£EPA


Geographic Information
Systems
Training
Recommendations

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            United States       Administration and      April 1989
            Environmental Protection   Resources Management
            Agency         (PM-218B)
c/EPA      Geographic Information
            Systems

            Training
            Recommendations

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                           TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                                      Page

I.   Introduction  	1-1

II.  Executive Summary	n-1

III.  Current CIS Training at EPA	ffl-1

    A.   Current Course Offerings	ffi-1
    B.   Limitations of Current Training	ni-2

IV.  Recommended Strategy for CIS Training	IV-1

    A.   CIS Training Groups within EPA	IV-1
    B.   Recommended CIS Curriculum	IV-3
    C.   Phased Implementation Plan for CIS Curriculum	IV-10

V.  List of Core Courses	V-l

VI.  List of Specialized Courses	VI-1

VII. Course Delivery Recommendations	Vn-1

    A.   Fundamental Principles of Training	VII-1
    B.   Criteria for Qualified Instructors	VH-3
    C.   Facilities Needed for Effective Training	VII-4
    D.   Alternative Training Media	VH-4

Vm. Training Support within EPA	VIH-1

    A.   Support by EMSL-LV	VHI-1
    B.   Support by the National Data Processing Division	Vni-2
    C.   Support by the EPA Institute	VHI-3
    D.   Continuing Education for CIS	VHI-3
Appendix A.    Outline for a Course in Geographical Analysis and
               Fundamental CIS Concepts	A-l

Appendix B.    Outline for a Course in GIS Planning	B-l

Appendix C.    List of Interviewees	C-l

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                                                                         1-1

                            I. INTRODUCTION
    This report on EPA Training Recommendations for 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 1 under Task Order Number N4B688015 of GSA Contract Number GS-OOK-
85AF-D2777.   The objectives of this  report are  to  identify  EPA's  GIS  training
requirements   for  managers,   technical  staff,  and  end-users   and  to   make
recommendations for satisfying those requirements.

    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
training, 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

     •   Evaluation of existing EPA GIS programs to develop a case-study document
         outlining management, technical, staffing,  and other  issues pertinent to
         implementing GIS programs within EPA

     •   Development and  implementation  of  a  pilot  GIS  application using
         ARC/INFO  software  currently installed by  EPA on  the Washington
         Information Center (WIC) PRIME computer

     Because EPA has selected  the package ARC/INFO, a product of Environmental
Systems Research Institute (ESRI) of Redlands, California, as its GIS software of choice,
the training recommendations of this report have been made in light of EPA's current
GIS training provided by ESRI.  To date, EPA has not had the personnel  or funding
committed  to developing and teaching its own GIS courses. Effective GIS instruction
requires much more than a series of lectures and must be supported by detailed training
materials, classroom data bases, and on-line, hands-on instruction and examples. Since
the level of resources needed for development of that type  of course  has not been
available, EPA has had to rely on ESRI's training.

     In addition to considering current ESRI course offerings, this report has taken a
much broader and longer-term  perspective by addressing EPA's GIS and ARC/INFO
training needs for the next several years. Consequently,  recommendations are made
that include training requirements that will evolve as the use of GIS spreads and
matures within the Agency. Courses for which EPA may wish to assume instructional
responsibility in the future are part of these long-term recommendations. Finally, since

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                                                                           1-2


this document considers both current and long-term CIS training in EPA, it serves as a
statement of EPA's present and future CIS training needs both internally as well as
externally to organizations such as ESRI.

     This document is organized into the following major parts:

     (1)  Section I: Introduction
     (2)  Section II:  Executive Summary
     (3)  Section III:  Current CIS Training at EPA; This summary is provided as
         background material for  the training recommendations presented in later
         sections.
     (4)  Section IV: Recommended Strategy for GIS Training; This section presents
         a recommended GIS curriculum by type of audience and identifies a sequence
         in which the curriculum should be implemented.
     (5)  Section V:  List  of Core Courses; A brief summary is given describing the
         core courses in the recommended GIS curriculum.
     (6)  Section VI: List of Specialized Courses; The specialized courses in the
         curriculum are summarized.
     (7)  Section VII:  Course Delivery Recommendations; Fundamental principles
         for presenting GIS courses within EPA, criteria for selecting a good instructor,
         facilities needed  for effective training, and use of alternative training media
         are discussed.
     (8)  Section VIII:  Training Support within EPA; Support for GIS training that
         can be provided by several EPA offices is described.
     (9)  Appendix  A:   Outline for a Course  in Geographical  Analysis  and
         Fundamental GIS Concepts; An annotated outline of contents for this course,
         which is part of the recommended curriculum, is presented.
     (10) Appendix B: Outline for a Course in GIS Planning; This course is also part
         of the recommended curriculum, and an outline of its contents is presented.
     (11) Appendix C: List of Interviewees

     Acknowledgement is given to the following key contributors to this report:

     •   Mason Hewitt, EPA, Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory - Las
         Vegas
     •   Tom  Scheitlin,  Unisys,  GIS  Technical  Support at  EPA's  National Data
         Processing Division
     •   Jay Donnelly, U.S. Geological Survey, ARC/INFO training
     •   James Henderson, ESRI, Director of Customer Support and Training

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                                                                          II-l

                          II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
    A comprehensive GIS training  program is an important component of EPA's
implementation of Geographic Information  Systems (GIS).  A training  program is
necessary to ensure that Agency personnel have the skills and expertise  to take full
advantage of this new technology.  This section summarizes EPA's training needs and
specific recommendations for a training program.

