient data
maintenance and organization) in the development of its data base. Through this function, the
state of Colorado data base, for example, can be retrieved by County, by ecorcgion, or by
hydrographic basin. These parts of the data base can be analyzed and mapped as well. Region
VIH considers the LIBRARY feature to be an integral part of its data base development
Hardware
As shown in Figure 6, Region Vffl's current hardware configuration consists of Tektronix
graphics terminals, a Calcomp digitizer, Zeta 8 and Calcomp pen plotters, and other supporting
peripherals connected via telecommunications to RTF's VAX cluster.
When Region Vm installs ARC/INFO on-site in FY89, its use of GIS will increase and
hardware upgrades will be required. There is presently a need for an electrostatic plotter as well
as Tektronix emulation boards so that staff may utilize PCs for ARC/INFO applications.
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Figure 6
Overview of Region VIII CIS
and Related Computer Systems
ZctaS
Pen Plotter
Tektronix 4224
Research Triangle Park
DECVT131
Vax Cluster
Tektronix 4207
•A" \
Calcomp
9000 Digitizer
Calcomp 1075
4-pen Plotter
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Constraints
Several constraints are seen as impacting future CIS work in Region VET:
(1) CIS projects have not addressed enforcement and regulatory concepts: Region Vm
believes that its current GIS applications arc not being developed from a regulatory point of
view, but instead are being developed from a planning agency point of view. Without
developing GIS applications that are uniquely representative of EPA, Region Vm believes that
successful GIS applications will be limited at EPA.
(2) Need for upper management support: Insufficient resources have been a major
constraint for the GIS team. However, upper management's recent decision to commit
additional FTEs for GIS has demonstrated the growing management support for GIS at Region
VIIL Upper management support and the availability of adequate resources are essential during
the data base development stage in which Region Vm is involved.
(3) EPA Headquarters should take a more supportive role in Regional GIS
implementation: OIRM should provide support for such GIS issues as:
a. Organizing Regional communications;
b. Organizing responsibilities between Regions and EPA's research laboratories at Las
Vegas and Corvallis;
c. Providing resources for Regions in terms of FTEs and contract dollars; and
d. Setting data standards on a national scale.
(4) Quality of acquired locational data varies: Both the program and GIS staff have
expressed concern that the quality of the locational data they have acquired varies from
acceptable to poor. In most cases, the accuracy of the data can only be verified after the data has
been plotted. Poor or missing locational data prevents GIS from being useful for regulatory
work, and acquiring these accurate locations requires a time-consuming, but necessary, effort
Conclusion
GIS at Region Vm has been implemented successfully in several pilot projects. This
success has been due to Region VETs program staff initiating a collaborative effort with the GIS
team, and the program staffs ability to see GIS as a useful communications tool. Other
important factors include a core GIS team with experience in EPA programs and expertise in
computer technology, and a GIS manager who has both an understanding of EPA policy and
programs as well as a strong knowledge of GIS. The evolution of GIS from pilot stage to
production, however, will require GIS projects with more focus on enforcement and regulatory
concepts, continued support from upper management and EPA Headquarters, and better
locational data in EPA data bases.
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63
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m-80
Macro Site Analysis
-V
Clark Fork MvarNPLSrte
Demonstration Projects
Ground Water Modeling and
Human Exposure Assessment
Contaminant
Pathway Analysis
tanOabrMNPLSM*
BayNPLSN*
• CIS Data Base Development
• Integrating Other Technologies With CIS
• Developing Techniques for Applying CIS
Air Quality Analysis
O«nv*r Brown Ctoud
Regional Support
Technical Evaluations
CIS Technical
Memoranda
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Spatial Analysis Laboratory of the Environmental Monitoring Systems
Laboratory at Las Vegas (EMSL-LV) is EPA's GIS Center of Excellence. EMSL-
LV conducts geographical research, performs environmental analyses, and
develops advanced geoprocessing techniques and technologies for the benefit
of Agency research initiatives and regulatory programs. EMSL-LV transfers
this knowledge and expertise to EPA Regions and programs through
demonstration projects, technical assistance, and technical memoranda.
EMSL-LV conducts a wide range of projects and other activities, which
include but are not limited to the following examples:
GIS DATA BASES FOR NPL SITES: EMSL-LV is building GIS data
bases for several NPL sites that will be used for many years for
remedial and cleanup work.
INTEGRATING OTHER TECHNOLOGIES WITH GIS: Several of EMSL-
LVs projects are integrating GIS with data obtained from other
technologies, such as remote sensing, photogrammetry, and LJDAR (a
type of laser that measures back scatter from particulates in the air).
DEVELOPING TECHNIQUES FOR APPLYING GIS: Examples of work
for which EMSL-LV is developing GIS techniques are contaminant
pathway analysis and air pollutant exposure assessment.
REGIONAL SUPPORT: EMSL-LV has provided technical support to
EPA Regions I, m, and VH for their GIS projects.
TECHNICAL EVALUATIONS: EMSL-LV is performing technical
evaluations of PC ARC/INFO, GIS workstations, and data transfer
algorithms between ARC/INFO and ERDAS.
GIS TECHNICAL MEMORANDA: EMSL-LV has produced a technical
memorandum on "CIS Project Planning and Data Set Selection" and has
other memoranda in draft on Digital Line Graph processing, ARC/INFO
one-to-many relationships, population enumeration methods, TIC
reference system standards, and global positioning systems.
EMSL-LV's success to date has been based on the skills and expertise of
its staff. EMSL-LV's ability to fulfill its mission as use of GIS spreads
throughout EPA depends on two key factors:
o Base funding for GIS research that is not tied to specific programs;
and
o More EPA FTEs that are trained in GIS and ARC/INFO.
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CIS at EMSL-LV
As part of EPA's Office of Research and
Development, the Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory at Las Vegas (EMSL-LV)
is EPA's CIS Center of Excellence. The
Spatial Analysis Laboratory (SAL), which is
under EMSL-LV's Remote and Air
Monitoring Branch, is the organizational unit
where CIS research is conducted. SAL's
primary purpose is to investigate, develop, and
integrate spatial information systems into the
mission of EPA. At the present time, SAL is
conducting research into both remote sensing
and CIS.
SAL's mission includes the following
tasks:
• Advance CIS and remote sensing
research to meet EPA needs;
• Provide advice to EPA Headquarters
on CIS policy;
• Provide technical support to the ten
EPA Regions; and
• Provide technical support to EPA
programs such as CERCLA,
RCRA,Water, EMAP, etc.
Much of SAL's work is done through
demonstration projects for specific sites.
Because these projects are a major vehicle for
SAL's CIS research, the benefits of SAL's
site-specific approach extend beyond the
immediate benefits to a particular site. The
CIS knowledge gained by SAL through
demonstration projects, as well as from its
other research activities, is transmitted to the
rest of EPA through technical memoranda,
recommended standards and procedures, and
advice and support provided to EPA
Headquarters, Regions, and programs. The
Regions for which SAL is conducting
demonstration projects also receive much
informal CIS training and technology transfer
through these projects.
CIS work at EMSL-LV uses ARC/INFO,
which resides on a VAX 11/785 and was
originally installed in 1985. SAL CIS staff
consist of one EPA employee, who is the
manager of SAL, and ten contractors from
Lockheed Engineering and Sciences
Corporation.
Because the CIS work conducted by SAL
at EMSL-LV is quite extensive, four projects
have been selected to be described in detail.
These projects, which have been chosen as
representative of EMSL-LV's work, are as
follows:
• dark Fork River NFL sites
• San Gabriel NPL site
• Commencement Bay NPL site
• Denver Brown Cloud
For these projects, EMSL-LV is either
building CIS data bases for NPL sites,
integrating other technologies with CIS,
and/or developing techniques for applying
CIS.
After describing the four projects, a brief
summary is given of other CIS activities at
EMSL-LV that are being done by SAL. These
are grouped into four categories:
• Other projects
• Regional support
• Technical evaluations
• CIS technical memoranda
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Clark Fork River NPL Sites
The Clark Fork River NPL site in
Montana, which actually consists of four NPL
sites, is one of the largest NPL areas in the
country. With its 150 river miles and over
100 years of copper mining, the site will
require massive investigative and cleanup
efforts. The site involves numerous
environmental problems, many of which are
related to contaminant migration of heavy
metals.
The project was initiated by EPA's
Montana Operations Office in Helena. Staff
at this office felt that CIS may be a useful
technology to apply to the Clark Fork River
site but had no knowledge about how to apply
the technology. The Montana office sought
EMSL-LV's help in formulating a work plan
and in designing and building a CIS data base.
The project soon became a joint effort
involving EMSL-LV, EPA's Helena office,
the Montana State Health Department, the
Montana State Library, and the Montana
Governor's Office. EPA's Region Vffl office
also has an advisory role in the project With
this many offices involved, as well as four
NPL site officers, the project has required
much coordination among the various parties.
Because real clients are being served by the
project, EMSL-LV considers its work on the
Clark Fork River site as a production project,
as opposed to a demonstration project
The project began in the summer of 1987
with the first work plan being developed in
November, 1987. Because the various
Montana offices had little knowledge of CIS,
EMSL-LV played a major role in educating
these offices in how CIS could be applied to
the Clark Fork River site. As these offices
became more knowledgeable about GIS
through EMSL-LV's efforts, they began^to
modify the project objectives. To
accommodate these changing requirements,
EMSL-LV initiated a second round of scoping
meetings for the project, beginning in
September, 1988.
The focus of the project involves using
GIS in macro site analysis and as a support to
monitoring activity. For the longer term, GIS
will be used as a tool to augment the remedial
investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) process
for the site. Because the site has so many
environmental problems that overlap spatially,
GIS is viewed as the best method to
characterize the nature and extent of these
problems in a remedial investigation. It is
anticipated that the data base that is being
built may be used for twenty years in support
of a broad range of activities at the site.
EMSL-LV's role in the project has been
one of educating other offices in the
application of GIS, assisting these offices in
formulating a work plan, and designing and
developing a GIS data base. Because the
other offices had no prior GIS experience,
EMSL-LV took the lead in the operational
component of the project as the offices learned
about the technology. As part of its data base
development work, EMSL-LV has digitized
coverages for the data base. The GIS data
base that is being developed and the copy of
ARC/INFO being used for the project reside
on the Montana State Library's PRIME
computer.
EMSL-LV anticipates that its role in the
project will continue for three to five years.
After the data base has been completely
developed, the data base will be turned over to
the state of Montana for ongoing use with the
Clark Fork River site.
EMSL-LV has taken questions that have
arisen from the Clark Fork River project and
has used other research funding to expand its
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ffl-84
CIS knowledge. Useful benefits from EMSL-
LV's research will accrue in the following
areas: =»
• The Clark Fork River project has
necessitated the development of efficient
production routines for batch processing of
Digital Line Graphs. With another source of
funding, EMSL-LV is translating this
knowledge and experience into a technical
memorandum for EPA.
• The project is increasing EMSL-LV's
understanding of how to apply CIS to the
RI/FS process for Superfund sites. This
understanding will help EMSL-LV to develop
models and data processing techniques that
may be used at other Superfund sites.
• With numerous operable units
involved in the project, the project is a
challenge for developing methods for charging
for the costs of data base development
Methods that are designed to handle charging
may be applicable to other projects with
multiple chargeable units.
• The project is a good test arena for
developing EPA/state relationships for joint
projects.
San Gabriel NPL Site
Tociie.
The San Gabriel Basin project is EMSL-
LV's first and most mature GIS project and is
closer to being used for remedial work than
any other EMSL-LV project. The work was
originally undertaken as a demonstration
project at the request of EPA's Office of
Emergency and Remedial Response and
Region IX. Because the demonstration phase
was successful, the work has evolved into a
project for technology transfer of a GIS data
base to Region DC and CH2M-HU1, a
contractor for Superfund work at the site.
The purpose of the original demonstration
project was to investigate the utility of GIS in
support of regulations for environmental
monitoring and recovery. This was done by
examining the use of GIS in risk assessment
and by interfacing GIS with a ground-water
flow model. A GIS data base was developed
from existing data provided by Region DC and
its contractors. By overlaying water districts
with contaminated wells and population, an
assessment could be made of potential risks
from contaminated wells.
The GIS also was used to prepare aquifer
data for input to a ground water flow model.
The model estimated flow pathlines from
contaminant sink to potential source. Model
outputs were also mapped with the GIS.
With the successful completion of this
demonstration phase, work has begun on
development of a detailed data base for the
San Gabriel site. EMSL-LV is playing a
major role in this effort, which is scheduled
for completion in FY 89. A copy of the data
base will be transferred to CH2M-Hill, who
will use the data base for three-dimensional
ground water modelling. Over the long term
the GIS data base will be incorporated with a
management information system to track
cleanup efforts at the San Gabriel site.
EMSL-LV's work in developing the San
Gabriel data base will feed directly into its
work to use the data base for quality assurance
research for GIS. By being involved in the
data base development, EMSL-LV will have
much better information on the quality of data
that comprises the data base. It is anticipated
that the quality assurance work will continue
well beyond FY 89, since little work has been
done in EPA in addressing the critical issue of
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m-85
quality assurance for GIS. EMSL-LV plans to
produce an EPA GIS quality assurance
document from its work with the San Gabriel
database.
Commencement Bay NPL Site
EMSL-LV's work with the
Commencement Bay NPL Site is an example
of a demonstration project that has become a
useful Superfund site application. This
transition has occurred because the
demonstration project has shown to the
Superfund site manager the utility of GIS.
The site manager already understood the
advantages of using a relational data base
management system for analysis. EMSL-
LV's work demonstrated the power of
combining a relational data base with a GIS
that could produce high-quality maps.
The demonstration project was initiated by
EMSL-LV in early 1988. Commencement
Bay is a NPL site near Tacoma, Washington.
Tetra Tech, a Superfund contractor, had
developed a Knowledgeman data base of
attribute data for the site. With the assistance
of the Superfund site manager, EMSL-LV
obtained the Knowledgeman data base from
Tetra Tech and also acquired data on potential
sources of contamination and fish and water
samples. EMSL-LV used this data, in
addition to data purchased or digitized by
EMSL-LV, to build an ARC/INFO data base.
EMSL-LV originally intended to do some
simple overlays of drainage, suspected waste
sites, and population to provide a general view
of population at risk in the Commencement
Bay area. This work expanded when EMSL-
LV obtained a map of drainage pipelines and
open channels near the Bay's shore from the
Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department.
By using ARC/INFO's NETWORK module,
the segments of the drainage network
contributing to an outfall in the Bay were
identified. A map of selected outfalls and the
associated drainage network was produced.
A digital parcel data set was also obtained
from the city of Tacoma and was incorporated
into the GIS data base. By examining
concentrations of contaminants at outfalls and
the associated drainage, parcels that contribute
to that drainage could be identified. The data
for these parcels could in turn be used to
identify potential contributors of
contaminants.
EMSL-LV plans to share data from this
project with Tacoma and to provide both Tetra
Tech and other EPA offices with maps of
parcels relative to the drainge system. The
Superfund site manager has also expressed
interest in obtaining a copy of the GIS data
base for subsequent use.
Although EMSL-LV's role in the project
will end with the completion of maps and
sharing of data, the project has demonstrated
the power of GIS in contaminant pathway
analysis. Because the project was originally
designed as a demonstration project, minimal
time was spent on quality assurance for the
data. EMSL-LV hopes that detailed site
monitoring will be done to obtain better
quality data related to potential polluters
identified through the project Better quality
data would be required for legal actions
against the polluters.
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Denver Brown Cloud
EMSL-LV and Region Vffl initiated the
Denver Brown Cloud project to examine the
feasibility of integrating UDAR data with
CIS. UDAR, which refers to Light Detection
and Ranging, is a laser technology which
records as a digital signal the back scatter
from particles or other substances reflecting a
laser beam. Locational coordinates for the
laser are also recorded for the LIDAR
measurements.
Because the back scatter from LIDAR
may be due to factors besides particulates in
the air, the Denver Brown Cloud project will
attempt to correlate LIDAR values with
paniculate values as measured by ground
monitoring stations. For the correlations, the
paniculate measurements from the ground
monitoring stations will be regarded as
"truth." If correlations indicate that LJDAR
values are nightly correlated with ground
monitoring station values, then LJDAR and
CIS may be used as a technique to model
atmospheric particulates. The "Brown Cloud"
over Denver is being as the test area for this
project.
The project was begun in May, 1988.
LIDAR data have been obtained from
transects flown at various altitudes. EMSL-
LV has mapped and contoured LJDAR values
with ARC/INFO. The ARC/INFO TIN
module has been used to create surfaces of
LJDAR data. The efforts to correlate LJDAR
with ground monitoring data should be
completed in FY 89.
A second major effort of the Denver
Brown Cloud project involves the
development of a methodology for air
pollutant exposure assessment As part of an
initial effort, LJDAR values from thirty meters
elevation over Denver were grouped into nine
ranges. The spatial distribution of these
ranges was then mapped. Census tracts were
digitized from 1:24,000 maps, and population
data by census tract and age/sex categories
were obtained. The numbers of persons for
specific age/sex categories were then overlaid
with the ranges of LIDAR data as a
preliminary assessment of populations at risk
from paniculate pollution. If LJDAR is
validated as being a good measure of
paniculate pollution, LJDAR readings taken at
various elevations could be overlaid through
CIS with a variety of population and health
statistics to assess health risks from paniculate
pollution. At a minimum, the techniques
developed are directly applicable to future
studies with calibrated LJDAR systems.
C Other Projects J
In addition to the four projects described
in the preceding pages, EMSL-LV is
conducting or has completed several other
projects, which are summarized below.
• EMSL-LV will assist Region VI with a
pilot GIS project involving the Pearl River
Basin in Louisiana. The work for this project,
which is in the preliminary stages, will be
done at EMSL-LV.
• For Region Vm, EMSL-LV will map
point and nonpoint pollution sources for Lake
Pend Orcille. This woric will be pan of a
management information system built to
monitor nutrient contributions to the lake's
pollution problems over the long-term.
Watershed models may be integrated with the
GIS. At the present time, this project is in the
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m-g?
scoping stage, with a work plan to be
developed next
• For Region IX, EMSL-LV is
developing maps of aquifer vulnerability for
Fresno County, California, using the
DRASTIC index. These maps will identify
values of relative ground water pollution
potential for Fresno County. From this work,
wellhead protection areas may be defined.
• EMSL-LV will integrate remote
sensing data with CIS in development of a
management information system for Puget
Sound. This project, which is being done for
Region X, will focus on intertidal habitat
analysis and habitat exposure assessment
• EMSL-LV used photogrammetric data
in developing a data base for the Old
Southington Landfill NPL site in Region I.
This project, which was conducted as a pilot
for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response, was designed to demonstrate the
feasibility of using CIS with photogrammetric
data for micro site analysis of a Superfund
site. The project also used CIS to assess risk
from exposure to landfill contaminants.
• For the Office of Toxic Substances,
EMSL-LV developed the Environmental
Methods Testing Site (EMTS) data base for
the Chattanooga area. EMSL-LV hopes to use
this data base in its work with population
enumeration methods, exposure assessment
models, hazard ranking automation, and
design of CIS data bases and users interfaces.
The EMTS data base has already been used as
a training data base for ARC/INFO courses
taught to EPA.
Regional Support
In addition to the projects for specific
Regions described in the previous pages,
EMSL-LV has provided GIS support to
Regions I, m, and Vn. This assistance has
included on-site support for Regions I and
Vn, development of custom tools for Region I
(e.g., tape management libraries, command
libraries, symbol tables), review of documents
on pilot projects, and assistance in designing
GIS data bases. Through this work EMSL-LV
assists in the integration of GIS technology
throughout EPA as well as supporting regional
projects.
Technical Evaluations
EMSL-LV is conducting the following
technical evaluations for the Office of
Information Resources Management:
• PC ARC/INFO: EMSL-LV is
evaluating the usefulness of PC ARC/INFO,
its utility in the Regions, and interfaces with
mini-based ARC/INFO.
• Workstations: EMSL-LV is
evaluating the Sun, Tek, and VAX
workstations and interfaces between the
workstations and mini-based ARC/INFO.
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• ARCflNFp-ERDAS/ELAS: EMSL-
LV is investigating data transfer algorithms
between these two technologies, which would
involve the combination of vector and raster
data.
^ GISTi
V
ichnical Memoranda ^
1
^•zzz
•••••
mmm
iMMi
J
To disseminate the knowledge that it gains
through its demonstration projects, support to
EPA Regions and programs, and other
research, EMSL-LV plans to publish a series
of technical memoranda. To date, the topics
of published and draft memoranda are:
• "CIS Project Planning and Data Set
Selection", published as CIS Technical
Memorandum 1-88
• "Processing Digital Line Graphs",
draft
• "One-to-Many Relationships in
ARC/INFO", draft
• "Methods for Population Enumeration
Using a CIS", draft
• "TIC Reference System", draft
• "Global Positioning Systems", draft
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Implementation Issues
Management/
Communications
As EPA's GIS Center of Excellence, EMSL-LV is responsible for numerous areas of CIS
research, including GIS data base design and data standards, spatial data processing techniques,
quality assurance/control methods for GIS, interfaces between remote sensing and GIS,
evaluation of GIS workstations, use of photogrammetric products, use of GIS with the remedial
investigation/feasibility study process, etc. Since EMSL-LV's base funding is obtained from the
CERCLA and RCRA programs, the objectives of its research must be designed to meet the
specific needs of CERCLA and RCRA. Funding from EPA Regions and from other programs
also must be spent in direct support of those units' needs. However, GIS is a technology that
cuts across all EPA program^ Since all programs utilizing GIS benefit from the improved
methods and knowledge gained by EMSL-LV's research activities, EMSL-LV needs to have a
source of base funding for GIS research that is not directly tied to a specific program. Such a
pool of funds would allow EMSL-LV to proceed with needed GIS research without restrictions
imposed by specific program requirements.
Besides its function as a GIS research unit, EMSL-LV fulfills a GIS educational role as it
provides support to EPA Regions and offices. As EMSL-LV gives advice to Regions and assists
Regions with demonstration projects, informal GIS training and technology transfer occur. At
the time of this writing, EMSL-LV has provided the funding that allows its staff to support
Regions I, ffl, and VII and will continue to support all Regions.
In addition to its research and technology transfer functions, EMSL-LV views its role as
being one of oversight for GIS development within EPA, not as being a production shop.
EMSL-LV wants to assist offices in developing GIS data bases, which are then turned over to the
offices for day-to-day analyses.
EMSL-LV has adopted a site-specific approach for its demonstration projects through
which it conducts research activities related to the projects. Because many of these projects
involve development of data bases that will be used for many years for site remedial
investigation and cleanup work, the projects will result in long-term management decisions as
opposed to immediate short-term decisions.
Through its role in conducting demonstration projects and supporting EPA Regions,
EMSL-LV is in a unique position to learn about management and planning of GIS projects from
much first-hand experience. A key factor that has been learned is the importance of planning a
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ffl-90
GIS project. Although clients often need results immediately and do not allow enough time for
proper project planning, EMSL-LV has stressed that planning is critical to the success of GIS
projects. EMSL-LV has outlined a series of steps for project planning in its GIS Technical
Memorandum 1-88, "GIS Project Planning and Data Set Selection."