A.  Current Training

    EPA's current GIS training is provided by the Environmental Systems Research
Institute (ESRI), who is the vendor for ARC/INFO, EPA's GIS software of choice.  ESRI
has extensive experience in providing ARC/INFO training to its hundreds of customers
and currently  has eleven  courses listed in  its training announcement.   Continued
reliance on ESRI for training has been necessitated by the lack of Agency personnel and
funding committed to the development and teaching of its own .GIS courses.  EPA's
current GIS training has consisted of the following courses:

    •   ESRI's basic two-week ARC/INFO course
    •   Selected ESRI advances courses, specifically:
             .Applications Programming (AMD
              Introduction to the Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) System
              Introduction to the Coordinate Geometry (COGO) System
    •   ESRI's Introduction to GIS
    •   Several courses on the INFO data base and the  PRIME and VAX operating
         systems, which serve as ARC/INFO prerequisites; These courses have been
         offered through EPA's National Data Processing Division (NDPD), not as
         part  of a specific GIS training program, but as either regularly-scheduled
         classes or as courses offered on an as-needed basis.

    This current array of courses  does not meet all of EPA's present and future GIS
training needs. Also, ESRI's basic ARC/INFO course has been criticized  as being too
complicated, poorly structured,   and not  focused  sufficiently on  EPA's specific
requirements.

B.  EPA's Training Groups

    Three broad  groups within EPA require different types of GIS training.  These
groups and their specific training needs are as follows:

    1.   Senior managers —  Assistant Administrators,  Office Directors,  Regional
         Administrators, Deputy Regional Administrators, Division Chiefs, and their
         Deputies

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                                                                        II-2


        Senior managers do not need to know the technical details of GIS but must
        understand why GIS should be used, how GIS can help them to accomplish
        the goals of their programs, the resources required for GTS, and tine extent to
        which resources must be committed to GIS before beneficial program results
        are seen.

    2.   Technical implementators - GIS teams and their project/program managers
        that implement GIS technology and build GIS applications for end-users

        Technical implementators are analysts who need the following skills and
        knowledge:

        •    Understanding  and  expertise in  the  concepts  and  methods  of
             geographical analysis
        •    Skills in life-cycle planning and implementation of a  GIS project
        •    Skills in requirements analysis and system design for GIS applications
        •    ARC/INFO expertise
        •    Knowledge of EPA programs which their GIS projects are supporting

    3.   End-users - Environmental scientists, analysts, and other EPA personnel and
        their project/program managers who are applying GIS as part of  their
        programmatic work for environmental research, analysis, prioritization, and
        decision-making

        End-users do  not require detailed technical knowledge of ARC/INFO, but
        they must understand the concepts and methods of geographical analysis and
        GIS.   They need  to know  how GIS  can  be applied to their  specific
        programmatic  work and understand  the planning and  implementation
        process for a GIS project.

C.  GIS Training Recommendations

    A GIS curriculum based on the training needs of the three groups defined above is
recommended for EPA.  Key recommendations that summarize  major points of this
curriculum, its development, and its limitations are as follows:

    •   For the present, ESRI should be retained for teaching the basic ARC/INFO
course as  well as the  advanced GIS  courses that  the firm presently teaches.  As
described below, EPA has other more pressing needs for training courses that are not
currently being met to which it should direct its limited training resources.

    •    EPA should continue to work with ESRI to develop an ARC/INFO course
tailored to EPA's requirements. The Agency should reevaluate periodically the need
for its own ARC/INFO course by looking at the demand for basic ARC/INFO training,

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                                                                         II-3

the extent to which ESRI's course meets EPA's needs, and the cost-effectiveness of
developing an internal course.

     •    EPA should develop and give courses that either (1) are directed at senior
management and end-users, (2) focus on geographical concepts and methods, or (3)
emphasize Agency-specific information. The specific courses in the curriculum that
EPA should  develop and teaclPand approximate time frames for course development
are as follows:

     Executive Briefing;  Implemented in FY 89

     Geographical Analysis and Fundamental CIS Concepts
     CIS Planning;  Prototypes for these two courses should be developed by the end of
     FY 89 and tested in FY 90. Final courses should be implemented by the end  of FY
     90.

     End-user ARC/INFO; A prototype could be developed by the end of FY 91 if
     there is sufficient demand for the course, which should be reassessed as CIS is
     more fully implemented throughout EPA.  Implementation of the final course
     could occur in  FY 92.

     •    Senior managers have CIS  training needs that differ so much from  the
requirements of the other groups that a separate executive briefing for senior
managers only is recommended.