Key points in project planning that were emphasized by EMSL-LV include the necessity of
having clearly defined objectives, users, and a work plan. Those who define the objectives
should also be involved in determining the data that need to be captured to satisfy those
objectives. This critical step of identifying data for the project is not a task that can be done by
the GIS technical staff without consultation with the project's users. A group of users who have
participated in definition of the objectives must also review the project periodically. These users
will give their approval to various steps of the project implementation and will ensure that work
continues to be on the correct track for satisfying project objectives.
EMSL-LV stressed that clients must have a basic understanding of GIS to be able to fully
participate in the planning process. As clients become more familiar with the technology and
understand how GIS can be applied to their programs, they are better able to conceptualize
questions to be answered by the project At this stage, project objectives often are revised due to
the clients' increased knowledge. EMSL-LV has recommended that a second scoping meeting
be held approximately six months after the first scoping activity so that project objectives may be
refined, if necessary, based on the clients' increased understanding of GIS.
In its project work, EMSL-LV stated that it is often difficult to get Superfund site officers
to articulate their requirements or even to devote time to try to identify their needs for support
Since client involvement in project planning is critical to the success of a GIS project, it is
imperative that site officers be able to devote sufficient time to working with GIS project teams
that are supporting GIS efforts at Superfund sites.
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Data
In its role as EPA's research unit for CIS, EMSL-LV has primary responsibility for
research into GIS data standards and quality assurance/control. As discussed above, EMSL-LV
requires base funding to support these responsibilities, since the results of research in these areas
can be utilized by all EPA programs.
EMSL-LV is especially concerned about quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) for
GIS. To date, only modest attention in EPA has been given to GIS QA/QC issues. However,
QA/QC will be extremely important when work resulting from GIS applications results in court
cases against polluters. EMSL-LV is anxious to develop QA/QC methods for GIS before these
methods are needed in support of legal actions.
EMSL-LV has suggested that several different levels of QA/QC may be required to cover
the range of work within EPA. At the lowest level, regional demonstration projects would
require a minimal amount of QA/QC, whereas legal actions would demand the highest level of
QA/QC. EMSL-LV's work in this area would include assessing the appropriate QA/QC
methods based on requirements for a specific type of application. Since more extensive QA/QC
would presumably consume more resources, adopting the appropriate QA/QC methods based on
application requirements is important in terms of obtaining sufficient data quality at acceptable
costs.
EMSL-LV's research into QA/QC will include a review in late 1988 of methods that it uses
for handling spatial information. As described above, EMSL-LV also plans to use the data base
that it is developing for the San Gabriel NPL site for QA/QC research. From these and other
efforts, EMSL-LV wants to make recommendations for QA/QC procedures that can be
implemented throughout EPA. Future work may include research into statistical tools that can
be used to display the accuracy of vector-based GIS maps. This work may involve research
efforts with academic institutions.
EMSL-LV has expressed the need for accurate, digital locational data in EPA's data bases.
Many of EPA's data bases that have been used by EMSL-LV have been found to lack high-
quality locational data. Some locational data are missing, whereas other locational information
that does exist is incorrect
For EMSL-LV's project work, the following types of digital data bases with good
locational data are especially needed:
• Soils at 1:24,000; EMSL-LV has indicated that the county soil surveys published by
the Soil Conservation Service often are of poor quality.
• Geology
• Landsat land use / land cover data
STORET attribute data merged with Digital Line Graphs (DLGs) at 1:100,000
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Regarding its work the DLGs, EMSL-LV indicated that the coding scheme used by USGS
for DLG minor codes is somewhat inadequate. The DLG codes do not include all features
needed for EPA's work, and the minor codes are not sorted To work around the problem of
unsoned minor codes, EMSL-LV has written macros in ARC/INFO's ARC Macro Language to
extract critical attributes needed by EPA to describe features. EMSL-LV s knowledge gained by
its research work with DLGs will be released to the agency in its forthcoming GIS Technical
Memorandum 2, "DLG Processing", which is currently in draft
Staffing
EMSL-LV has stated that people are the key to a successful GIS program; hardware and
software are secondary to GIS success. A broad mix of people with multi-disciplinary
backgrounds in environmental sciences is required for a good GIS staff. Degrees in computer
science are not necessary, since individuals with an appropriate background in environmental
sciences can learn enough about computers to be able to work effectively with GIS.
The GIS team at EMSL-LV fits this general model in that of the eleven staff members, only
two are computer scientists. The other staff members have a broad multi-disciplinary
background and include geographers and environmental scientists with various areas of
expertise.
As the use of GIS expands in EPA, both EMSL-LV and the Regions require more EPA
FTEs for GIS. EMSL-LV wants to provide GIS training beyond the informal "training" that now
occurs through its Regional support, but currently does not have a training budget Since EMSL-
LV has acquired and continues to acquire much GIS knowledge and experience through its
research activities and demonstration projects, EMSL-LV has a key role to play in GIS training
and technology transfer so that others might benefit from its experiences.
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Software
EMSL-LV has used ARC/INFO since 1985 and has achieved a very high level of expertise
with the software. Currently, two problem areas with ARC/INFO have been identified involving
the TIN module and machine-to-machine interfaces with ARC/INFO. In the first problem area,
TIN has been found to be inadequate for contouring irregularly dispersed data in an irregular
shape. The contours produced by TIN do not give a good picture of the surface. EMSL-LV
wants ESRI to enhance TIN to handle such surfaces better.
In the second problem area, interfaces between different types of computers running
ARC/INFO are not particularly easy to use. Although macros written in AML are generally
transportable between machines, binary file transfers of ARC/INFO data files are not possible.
Data files must be converted to ASCQ files before being transferred to another type of computer.
This process makes the transfer more complicated and lengthy. Since EMSL-LV has a VAX and
the EPA Regions have PRIMEs, the difficulty in machine-to-machine transfers impacts the time
required for transfer of data bases developed by EMSL-LV for the Regions.
EMSL-LV needs to develop a standard set of CIS software tools for PRIME computers to
augment ARC/INFO. This set of tools would be used by the Regions on then- PRIMEs. The
tools would include such things as tape management libraries, command libraries, symbol tables,
routines for producing the EPA logo, and the like. Some of these tools have already been
developed for Region I as part of EMSL-LV's support for that Region.
Development of user interfaces for CIS data bases built by EMSL-LV may be a major role
for EMSL-LV in the future. For data bases that are built by EMSL-LV and then turned over to
clients for day-to-day use, such as the data base for the San Gabriel NPL site, EMSL-LV may
write macros that simplify users' access of the data bases.
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Hardware
As shown in Figure 7, EMSL-LV's CIS resides on a VAX 11/785. The VAX, which is
adequate for EMSL-LV's needs at the present time, can support a maximum of thirty-five users.
Six to eight GIS users can utilize the VAX concurrently with reasonable response times. In the
future, EMSL-LV may consider using the VAX as a file server for a series of workstations. No
definite plans for such use of the VAX and workstations have been made.
EMSL-LV's electrostatic plotter has been a great asset to the lab's GIS work. With the
combination of the expertise of its staff and the electrostatic plotter, EMSL-LV has produced an
impressive variety of maps of exceptional quality.
EMSL-LV needs to develop interfaces between GIS and other hardware systems, such as
the ground water workstation being used in EPA. After EPA policies are developed for such
system interfaces with GIS, EMSL-LV could write appropriate software to easily convert data
between these different hardware systems.
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Figure 7
Overview of EMSL-LV GIS
and Related Computer Systems
Tektronix 4207
Terminals
Erdas System 2
Tektronix 4125
Terminals
Color Plotter
LA-100 Terminal
Tektronix 4111
Terminals
Decmate III
Terminal
Calcomp Digitizer
Tektronix 4209
Terminal
(2) Decmate III Terminals
(through modems)
VAX 11/785
Decmate III
Terminals
IBM PC/AT
(PC ARC/INFO)
DEC VT220
Versatec Color
Electrostatic Plotter
AeroncaVGS-
300 plus System
Printers
Printer
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Constraints
Several constraints have been identified that affect EMSL-LV's mission as the primary GIS
research unit for EPA and as a provider of GIS technical support throughout EPA. These
constraints are described below.
(1) GIS research funding tied to specific programs: As discussed under
"Management/Communications Implementation Issues," EMSL-LV's base funding is obtained
from the CERCLA and RCRA programs. Consequently, the objectives of EMSL-LV's research
supported by this funding must be designed to meet the specific needs of CERCLA and RCRA.
Since GIS research benefits many programs in EPA, a source of base funding for GIS research
that is not tied to specific programs should be provided to allow EMSL-LV to proceed with a
broad-based GIS research agenda.
(2) Number of EPA FTEs supporting GIS: As the use of GIS expands in EPA, EMSL-
LV will require more trained staff to fulfill its mission of conducting GIS research, providing
advice to EPA Headquarters on GIS policy, and providing technical support to the EPA Regions
and programs. As recommended in Section n, staffing needs for all GIS sites in the Agency
should be evaluated carefully in light of current and planned GIS work and steps taken to
approve positions and hire staff when necessary.
(3) Understanding of GIS in other parts of EPA: A lack of understanding of GIS in
other parts of EPA has increased the level of effort required in conducting site-specific projects
and in supporting GIS. This situation has been apparent in the problems that Superfund site
managers and others have in articulating their needs for projects conducted by EMSL-LV. EPA
is taking steps to increase basic GIS knowledge in the Agency through its recent evaluation of
GIS training needs. As a training program is implemented with management briefings and
courses in fundamental GIS concepts, an overall awareness of GIS and of its uses and benefits
should increase in the Agency, thus alleviating this constraint.
(4) Quality of locational data in EPA data bases: GIS is a spatially-based technology
that requires accurate locational data. Some EPA data bases do not contain complete
latitudeAongitude data, and the accuracy of some locational data that do exist is questionable.
Initial steps that EPA has taken towards addressing this problem are described in Section n.
EPA should seek to provide sufficient funding for efforts to improve the quality of location data
in its national data bases.
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Conclusion
In fulfilling its mission as EPA's CIS Center of Excellence, EMSL-LV has conducted
numerous CIS demonstration projects and has given CIS technical support to EPA Regions and
programs. From its demonstration projects EMSL-LV has acquired knowledge on the
application of CIS to EPA's needs and is transferring this knowledge to others in EPA by
providing direct support to CIS users and by issuing technical memoranda.
To increase its research in the application of CIS to EPA's needs, EMSL-LV requires base
funding to support CIS research that cuts across programs. More staff are also needed to
increase the research effort and to support a growing number of CIS users in EPA.
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3d
r
o
o
SL
5'
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•llIIRiiliil;
Regional Geography & Ecoregions
Ecorcgions of Arkansas
Direct/Delayed Response Project
f Regional Case Studies
of Acidic Deposition
^ Textbook
^Assessment ind Forcasting Publication^
Impairments to Aquatic
Life in Colorado
National Lakes
and Streams Survey
t
Survey Data
Chemical Concentration
Maps
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Environmental Research Laboratory at Corvallls (ERL-C) is EPA's
center for atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic ecological research. To
support its research activities, ERL-C has successfully implemented CIS as a
tool for cartographic presentation. CIS-produced maps are used as more than
final products from research, for they have become important tools that are
an integral part of data validation, analysis, and interpretation.
ERL-C projects that have utilized GIS for cartographic presentation
include the following examples:
REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND ECOREGIONS: Ecoregions represent
an approach to much of ERL-C's research and are being studied for
their use in resource management. GIS permits numerous maps to be
created quickly for analysis of the spatial distributions of data.
DIRECT/DELAYED RESPONSE PROJECT: This project is examining
the long-term response of surface water to continued acidic
deposition. Approximately two hundred GIS maps are produced a
year for this project.
REGIONAL CASE STUDIES OF ACIDIC DEPOSITION: A textbook-
quality publication that assesses and forecasts acidic deposition will
include approximately eighty GIS-produced maps.
IMPAIRMENTS TO AQUATIC LIFE IN COLORADO: GIS maps have
been used to identify patterns of impairments to streams from metals,
sediments, salinity, and nutrients.
NATIONAL LAKES AND STREAMS SURVEY: With data from this
national EPA survey, GIS maps show the concentrations of chemicals
in lakes and streams.
OTHER PROJECTS: GIS has been used to map Superfund and RCRA
sites in relationship to aquifers, to map data from paleoecology work,
and to investigate the contribution of road salt to chloride
concentrations.
ERL-C's successful use of GIS has been based on the following key
factors:
o A critical mass of GIS projects that have supported a sufficient
number of GIS staff;
o Management support of GIS and recognition of its value as a
powerful communications tool; and
o A staff that is skilled in GIS and hi the analysis of spatial data.
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CIS at ERL-Corvallis
The Environmental Research Laboratory
at Corvallis, Oregon (ERL-C), is EPA's center
for atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic
ecological research. A major objective of
much of ERL-C's work is to understand the
status and extent of resources at risk from
pollutants. Current areas of research are acid
rain, ecoregions, tropospheric ozone,
wetlands, and hazardous waste.
In conducting its research, ERL-C uses
methodologies that contribute to an overall
approach focused on ecoregions. These
methodologies include regionalization,
cartographic presentation, statistical analysis,
expert systems, and spatial modeling.
ERL-C has used CIS mostly as a tool for
cartographic presentation. Much of the
analytical work at ERL-C involves statistical
analysis and careful interpretation of data by
ERL-C scientists. In support of these efforts,
CIS is used for much more than production of
final maps for a report Throughout many
projects, CIS maps are produced as an integral
part of data validation and analysis. GIS maps
are tools that are used by scientists in their
visual inspection, analysis, and interpretation
of data.
The GIS software used by ERL-C is the
ARC/INFO package, which was acquired in
1985 and presently resides on a VAX 8600.
The GIS staff at ERL-C consists of twelve
contractors from NSI Technology Services
Corporation, a subsidiary of Manufacturing
Technology International Corporation.
ERL-C's current or recently completed
work that has utilized GIS include the
following efforts, which are described below:
• Regional geography and ecoregions
Direct/Delayed Response Project
Regional case studies of acidic
deposition
Impairments to aquatic life in
Colorado
National Lakes and Streams Survey
Mapping Superfund and RCRA sites
in relationship to aquifers in
Region 10
Mapping paleoecology data
Relationship between chloride
concentrations and road salt
Regional Geography & Ecoregions
Ecorejsions of Arkansas
ERL-C's work with regional geography
and ecoregions is not just a group of projects,
but encompasses an approach to the lab's
research activities. A major objective behind
this approach is that defining ecoregions is a
method of determining homogeneous regions
whose natural resources can be managed in
the same way within an ecoregion. The
ecoregion approach to resource management
has attracted much interest, since site-specific
management plans are too costly to develop
for many sites. Other types of regions, such as
watersheds, are often too diverse to permit the
same method of resource management to be
applied throughout a region.
Traditionally, regions have been defined
by looking at the spatial variation of a single
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m-ioo
variable. With the ecoregion approach,
several variables are examined in defining
ecoregions. In a major effort conducted by
Omemik of ERL-C, ecoregions for the
conterminous United States were defined by
comparing the distributions of landfonns,
soils, land use, and potential natural
vegetation. These ecoregions have been the
basis of much subsequent work at ERL-C.
In one representative study, fish
assemblages, physical habitat data, and water
chemistry data for a sample of streams in
Arkansas were compared for differences
between streams grouped by ecoregions. In
general, the values for these variables for
streams within the same ecoregion were much
more homogeneous than when comparing
streams in the same hydrologic units but in
different ecoregions. The implication is that
other streams within an ecoregion would
exhibit the same characteristics and could
therefore be managed in a similar way.
For identification of ecoregions, CIS
allows ERL-C staff to generate maps "an
order of magnitude faster" than using other
techniques. ERL-C does not identify
ecoregions by putting many different variables
into a CIS data base and generating numerous
map overlays of those variables. Instead,
ecoregion identification is a careful, analytical
process that requires much interpretation of
data. CIS assists greatly in this effort by
enabling numerous maps to be produced that
permit scientists to examine and interpret the
spatial distribution of data.
ERL-C's work with ecoregions has been
extended to defining sub-ecoregions at a state
level. State and local resource managers have
expressed interest in the CIS-produced maps
of these sub-ecoregions for use in resource
management As an example of current
ecoregion use, a resource manager in
Michigan has used ecoregion maps in
conjunction with granting NPDES permits.
For lakes in ecoregions with high water
quality, permits are granted in a manner that
ensures that the quality will remain high.
In other regional geography work, a map
of summer total phosphorus for lakes in
Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan was
produced with CIS. Regions of summer total
phosphorus, which were shown on the map
through different colors, depicted a central
tendency of total phosphorus. To give a more
detailed view of these regions, histograms
were also drawn on the map to show
frequency distributions of summer total
phosphorus in the regions. With the defined
regions, summer total phosphorus for areas
where mere were no sample data points were
estimated.
Direct/Delayed Response Project
The Direct/Delayed Response Project
(DDRP), which is a subprogram of the
National Acidic Precipitation Assessment
Project, is examining the long-term response
of surface water to continued acidic
deposition. This project began in 1984 and is
scheduled for completion in 1990. Three
areas are being studied in the project: lakes in
the northeastern United States and streams in
both mid-Appalachia and the southern Blue
Ridge. Data from sampled lakes and streams
will be statistically extrapolated to predict
causes and effects of acidification.
Data are being integrated from a variety of
sources for the project, including the
following sources:
Survey
EPA's National Lakes and Stream
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• Map overlays of soils, vegetation,
geology, depth-to-bedrock, and drainage from
the Soil Conservation Service (SCS)
• Map overlays of land use, detailed
wetlands, and drainage from Lockheed
Engineering and Sciences Corporation, the
contractor at EPA's Environmental
Monitoring and Systems Laboratory in Las
Vegas
• U.S. Geological Survey runoff maps
and Digital Elevation Models
ERL-C conducts extensive quality control
checks on the data before adding it to the CIS
data base. Detailed comparisions are done
between the map overlays obtained from SCS
and Lockheed to ensure the accuracy of the
data. After maps that are as accurate as
possible have been obtained, ERL-C creates
digitized versions of the maps with
ARC/INFO.
The main use of CIS with the DDRP is for
map production. As with ERL-C's ecoregion
work, maps permit visual interpretation and
analysis of data that supplement extensive
statistical analyses. Approximately two
hundred maps are produced a year for the
DDRP. A wide variety of types of maps are
generated, including point location maps,
circle maps, contour and/or interpolated maps,
and Thiessen polygon maps (i.e., polygon
maps extrapolated from randomly distributed
sampling points).
Regional Case Studies
of Acidic Deposition
L Assessment end Forcasting
Textbook
Publication y
The major objective of the regional case
studies of acidic deposition is production of a
textbook-quality publication that both assesses
the current status of and forecasts acidic
deposition for twelve regions. Eleven of the
regions are in the United States, and the
twelfth region is in Canada. The book will
also extrapolate the findings from the twelve
case study regions to other areas that are
sensitive to acidic deposition. Chapters for
each case study region will be written by
experts in acidic deposition in for each region.
Most of these experts have acquired their own
data sets for use in their case study.
The publication, which is scheduled for
completion in spring of 1989, will contain
approximately eighty black-and-white maps
produced with the CIS. Color maps probably
will not be included because of the extra
publication cost To produce black-and white
maps for this book, CIS staff at ERL-C have
had to be creative in their use of ARC/INFO
to compensate for the greater clarity that color
adds to maps.
Impairments to Aquatic
Life in Colorado
In a cooperative effort with Region VIE,
ERL-C has used an ecoregion approach and
CIS to identify patterns of impairment to
aquatic life in Colorado. Region VHI
requested ERL-C's help with this project
designed to assist in monitoring water quality
and setting water quality standards throughout
the Region.
Based on ecoregion work done at ERL-C,
Colorado was divided into ecoregions and
sub-ecoregions. Stream trace data for the state
in ARC/INFO format were obtained from the
Petroleum Institute in Denver. With
ARC/INFO, maps of aquatic life uses and
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m-102
impairments to stream quality were mapped.
Aquatic life uses were mapped as the
categories Cold Water Classes I and n and
Warm Water Classes I and H High quality
streams were also designated. Impairments to
stream quality included concentrations of
metals, sediments, salinity, and nutrients. The
maps indicated that in many cases, streams
within ecoregions have impairments more
similar to each other than to streams in other
ecoregions.
For this project CIS was used as a tool in
support of an ecoregion approach. The maps
produced with GIS may be used by water
quality managers to identify and manage
water resources. Rather than following a
traditional approach of managing streams by
basin, managers may adopt similar
management strategies for streams within the
same ecoregion.
National Lakes
and Streams Survey
Survey Data
Chemical Concentration
Maps J
EPA initiated the National Lakes and
Streams Survey in 1983 for the following
purposes:
• Quantify the present chemical status
of surface water in the U.S.;
• Assess the temporal and spatial
variablity in aquatic chemistry;
• Define the key biological resources
associated with surface waters; and
• Identify temporal trends in surface
water chemistry and biology.
The survey will result in lake and stream
populations and data upon which long-term
studies of trends in chemistry and biological
resources can be based.
For mis work GIS is being used to
produce a variety of maps showing the
concentrations of chemicals in streams and
lakes. The data collected through the survey
are also being used in other projects, such as
the Direct/Delayed Response Project
described above and studies for smaller areas.
GIS is being used as a mapping tool for those
projects also.
C
Other Projects Using GIS
J
Three other examples of ERL-C projects
that have utilized the mapping capabilities of
GIS include a project to map Superfund and
RCRA sites in relationship to aquifers,
paleoecology studies, and a study of the
contribution of road salt to chloride
concentrations.
(1) In a project to support Region 10,
ERL-C produced ARC/INFO maps of
Superfund and RCRA sites in relationship to
ground water aquifers. Region 10 provided
ERL-C with a map of ground water aquifers
for the Region as well as locations of
Superfund and RCRA sites. Superfund sites
were categorized as sites with observed,
alleged, potential, and no effects on flora and
fauna.
ERL-C digitized the map of ground water
aquifers and produced several ARC/INFO
maps which overlaid the ground water
aquifers, Superfund and RCRA sites, and
ecoregions. By incorporating ecoregions into
the maps, some indication of attainable
surface water quality was given.
(2) In work that is just beginning,
paleoecology is being used to infer chemical
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m-ios
concentrations in water in historical times.
Initial work in this area has been done using
Adirondack Park in New York as a study area.
Preliminary analyses indicate that
paleoecology is as good as various models in
inferring historical water chemistry. CIS-
produced maps are used for data display and
interpretation.
(3) To determine whether road salt was a
major contributor to chloride concentrations, a
study was conducted in the Catskills that used
CIS as a mapping tool Chloride
concentrations were obtained from USGS, the
Eastern Lake Survey, and the National Stream
Survey. When chloride concentrations and the
road network were mapped, many of the
greatest chloride concentrations were found
along major roads. The largest constraint to
interpretation of the results was that the
digitized road network was from a 1948
USGS base map. Major and minor roads
could have changed considerably since that
time.
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m-io4
Implementation Issues
Management/
Communications
Two management/communications factors that have contributed to the successful
implementation of CIS at ERL-C are:
(1) A critical mass of projects that has supported GIS, and
(2) Management support of GIS and recognition of its value as a powerful
communications tool.
ERL-C has had a sufficient number of projects with adequate funding to support its GIS
staff. Four to six persons are regarded by ERL-C as the T"i"inwm number of persons needed to
have a viable GIS team. Because GIS hardware and software are expensive, support of GIS also
requires larger projects with funding that can sustain and support the costs of GIS while staff are
acquiring expertise in the technology. Many small projects of short duration do not provide the
continuity of support needed during the start-up period of a GIS program. ERL-C has had that
critical mass of projects to enable it to develop an effective GIS capability.
An equally important factor in the success of GIS at ERL-C has been management's
support of GIS. This support has extended from the laboratory director down through branch
chiefs and environmental scientists and has resulted in solid funding for GIS. Scientists have
been receptive towards utilizing GIS in their projects where appropriate. Because GIS allows
maps to be produced so much faster than by conventional cartographic methods, GIS maps have
been used heavily by ERL-C for display and interpretation of data. The powerful
communications tool provided by these maps has been one of the major factors that have
convinced ERL-C management of the utility of GIS.
ERL-C staff stated that in a well-managed GIS project, all project team members will be
included in the planning process for the project For ERL-C projects, an environmental scientist
usually will head a project team, and all staff members working on the project typically attend
team meetings. By involving the GIS staff in the ongoing planning for a project, the GIS
analysts have an understanding of all aspects of a project, which is important for their work in
data selection, validation, and mapping. ERL-C believes that one way to ensure high-quality
work is to have effective lines of communication between all persons contributing to a project,
and this may be accomplished by incorporating all team members in the planning process. Lines
of communication are necessary that extend from digitizers, through GIS analysts and
environmental scientists, to upper managment, and down to field crews gathering data.
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For some research activities, efforts to acquire funding to support ongoing ERL-C research
consume large portions of time. One researcher who has utilized GIS heavily in ecoregion work
indicated that he spends from half to three-fourths of his time selling people on the usefulness of
an ecoregion approach to get more funds for further research. Because GIS is used as a tool in
support of research at ERL-C, limitations on research funding would also impact the extent to
which GIS is utilized.
,
Data
ERL-C has acquired and built numerous data sets as part of its research projects. Examples
of some of these data sets are as follows:
USGS Digital Line Graph data
• EPA's National Lake Survey data base
• EPA's National Stream Survey data base
• Adirondacks Lake Survey Corporation data base
• Watershed maps for 145 Northeast and 35 Southeast watersheds, which include data
for soils
geology
depth to bedrock
vegetation
land use
• EPA's East Coast emissions data
• Wet and dry East Coast deposition data
• USGS runoff data for the East
• USGS gaging station data
The GIS data bases that are built at ERL-C are project-specific. Rather than incorporating
as much data as possible into a GIS data base, ERL-C staff look at the questions to be answered
by a project From those questions, the data needed to obtain answers, and therefore needed for a
GIS data base, are determined.
The careful attention devoted to acquiring data extends to the data quality assurance and
control (QA/QC) measures taken by ERL-C. Data acquired for a project are very carefully
"combed" for errors and inconsistencies before incorporating the data into a GIS data base. It is
felt that this effort saves time in the long run, as well as avoiding the problems of creating
massive data bases with much unnecessary information or including questionable data in a data
base. Project results are sounder by devoting sufficient time to a careful inspection of data.
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The importance that ERL-C places on data QA/QC is reflected in every stage of a project.
For example, the Direct/Delayed Response Project has a detailed checklist that is followed for
inspecting hardcopy map overlays obtained from external sources before those overlays are
digitized For some data, overlays from two different sources are compared to determine their
accuracy. The overlays are not digitized until they are as accurate as possible. The process for
incorporating the digitized overlays into an ARC/INFO data base is also documented by a
checklist that lists every step in the lengthy process. CIS analysts are required to initialize the
checklist as each step is completed.
Another example of the effort devoted by ERL-C to data QA/QC is found in the lab's
ecoregions and regional geography work. Mapped data are carefully inspected for any
anomalies, which are then examined in more detail in an attempt to explain unusual data values.
These efforts try to separate erroneous data from unexpected patterns in accurate data.
Identifying regions is done only after much analysis and interpretation of the data, as opposed to
generating one overlay of many data elements in a CIS data base.
At the same time that ERL-C's regional geography work stresses mental analysis and
interpretation of data, ERL-C also recognizes that regionalization schemes must be supported by
data that have some statistical basis. Efforts towards this end are another manner in which
QA/QC issues are addressed by ERL-C A very graphical representation of this work was
demonstrated in a map of summer total phosphorus for lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and
Michigan made by ERL-C. Along with regions that were displayed in color on this CIS-
produced map, the map contained numerous histograms of frequency distributions of summer
phosphorus sampled from the various regions. These histograms, which also listed the total
number of sites for each distribution, described the range of variation of the data and allowed one
to place confidence bounds on the data and patterns displayed by the map.
Other issues of data quality that have been raised by ERL-C include the accuracy of Digital
Line Graph (DLG) data and of EPA's national data bases. ERL-C has noted that some DLG's
show the same density of streams on plains as in mountainous areas. Some measure of quality
needs to be recorded for such data, since unequal degrees of detail in a spatial data base make
statistical processing of that data difficult
The poor locational data in some of EPA's national data bases was also cited as a problem
impacting the use of CIS. For one study involving the state of Colorado, seventy percent of the
locations mat were accessed from the STORET data base were incorrect or missing. Such poor
quality locational data adds lengthy data verification and/or additional collection tasks to a
project
ERL-C mentioned the need to have good documentation of CIS data bases. Good
documentation includes some indication of the data's quality and reliability, as well as
information on the data's content, source, and format
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Staffing
The CIS staff at ERL-C consists of twelve contractors from NSI Technology Services
Corporation. Six other NSI contractors are involved in geographic research and will be learning
ARC/INFO within the next year. The staff members have acquired much expertise in the use of
CIS and ARC/INFO and in the analysis of spatial data. Many of the staff are geographers,
whereas none have degrees in computer science. The NSI management of the CIS staff stated
that teaching geographers enough about computers to be good CIS analysts was much easier than
trying to teach computer scientists about geography.
Other characteristics that are needed by a good GIS analyst and that are exhibited by the
ERL-C GIS staff include an interest in the actual content of a project, not just in GIS, and a
sensitivity to users, which permits GIS analysts to bridge the gap between users and computers.
GIS analysts must be good problem-solvers and must be able to think spatially. Since
ARC/INFO is a complex package, an analyst also must be self-motivated and be willing to
immerse themselves in the package to resolve problems.
To handle its extensive amount of digitizing work, ERL-C is utilizing its geographers for
both analytical and digitizing work. It is felt that by using highly trained people to perform
digitizing, the quality of the digitizing work is much better. The expertise of geographers allows
them to recognize errors in maps that would remain unnoticed by an individual trained only in
digitizing. Also, geographers who will be analyzing data at a later stage in a project have a much
greater interest in the project itself and have a vested interest in the quality of data that they are
digitizing for the project Since ERL-C has found that errors are introduced into data if an
individual spends more than three or four hours a day digitizing, geographers who have many
responsibilities besides digitizing are able to intersperse their digitizing tasks with other work.
This eliminates data quality problems that may occur with full-time digitizers.
ERL-C staff emphasized the importance of working as a team for a project As part of a
project team, GIS analysts attend t«m™ meetings and participate in the project planning process.
For GIS staff at ERL-C, functioning as part of a project team is a staffing issue important to the
success of a project
One new type of staff position that may be required to support GIS at ERL-C is an
ARC/INFO systems person. This individual would be an expert in the technical issues of
implementing ARC/INFO and of graphics hardware. Such a staff person would provide an
effective interface with operations staff that maintain the VAX equipment on which ARC/INFO
resides.
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Software
ERL-C acquired the ARC/INFO software in 1985. ERL-C also has the TIN (Triangulated
Irregular Network) module of ARC/INFO for the analysis and display of surface data. Although
the lab has expressed interest in the NETWORK module, ERL-C has not acquired NETWORK
to date.
Since much of ERL-C's work involves statistical analysis, SAS is used extensively for
projects that also utilize ARC/INFO. Results from regressions or other statistical analyses
conducted in SAS are moved into an INFO data base, and the ARC/INFO software is then used
to map the results. An automated interface between SAS and ARC/INFO would greatly
facilitate this process. Because all of ERL-C's CIS funding is tied to specific projects, however,
ERL-C is limited in the work that it can do to develop new tools and procedures that would be
useful for many projects.
The CIS staff at ERL-C listed several criticisms of the ARC/INFO software. One of these
is the lack of statistical capabilities in INFO. Although this problem has been circumvented by
using SAS and importing SAS results into ARC/INFO for mapping, statistical capabilities in
INFO would eliminate transferring data between SAS and ARC/INFO for those operations that
could be performed easily in INFO.
Another criticism of ARC/INFO mentioned by the CIS staff is that ARC/INFO does not
support point mapping nearly as well as polygon mapping. Many of ERL-C's mapping tasks
involve the production of point maps that display the locations and values of several types of
samples through various colors and shapes of points. To produce the variety of point symbols
needed for some maps requires lengthy series of commands. For example, to generate a symbol
of a colored square with a dot in the middle of the square required a sequence of eight commands
repeated four times.
Because ERL-C frequently maps the results of statistical analyses, the CIS staff would like
to display histograms, distribution curves of data, or other graphics on maps to provide additional
information on the analyses that were performed. Incorporating these graphics on maps is
extremely time-consuming in ARC/INFO, since the package does not have the commands to
generate such graphics easily. On maps that ERL-C has produced that include histograms of the
frequency distributions of sample data, each rectangle on a histogram had to be drawn
individually with ARC/INFO commands.
ERL-C has found that the TIN module of ARC/INFO does not interpolate data well along
the edges of an elongated area. The more elongated the area, the poorer the interpolation done
by TIN seems to be. Artificial hills and valleys may also be inserted into the interpolated data
surface.
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Hardware
ERL-C's ARC/INFO originally resided on a VAX 750, which was subsequently upgraded
to a VAX 8600 in late 1987 - early 1988. Figure 8 shows the current hardware configuration for
GIS at ERL-C. Computer Sciences Corporation manages the ERL-C computer center.
One of the biggest supports to GIS at ERL-C has been the acquisition of an electrostatic
plotter. The quality of the maps that have been produced with the plotter and through the
expertise of the GIS staff has done more to sell GIS at ERL-C than anything else. The GIS staff
has become very proficient in generating maps with ARC/INFO and the plotter and has produced
a wide variety of maps of exceptional quality.
The data processing coordinator at ERL-C stated that the hardware resources required by
GIS have been consistently underestimated. The need to upgrade the VAX 8600 to a VAX 8650
in the next several months is a real possibility. The difficulty of maintaining sufficient
computing capacity for GIS without being overloaded shortly after acquiring a more powerful
computer was cited as an ongoing concern in supporting GIS.
For the longer term, ERL-C may need to consider the issue of keeping GIS on a mini or
mainframe computer or moving to a workstation environment, in which the VAX would act as a
file server. The direction that ERL-C takes on this question will be based on hardware decisions
made by EPA for all EPA labs.
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Figure 8
Overview of ERL-CGIS
and Related Computer Systems
Calcomp 5845
Electrostatic Plotter
(5) Tektronix 4107s
QIBflll
VAX 8600
Calcomp 1075
4-pen Plotter
(5) Tektronix 4207s
\
Calcomp
9100 Digitizer
A* \
Calcomp
9100 Digitizer
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Constraints
ERL-C's CIS program is a well-functioning operation that effectively uses GIS as tool in
support of research activities. As discussed in the Management/Communications section above,
a critical mass of projects that supports a viable CIS team has been one of the major factors
contributing to the success of CIS at ERL-C. Projects that have been heavy users of GIS have
been well-funded. Such projects must continue to receive financial support to sustain the GIS
program at ERL-C
One limitation on GIS work at ERL-C is the lack of funding that can be used to develop
GIS procedures and tools applicable to many projects. Because all GIS funding at ERL-C is
tied to specific projects, the GIS staff is limited in the extent to which it can develop generalized
routines and procedures, such as an ARC/INFO and SAS interface, which would be useful for
many projects.
Conclusion
Research activities at ERL-C that utilize GIS are characterized by an emphasis on
ecoregions, much attention to data QA/QC and inspection of data, and reliance on a careful,
analytical and interpretative approach to regionalization. GIS has been implemented
successfully as a tool in support of ERL-C's research and is used mainly as a tool for
cartographic presentation. Future directions for GIS at ERL-C will include making greater use
of the geographical analysis capabilities of GIS. This direction will not replace the emphasis on
careful inspection, analysis, and interpretation of data, but will augment this approach with other
methodologies.
Q
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H
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GIS Technical Support
Air Pollution Research
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The National Data Processing Division (NDPD) has developed a CIS
Technical Support Group based at Research Triangle Park (RTF) to aid
CIS users of the Agency's VAX cluster and other GIS platforms. Four
offices at RTF, the Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment
Laboratory (AREAL), the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
(OAQPS), the Health Effects Research Laboratory fHERL), and the
Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office (ECAO), are involved in
a GIS pilot project using GIS to support air pollution research.
GIS TECHNICAL SUPPORT GROUP: The GIS Technical Support
Group provides the following types of aid to GIS users of the
National Computer Center (NCC):
o Support uses of GIS hardware and software.
o Develop policies for the use of GIS at the NCC.
o Coordinate GIS training held at RTP for local and national
users.
o Aid RTP GIS users with project and data base design and
implementation.
o Assist NDPD in defining the Agency's future GIS hardware and
software needs.
o Assist with GIS data acquisition and storage of national data
sets and project specific data sets that will reside on the NCC.
RTP GIS AIR POLLUTION RESEARCH PILOT PROJECT: The
pilot project is designed to produce a GIS application that will aid
air pollution researchers in evaluating model, monitoring,
meteorological, and health statistics data. The pilot project will
also evaluate the effectiveness of GIS at integrating, displaying,
and analyzing these data in terms of costs and benefits. The
major research goals of the pilot are listed below:
o Evaluate the results of the Regional Ozidant Model (ROM).
o Review the effectiveness of control strategies for meeting
National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
o Evaluate the relationship of air quality data to mortality
statistics.
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CIS at Research Triangle Park
CIS Technical Support
The GIS Technical Support Group at
EPA's facilities at Research Triangle Park
(RTF) was formed in March, 1988, under the
National Data Processing Division (NDPD).
NDPD also provides GIS technical support in
the Washington Information Center (WIC) for
GIS users of PRIME minicomputers. The
work undertaken by the RTP group includes
the following tasks:
• Provide user support for GIS
software and hardware. This support ranges
from answering questions about how to use a
command in ARC/INFO to how to connect a
plotter or digitizer to the network.
• Develop policies for the use of GIS
at the National Computer Center (NCC).
• Coordinate GIS training at RTP.
NDPD will offer ARC/INFO training courses,
as needed, on a cost-recovery basis. The NCC
training facility's hardware and software are
being upgraded to provide effective support of
GIS training at RTP.
• Provide GIS technical expertise for
problem definition, data base design,
prototyping, and implementation for GIS
applications at RTP.
• Assist NDPD in defining the
Agency's future GIS hardware and software
needs. The GIS Technical Support Group has
completed a Scientific and GIS Workstation
Evaluation.
• Assist with GIS data acquisition for
pilot projects and national data sets that will
be stored at the NCC.
GIS work at the NCC uses the ARC/INFO
software product, which resides on a VAX
8650 system (VAXB) of the VAX cluster.
This software was installed in February, 1988.
At the present time, the GIS Technical
Support Group consists of two specialists at
RTP and one specialist at the WIC supplied by
the Unisys Corporation.
RTP's GIS Technical Support Group has
provided assistance to Region Vin with its
GIS pilot projects, which have utilized the
NCC's VAX cluster at RTP. From the NDPD
perspective, the pilots were undertaken to
evaluate the effectiveness of remote
geoprocessing (Denver - RTP). The pilot
projects are described as part of the Region
Vin case study. The Technical Support
Group has also played a major role in a GIS
pilot project being conducted by several
offices at RTP. The following section
describes this RTP pilot.
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Air Pollution Research
Four offices at RTF arc conducting a joint
GIS pilot project to support air pollution
research, with particular emphasis on ozone
pollution. The four offices participating in the
pilot are as follows:
• Atmospheric Research and Exposure
Assessment Laboratory (AREAL);
• Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards (OAQPS);
• Health Effects Research Laboratory
(HERL); and
• Environmental Criteria and
Assessment Office (ECAO).
Staff members and contractors
representing these offices have formed a pilot
group for conducting the project The GIS
Technical Support Group is also playing a
major role in the project by providing
assistance to the pilot group throughout the
project.
The broad goals of the pilot project are
determined by the offices involved with the
pilot. AREAL hopes to conduct quality
assurance analyses by comparing outputs from
the Regional Oxidant Model (ROM) with air
quality and emissions data from monitoring
stations. These comparisons will be used in
evaluating the ROM model. OAQPS plans to
assess ozone air quality status in support of
the review of National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS), including analysis of the
results of various emissions control strategies.
HERL's interests are in examining the
relationships of health statistics and pollutants.
Both AREAL and OAQPS would like to
examine ROM outputs in relationship to
population, crop yield, and land use to
determine if air quality controls have made a
difference and what future controls may be
needed.
The pilot began during the spring of 1988
and is scheduled for completion during late
spring of 1989. The initial phase of the pilot
study involved defining the scope of the
project and reducing the amount of source
data considered for use in the pilot The need
for the data reduction phase occurred because
of the vast amount of air monitoring,
modeling, and emissions data and the limited
scope of the pilot project. The geographic
extent of the pilot was restricted to the
northeastern United States between latitudes
38 and 45 degrees north and longitudes 69 and
84 degrees west Temporally, the pilot study
was limited to a fifteen-day period from July
12 to July 26,1980.
The second phase of the pilot involved
detailed project design. A draft design
document has been completed, and the pilot
group is currently involved in coding the
application and in prototyping.
Nine types of data files will be included in
the system. These include:
ROM predicted data
Point emissions data
Area emissions data
Biogenic hydrocarbon emissions data
Reactive hydrocarbon emissions data
Air quality data
Population and census data (1980)
Land use data
Meteorological data
The completed air pollution research
system will contain three major software
modules. The first module is a data
management and retrieval system that will use
a data control file to record all data that have
been loaded into the system. Users will query
this data base to identify what data are
currently available. A staff person has been
assigned to act as data base manager. She will
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m-iis
manage the data control file and coordinate
the loading of new data into the pilot data
base. Because model runs produce hourly
results, the data control file will encompass a
large number of data sets.
The second software module is a series of
interfaces to the data bases and model output
files that generate data sets and update the
data control file. Loading new data into the
system requires significant batch processing
on both the IBM and VAX systems at the
NCC.
The third software module is the user
interface. This menu-driven interface will
provide researchers with the ability to:
List available data sets
Request that new data sets be loaded
Generate reports and queries
Generate map displays
Perform geographic analyses
The interface has been designed for use by
researchers who have no training in the use of
ARC/INFO and minimal training in using the
pilot project's air pollution research system.
The GIS-related objectives of the pilot
project include the following:
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the
Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN)
software for the surface modeling of air
pollution data;
• Evaluating the cost/benefit of GIS
for air pollution research;
• Developing inter-lab/office commun-
ications and data exchange;
• Developing existing staffs GIS
skills; and
• Refining procedures used in GIS
project design.
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Implementation Issues
Managementl
Communications
Two major factors have contributed to the successful implementation of GIS at RTF:
(1) The development of a GIS Technical Support Group at the NCC has provided a
central focus for training and technical consultation for the offices and laboratories at
RTF.
(2) Many of the offices and laboratories at RTF are engaged in applications and research
that are spatial in nature and benefit from the introduction of GIS technology.
The RTF GIS Pilot Group was formed to introduce interested offices and laboratories to
GIS technology. The pilot project has proven to be an effective tool for promoting
communications among groups, developing in-house GIS expertise, and evaluating the
effectiveness of GIS for each program.
S.iXw-*'i':->:'l-:-:-; I'.; jj ';' .;';-' r^vSSWXy
iiiiiiv: ||i|iiPvx
Data
The GIS data sets that are stored at the NCC include data used for both the RTF GIS pilot
project and the Region VHI pilot Additionally, some base map information has been stored at
the NCC. Refer to the Region VIE case study and to the description of the RTF pilot above for
summaries of data used by these pilots.
The NCC will be acting as a repository for GIS data for EPA. These data will be available
to GIS users of the NCC Current plans call for the storage of a PRIME version of these base
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data at the WIC and a VAX version of these data on the VAX cluster at RTF. At present, these
nationwide data sets, not listed previously, include:
1:2,000,000 national, state and county boundaries (DLG composite)
National ZIP code boundary files
Much additional work is needed to determine which data sets should be available through
the NCC. An Agency standard data dictionary for GIS coverages must be developed
Additionally, edge matching and quality assurance criteria for each data layer and data scale
must be developed
Staffing
The GIS Technical Support Group consists of two contractors at RTF and one contractor at
the WIC from the Unisys Corporation. The RTF GIS pilot project staff includes the following
EPA employees and contractors from the offices involved with the pilot: two EPA and one
Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) contract employee from AREAL, two EPA and two CSC
contract employees from OAQPS, two EPA employees from HERL, and one EPA employee
from ECAO. Most of these employees are involved with the project on a part-time basis.
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Software
NDPD acquired ARC/INFO and the NETWORK module for the VAXB in February, 1988.
ESRI, the vendor of ARC/INFO, did not provide a working copy of the TIN module to the NCC
until late in June, 1988. The GRID and Coordinate Geometry (COGO) modules were added in
late October, 1988. The batch driver was modified to accommodate the NCC's account codes.
ESRI's plot driver for CalComp's 58XX and 59XX plotters has also been installed.
The GIS Technical Support Group is developing ARC Macro Language (AML) macros to
aid in transferring geographic data between different computer types (e.g., VAX and PRIME) via
tape. The group is also developing procedures to transfer these data over the network.
The NCC is in the process of installing a single seat (user) version of Dynamic Graphics
Interactive Surface Modeling Software and associated software libraries on the VAX cluster.
AREAL will be evaluating this software's surface modeling capabilities with regard to
meteorological data.
Hardware
Hardware used at RTF includes the VAX 8650 (VAXB) of the NCC VAX cluster. A
CalComp 5845 electrostatic plotter provides hard copy output Figure 9 shows the hardware
configuration for GIS at RTF.
A GIS training and support area is being set up adjacent to the NCC Training Center. This
area will contain graphics terminals, workstations, thermal transfer plotter with video controller
(RGB frame grabber), and a digitizing table. Other peripherals which can be used for GIS are
located in AREAL, which has several graphics terminals and a thermal plotter, and in OAQPS,
which has several graphics terminals and both ink jet and thermal printer/plotters.
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Figure 9
GIS Hardware
Configuration at RTF
Tektronix 4510A
Tektronix 4207 Rasterizer
I
Tektronix 4207
Tektronix 4693D
Thermal Color Unit
CalComp 5912
Thermal Plotter
Tektronix 4206 Tektronix 4696
Calcomp Digitizer
CalComp 5845
Electrostatic Plotter
Workstations
Tektronix 4208
Tektronix 4325
CalComp 903
Video Controller
I
Sun 3865/250
Tektronix 4209
CalComp 5912
Thermal Plotter
Tektronix 4325
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Constraints
Several requirements have been identified that will affect the integration of GIS processing
into the offices and laboratories at RTF. For GIS to be incorporated as a useful tool into the
daily work of RTF offices, these requirements must be met successfully. The requirements
include:
(1) Developing effective mechanisms to synthesize, reformat for use with GIS, and
manage extremely large data bases used in monitoring and modeling atmospheric data.
(2) Educating EPA scientists and managers about the capabilities, limitations, and
costs of GIS technology. This includes understanding the benefit of GIS planning and
implementation strategies. Initial steps towards meeting this requirement have been taken
through the Agency's recent evaluation of GIS training needs. The need for instruction in both
basic GIS concepts and planning for GIS projects has been identified. An Agency GIS training
program that includes instruction in these areas should be implemented as soon as possible.
(3) Successfully completing the RTF GIS pilot project Future applications of GIS
technology hi RTF will require management support and enthusiasm that will be generated by a
successful pilot project
Conclusion
The expertise and support provided by the GIS Technical Support Group at RTF has been a
major factor in the successful implementation of GIS to date at RTF. RTF's GIS pilot project
has been designed to produce an application that will assist air pollution researchers in their
ongoing work beyond the life of the pilot project The successful completion of the GIS pilot is
key to gaining additional management support for the use of GIS at RTF and for incorporating
GIS as a useful tool in RTF's offices and laboratories.
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03
I
00
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Supporting the
Oregon Clean Water Strategy
Targeting with a
Geographic Information System
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Oregon Clean Water Strategy project is a cooperative effort between
EPA and the Water Quality Division of the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ). The project involves the coordination and the
collection of relevant information to support the Clean Water Strategy and
the development of a methodology to prioritize water bodies. Data
acquisition and creation of the GIS data base is on the EPA Headquarters
PRIME computer using the ARC/INFO GIS software package. A user-friendly,
menu-driven, "Decision Support Tool" was prototyped to assist managers and
water quality analysts to display, query, and analyze the data base. This GIS
application, along with map products and special reports, is being evaluated
at DEQ and Region X with the intent of supporting water program
prioritization and establishing memoranda of understanding with responsible
land management agencies. Issues of data support and data quality also will
continue to be evaluated. The system will be transferred to the Region X
office for review by both DEQ and EPA staff.
Key factors in the development of the Oregon Clean Water Strategy
project have included the following points:
REGULAR AND CONSISTENT COMMUNICATIONS AMONG ALL
PROJECT PARTICIPANTS - The project has depended on the
cooperative efforts of the Oregon DEQ, the Environmental Results
Branch of EPA's Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation, the Office
of Information Resources Management, the Office of Water, EPA's
Region X Office, EPA's Environmental Research Laboratory at
Corvallis, American Management Systems, and the Oregon
Department of Energy. With this many participants, face-to-face
meetings and other regular communications have been essential to
forming a project consensus and to achieving the common goals of the
project.
USE OF AVAILABLE STATE AND FEDERAL DATA RESOURCES -
Enhanced productivity has been achieved by using available digital
data whenever possible.
#
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CIS and the
Oregon Clean Water Strategy
The Water Quality Act of 1987 amends
the Clean Water Act and requires EPA and the
states to carry out a number of new initiatives
in conjunction with ongoing Clean Water Act
programs. EPA's Office of Water has
developed and released a number of guidance
documents for implementing the new act
One of these guidance documents describes an
optional process for states to develop Clean
Water Strategies.
Development of a state's Clean Water
Strategy is a three-step process composed of:
• waterbody/resource assessment,
• water resource targeting, and
• strategic management planning.
The goal of a State Clean Water Strategy
is to integrate information across multiple
water programs to effectively prioritize
management activities. Development of a
strategy is inherently a cross-programmatic,
consultative process. Geographical
information systems are a technology ideally
suited to these tasks. For developing a dean
Water Strategy, the GIS facilitates integration
of spatial and tabular data from various water
quality programs, performs priority ranking
analysis, and provides management level
decision support
The Oregon Clean Water Strategy project
is a cooperative effort between EPA and the
Water Quality Division of the Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
to co-develop a methodology to implement a
State Clean Water Strategy. The
Environmental Results Branch of the Office of
Policy, Planning and Evaluation (OPPE/ERB)
is providing overall project guidance,
coordination with senior staff at Oregon DEQ,
and a role in the development of a
prioritization methodology. The Program
Systems Division of the Office of Information
Resources Management (OIRM/PSD) is
providing technical assistance by making the
HQ GIS computer available for the project,
lending staff support for GIS analysis and
system management, and coordinating
additional staff support in the Office of Water.
American Management Systems (AMS) is
providing project management, coordination
among key participants in the project, and
technical support relating to information
management technologies and Geographic
Information Systems. The participating
agencies also include the EPA Region X
Office, EPA's Environmental Research
Laboratory at Corvallis, and the Oregon
Department of Energy (ODOE).
Specifically, the project involves the
coordination and the collection of relevant
information to support the Clean Water
Strategy (CWS) and the development of a
methodology to prioritize water bodies. The
project is drawing upon available information
from several state agency programs, EPA
national data systems, and the USGS Water
Resources Division. A prototype CWS
Decision Support Tool is being developed that
will allow managers to display the high
priority rivers, lakes, and estuaries across the
state, subset the data geographically, and run
various priority scenarios by adjusting the
weighting of ranking factors.
Data acquisition and GIS development are
occurring on the Washington Information
Center HQGIS PRIME minicomputer with
ARC/INFO software. Data communications
and transfer utilities allow for downloading
EPA program information from the National
Computer Center at Research Triangle Park,
North Carolina.
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The system will be transferred to the EPA
Region X office, where Oregon DEQ will
remotely access the system through a PC
ARC/INFO workstation. Further development
and documentation of the effort will support
OIRM in EPA/State data management issues
and in providing guidance for future efforts.
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Implementation Issues
Management/
Communications
Regular and consistent communications among the participants of the Oregon Clean Water
Strategy project has been both challenging and crucial to the progress which has been attained at
this juncture. Communication has been particularly challenging due to the number of project
participants and the geographic distances from each other. Ironically, Oregon DEQ, the primary
client for project is furthest from Washington, D.C., where much of the technical work is ongo-
ing. Despite the distance, communication has been maintained and pursued with great vigor.
Managers and staff from OIRM, OPPE, and American Management Systems gathered together
with members of Oregon DEQ, Oregon DOE, and the ERL-Corvallis, in Portland to commence
the project and develop a strategic plan. This initial face-to-face meeting was essential to form-
ing a project consensus and "getting things off on the right foot". A subsequent trip to Oregon
further clarified a number of technical issues and project objectives and greatly contributed to
maintaining project momentum. This experience has certainly reinforced the need for direct
communication and to the extent feasible, joint meetings. Telephone calls, conference calls, ex-
press mail, and electronic mail have also been used extensively to maintain good communica-
tions.
Another important aspect of communication has been the challenge to establishing realistic
technical expectations where knowledge of CIS technology is initially quite limited. Educating
the client or end-user about the power and complexity of CIS is essential to developing realistic
project goals and objectives. Furthermore, the more the client understands the process of imple-
menting a CIS, they are better able to anticipate needs or mold their expectations accordingly.
For the Oregon Clean Water Project, two examples of the need for client understanding of GIS
technology and applications development are worth noting. First, for reasons mostly beyond
Oregon DEQ's direct control, the formulation of a ranking criteria for Oregon's water resources
was considerably delayed from original projections. As a result, final GIS data base design and
development was slowed. Part of the problem was attributable to Oregon DEQ's lack of knowl-
edge about the data bases which were available to be incorporated in the Clean Water Strategy,
partially a communications lapse on "Washington's" part Secondly, Oregon had expectations to
get a full "turn-key" dean Water Strategy System which could run on its IBM PC ARC/INFO
system. Although conceptually feasible, ultimately the size of the statewide data base and the
complexity of the system's functional requirements have resulted in a decision to run the system
in a PRIME minicomputer environment, permitting access by PC with an appropriate graphics
emulator. Here again, better education of the client as to what is technically feasible, combined
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with an earlier, more realistic assessment, by the project technical staff, of the technical feasibili-
ties for system implementation, would have minimized some of the confusion and resulting frus-
trations which have occurred. However, with persistence and continued efforts at direct commu-
nication, reasonable solutions to these difficulties have been achieved.
In the final analysis, the real "story" to come out of the Oregon Clean Water project is the
degree to which so many different organizations have been able to communicate and work to-
gether towards a common goal. Oregon DEQ has effectively communicated the values and pri-
orities of Oregon's citizens pertaining to the State's water resources. These values and priorities
are being implemented in a prototype GIS priority ranking and decision support tool. ERL-
Corvallis has effectively made the case for using Ecoregions as a differentiating factor in assess-
ment of water resource priorities based on the concept of attainable water quality.
Subecoregions, compiled and digitized by ERL-Corvallis, are being incorporated into the Clean
Water Strategy Decision Support System Prototype. OPPE's expertise and experience with pri-
ority ranking methods, based on a geographic approach, have been used extensively in the for-
mulation of the Oregon dean Water Strategy ranking scheme. OIRM's concerns about good
data quality and the effective use of available State and Federal data resources have been heeded
and resulted in enhanced productivity (e.g., no manual digitizing) and better quality data bases.
None of these benefits would have accrued to this project without effective communication, and
the willingness of all parties to contribute their ideas, knowledge, and expertise in a spirit of
compromise.
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Data
A major data objective of the Oregon Qean Water Strategy project has been to use
available digital data, rather than to digitize new data from maps. In trying to meet this
objective, the project has identified potential data from numerous sources, including those listed
below. For each type of data, the data's owner and source format are also given. Not all of the
sources have been incorporated into the current prototype CWS data base.
Data Base
Owner
State Non-point Source Assessment for Surface
and Groundwater
Pacific NW Rivers Study (1:250,000)
Pacific NW Rivers Study (approx. 1:24,000)
Oregon Ecoregions
Oregon 305(b) Report
Oregon 3040) List
USGS Shallow Aquifers
USGS aquifer withdrawal summary statistics
Listing of facilities and areas of concern
to ground water problems
USGS Geographic Names Information System
NPDES Permit Violations Quarterly Reports, 1985-87
Oregon Estuary Management Plan
Oregon DEQ
Bonneville Power
Bonneville Power
Oregon DOE
ERL-Corvallis
Oregon DEQ
Oregon DEQ
USGSWRD
USGSWRD
Oregon DEQ
USGSWRD
Oregon DEQ
Oregon Dept of
Land Conservation
and Development
Maps of estuaries showing areas closed to shellfishing Oregon DEQ
Source Format
GIS
GIS
DBASE
GIS
paper
LOTUS
GIS
paper
LOTUS
GIS
paper
GIS
paper
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Data Base
.Owner
Drinking Water Facilities with Surface Water Intakes;
EPA Water Supply Data Base;
1982 River Reach Data Base Names File
Oregon counties
Oregon river basins
Oregon Hydrologic Catalog Units
Facility Index Systems (FINDS)
EPASTORET
EPASTORET
USGSWRD
USGSWRD
EPASTORET
EPA
Source Format
NCC data file
NCC data file
CIS
CIS
NCC data file
NCC data file
The data acquisition stage of the project took much longer than anticipated for several
reasons:
• Locating and sending data from such a large number of digitial sources was a lengthy
process. System problems at the Oregon DOE, specifically system loads, restrictions
in access to tape drives, and a disk head crash, increased the time for acquiring data
from that source.
• Some data to be used in the project were still being developed during the course of
the project Revisions to these data delayed the development of the data base for the
Clean Water Strategy.
• Defining the criteria to be used for the dean Water Strategy was a lengthy process
that included numerous revisions to the criteria. As the criteria were modified, the
data requirements for those criteria also had to be changed.
• Inadequate documentation was provided with some of the data. This resulted in
numerous telephone calls to clarify aspects of the data.
• Because data from so many sources were needed for the project, extensive efforts
were required for integrating data and verifying data quality. Some data files were at
different scales and had different accuracies. During these data integration efforts,
decisions had to be made regarding which data were appropriate for use in this
application.
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Staffing
With the number of different organizations involved in the Oregon CWS, several
individuals have provided technical expertise, coordination support, or help with data acquisition
or criteria development The staffing consisted of an oversight/management group and a
technical implementation group.
A technical team was assembled to work at EPA on the HQGIS PRIME. The team
consisted of 2-3 AMS contractors and 2-3 EPA staff. Expertise within the group included the
following:
CIS analysts with expertise in ARC/INFO and knowledge of EPA and State data
bases;
• Data systems analysts with expertise in EPA data sources;
• Environmental analysts with knowledge of the application area of priority ranking
methodologies; and
• An EPA computer system manager with knowledge of the ARC/INFO PRIME
installation and the Calcomp plotting environment
An oversight/management group met regularly at EPA. This group included mid- and
senior-level staff from OPPE and OIRM which regularly held status meetings along with
members of the technical team.
Designated water quality specialists and management staff at DEQ maintained telephone
contact with key points of contact at EPA. A lead CIS analyst with the EPA team acted as
technical coordinator helping to balance user expectations and changing priorities with the
technical implementation of the project
The team worked well in identifying EPA national data bases, transferring the data to the
CIS, and designing software modules for the menu-driven CIS application. However, the CIS
team was hampered early in the project by the lack of a firm requirements definition by Oregon
DEQ for the CWS data base. Oregon DEQ was involved with revisions of their water quality
data which were to be part of the Clean Water Strategy. Because of the constant revisions and
re-thinking of the requirements, it was very difficult for the CIS team to move forward on the
CIS application. Once there was a firm commitment by the end users (DEQ) to a set of data
requirements for support of the CWS, the team was able to quickly assemble the data base and
design a prototype GIS application tool
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Software
Several packages have been used in conjunction with the Oregon Clean Water Strategy
project Both ARC/INFO on the Washington Information Center's (WIQ PRIME and PC
ARC/INFO on a Compaq 386 have been utilized in the project Typically, data obtained from
EPA's National Computer Center at Research Triangle Center was formated into ARC/INFO
coverages using PC ARC/INFO on the Compaq. These coverages were subsequently uploaded
to the WIC's PRIME where they were further processed with the PRIME'S ARC/INFO.
Other supporting software used for the project include the following:
PC INFO
DBASE (on the PC)
LOTUS (on the PC)
TGRAF terminal emulation software on a Compaq 386 and Macintosh n, which
allowed both machines to emulate a Tektronix 4107 graphics terminal when logged
onto the WIC PRIME; This permitted both machines to use ARC/INFO on the
PRIME.
STORET applications on the NCC IBM
• FINDS applications on the NCC IBM
GATEWAY applications on the NCC IBM
Hardware
Figure 10 depicts the hardware used for the Oregon dean Water Strategy project Through
dial-iipcapabmties, both the Compaq 386 and the Madntoshn located at AMS in Arlington,
Vu-gSia, accessed the WIC's PRIME 2750 and NCC's IBM 3090 mainframe.
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National Computing
Center
IBM 3090
I
AMS
Compaq Macintosh II
386/20
Figure 10
Oregon Clean Water Strategy
GIS Hardware
sgy ^|
r
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
EPA's Washington
Information Center
PRIME 2750 (HQ-GIS)
Calcomp Electrostatic
Plotter
Tektronix 4105
Tektronix 4207
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Constraints
AMS has identified several constraints that have impacted the implementation of the
Oregon Clean Water Strategy GIS Project These constraints are described below.
(1) Lack of sufficient lead time for Oregon to develop Clean Water Strategy
criteria: The time frame for completing the Clean Water Strategy was initially from June to
September. However, at the initiation of the project, Oregon DEQ was committing much of its
technical staff to finalizing a Non-point Source Assessment for public review. Consequently,
DEQ did not have the resources in the early stages of the project to develop workable criteria,
help direct the data acquisition, and answer questions concerning data needs. The modifications
to the criteria by both DEQ and EPA staff meant that the GIS technical team spent much of the
early stages of the project responding to shifting data requirements. The situation was improved
by extending the time period to develop workable criteria and to allow DEQ time to focus on the
problem.
(2) The decision to begin the system development on the WIC PRIME precluded
development of a PC-based support tool. One of the early proposals for the Clean Water
Strategy support tool was to have capabilities resident on PC ARC/INFO. However, the support
and cooperation of the EPA Office of Information Resources Management directed the
development of the GIS to the PRIME minicomputer at the Washington Information Center.
Development of the GIS on the PRIME was advantageous and necessary because of increased
storage capacity, additional software capabilities, multiuser capacity, and infrastructure and
technical assistance. The PC workstation is being used as a terminal to the PRIME.
Development of additional capabilities for the Clean Water Strategy that are resident on the PC
will be deferred to a later date.
(3) Poor locational data in EPA data bases: Some of the EPA data bases proposed for
use in the Clean Water Strategy have incomplete or inaccurate latitude/longitude data for facility
locations. This was found to be the case for drinking water facilities in the Water Supply Data
Base, STORET water quality monitoring stations, and permitted facilities in the FINDS data
base. The locational information was not critical for implementation of the prototype Clean
Water Strategy GIS; however, it may be a constraint for further refinements of the GIS.
(4) Lack of standardization by the State Agency on the EPA Reach Data: In
implementing the dean Water Strategy GIS, an Oregon DEQ version of the EPA River Reach
Trace Files (graphical representation of surface waterbodies with unique EPA identification
numbers) was used as a base map to represent surface waterbodies. EPA has standardized on the
Reach data so that information in various EPA data bases can be cross-referenced on the EPA
Reach number. Oregon DEQ, however, has not standardized on the EPA Reach data. Much of
the programmatic data received from DEQ had to be manually re-interpreted in order to link this
information to the EPA Reach data. DEQ was not concerned about maintaining an EPA standard
data base when using the Reach data for their Non-point Source Assessment Some of the
reaches had been locally redigitized, and the EPA Reach identification number had been lost.
This caused much concern at OIRM, which is responsible for guidance on data standards for GIS
projects. The GIS team consequently had to evaluate carefully all efforts at integrating
information based on the EPA Reach numbers (e.g., Drinking Water Utilities), because some
information would be lost due to using non-standard Reach data. From the State's point of view,
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the EPA Reach data (at 1250,000 scale) does not contain all the waterbodies they would like to
see. EPA currently has. a cooperative program with USGS and Bonneville Power Authority to
increase the resolution of the Reach data to 1:100,000 making the data more usable for state
applications.
(5) Lack of electronic communications: E-mail was not available to the DEQ state
office. E-mail works well because it is often easier to pass information over the network on a
regular basis than to establish consistent telephone conversations.
(6) Technology transfer from other EPA CIS installations could be improved.
Utilization of the Calcomp electrostatic plotter at the WIC had some early setbacks in the project.
Some delays were unavoidable because the Calcomp had been recently purchased and was still
in a testing phase. A few of the difficulties had to do with the interaction of the ARC/INFO
software with the Calcomp plotter. Communication and assistance from other EPA CIS
installations helped to clarify some of these difficulties.
(7) Incomplete data documentation: Numerous telephone calls were necessary to
clarify aspects of the data. Documentation should include a complete data dictionary, map
projection and units, source of the data, who compiled the data and when the compilation was
done, how the data were created, and if the CIS data file is a secondary source. (E.g., the Reach
files are a primary source of data. Some of the CIS coverages were derived from the EPA Reach
files.)
Conclusion
The Oregon dean Water Strategy Project is a prime example of a CIS that integrates
information across multiple agencies and programs. The project has used available data from
both Federal and State agencies, a factor which has resulted in enhanced productivity. The
successes of the project have depended upon consistent communications among the many
participants in the project and upon then- willingness to work together effectively. This effort
can serve as a good model for the development of dean Water Strategies in other states.
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A. LIST OF INTERVIEWEES
REGION I
Information Management Branch
Michael MacDougall Chief
Greg Charest GIS Applications Manager
Waste Management Division. Water Supply Branch
David Delaney Hydrologist
StanRydell Hydrogcologist
REGION m
Information Resources Management Branch
Robert Blaster Chief, Information Management Support Section
Computer Sciences Corporation — ContTflCt Support
Douglas Freehafer Programmer/analyst
Renee Gelblat Programmer/analyst
David West Programmer/analyst
Air Management Division. Air Programs Branch
Lewis Felleisen Chief , Special Programs Section
Patricia Flares Special Programs Section
Environmental Services Division. Environmental Assessment Branch
Diane Esher Chief, Environmental Planning Section
Peter Stokely Environmental Scientist, Wetlands and Marine Policy
Section
Mnn«gemfnt ™vision. Drinlriny Wnter/Gmimd Water Protection Branch
Stuart Kerzner Chief, Ground Water Protection Section
Ava Zandi Ground Water Protection Section
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CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM
Lowell Bahner Computer Sciences Corporation - Contract Support
REGION IV
Joseph Franzmathes Assistant Regional Administrator for Policy and
Management
Office of Integrated Environmental Analysis
George Collins Chief
Henry Strickland GIS Coordinator
Jim Bricker Engineer
Phyllis Mann Environmental Scientist
Jerry Sorenson Environmental Scientist
REGION VH
Office of Policy and Management. Environmental Rffvfew Branch
B. Katherine Biggs Chief
Walt Foster Biologist, Office of Integrated Environmental Analysis
Vickie Hale Computer Sciences Corporation - Contract Support
Bob Barber Biologist, Wetland Protection Section
REGION Vm
Environmental Surveillance Branch. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Section
Larry Svoboda GIS Manager
Bill Monson Statistician
Dick Sotiros Engineer
Water Management Division. State Program Management Branch
Dale Vodehnal Chief
Office of Policy and Management. Planning and Financial Control Branch
Doug Johnson Management Analyst
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ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SYSTEMS LABORATORY - LAS VEGAS
Advanced Monitoring Systems Division. Remote and AJT Monitoring Branch
Mason Hewitt Manager, Spatial Analysis Laboratory
Ross Lunetta Remote Sensing Manager
Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Corporation - Contract Support
Jerry Carter Scientist/Geologist
DickDulaney Scientist/Geographer
Lawrence Rsher Staff Engineer
David James Senior Scientist
Frank Mynar CIS Analyst
MarkOlsen Supervisor
Jonathan Pickus Senior Scientist
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORY - CORVALLIS
James Omemik Research Geographer
BUI Tiffany ADP CoHdinator
NSI Technology Services Corporation — Contract Support
Denis White Geographer
Andrew Herstrom Geographer
Andrew Kinney Contract Management
Gary Bishop Geographer/CIS Specialist
Colleen Johnson Scientist
Dorothy Mortenson Geographer
Suzanne Pierson Geographer
Barbara Rosenbaum Geographer
Tony Selle Geographer/GIS Specialist
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK
National Data Processing Division. National Computer Center
Unisys Corporation — Contract Support
Tom Scheitlin GIS Technical Support
Gene Costello GIS Technical Support
Atmospheric Sri«n«* Research Laboratory
Cdr. James Reagan Environmental Statistician
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