     •    Instruction in geographical concepts and methods is distinct and different
from the  need  for GIS technical training.  Knowing how  to execute ARC/INFO
commands is not the same as understanding how to conduct  sound geographical
analyses.  It is absolutely essential that both technical implementors and GIS end-
users be educated  in geographical concepts and methods.  Towards this end, the
course  in Geographical Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts is recommended for
both technical implementors and end-users.

     •    The GIS knowledge base acquired by some EPA units as they apply GIS to
specific program areas needs to be transferred to the Regions so that they might take
advantage of work that has already been done. Under the umbrella of a GIS  training
program, development  of a mechanism for accomplishing GIS  technology  transfer
should begin as soon as possible. The Office of Information Resources Management
(OIRM) should  facilitate the start of this effort, while the Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory at Las Vegas (EMSL-LV) should be the technical lead, consistent
with its mission related  to GIS technology transfer. The Office of Technology  Transfer
should also be involved with this effort.

     •    All EPA courses should incorporate applicable knowledge and experiences
gained by EMSL-LV, the Environmental Research Laboratory at Corvallis, Region IV,

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                                                                         II-4

and NDPD's GIS Support Group at Research Triangle Park. This should not, however,
be considered as  a substitute  for developing and implementing a  mechanism  for
technology transfer focused on applications.

     •    Development of the EPA GIS curriculum should be a joint venture between
OIRM, NDPD, and the GIS Centers of Excellence, with OIRM as the lead.  OIRM
should take the lead in reviewing and resolving questions of specific responsibilities
for development and delivery of the EPA courses.

     •    Consideration should be given to a partnership between EPA and academia
for development of EPA's GIS courses.

     •    Adoption of a  GIS  training curriculum  and resolution of who should
develop and deliver each course should be done quickly.  Integration of GIS into
Agency programs cannot  be  done without a training program that goes beyond  the
two-week ARC/INFO course. Sufficient lead  time is needed for course development
and for recruitment of skilled GIS trainers.

     •    Establishment of an EPA educational review board should be considered as a
forum for reviewing GIS courses for content and relevancy.

     •    EPA should enforce required prerequisites  and implement  a screening
process for students taking the basic ARC/INFO course.

     •    EPA should not assume that the recommended curriculum satisfies all the
educational needs associated with the integration of GIS into Agency programs.  For
adequate training in geographical concepts and analysis and in the application of GIS to
environmental problems,  EPA should look to universities for  educational  support
through degree programs. EMSL-LV's efforts to play a role in the  development of
university GIS curricula through its cooperative agreements with UC-Santa Barbara and
North Texas University should be continued.

     •    EPA should emphasize hiring  people who have academic training in
geographical concepts and methods as GIS analysts.

     •    It should not be assumed that instructors for EPA's data processing courses
can  automatically assume responsibility for GIS  training.  GIS instructors must
understand  geographical  concepts  and methods and  how GIS can be applied to
environmental problems.  Sufficient lead time may be required for recruiting qualified
GIS instructors.

     •    NDPD has procured all equipment needed for  a GIS training facility at
Research Triangle Park.  It is  recommended  that EPA use the NDPD  facility as a
training site for those in EPA that do not receive on-site training.

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                                                                        III-l

                    III. CURRENT GIS TRAINING AT EPA
A.  Current Course Offerings

    Table HI-1 lists CIS-related courses that have been offered at EPA.  EPA's current
GIS training has consisted of the following  three types of courses, all of which have
been developed and taught by ESRI:

    (1)  ARC/INFO Training Course:   This  two-week basic ARC/INFO training
course has provided the bulk of EPA's GIS training.  The course covers the basics of GIS
data base design, digitizing, creation of ARC/INFO coverages, data manipulation and
analysis, and production of output maps and reports.  Other capabilities of ARC/INFO
and associated modules are mentioned briefly in the course. The intent of the course is
to provide students with enough information so that they may use ARC/INFO on their
own after completion of the course.

    The two-week basic course has been taken by technical managers and staff who
are implementing ARC/INFO as well as by  persons who may be considered potential
GIS end-users.  Although some of these end-users are environmental scientists who
have begun to utilize ARC/INFO in support of their work, others who have taken the
course have not used the software to date.

    (2)  Selected advanced courses:  Three of ESRI's  advanced courses have been
offered at EPA to date.  These three courses are:

     •   Applications Programming (AML) —  A  two-day course  on  designing,
         building, and maintaining application macros  in the ARC Macro Language
         (AML)
     •   Introduction to the Triangulated Irregular Network  (TIN) System - A two-
         day course on the analysis and display of surface data
     •   Introduction to the Coordinate Geometry (COGO) System -  A one-day
         course on inputing  and  managing coordinate data obtained from  typical
         survey measurements and descriptions

    All three of these courses are intended for experienced ARC/INFO users. Other
ESRI advanced courses that have not been taught at EPA are:

         Introduction to Database Design - 3 days
         Cartographic Production - 2 days
         Geographic Analysis — 2 days
         ARC/INFO System Programming - 4 days
         Systems Administration for ARC/INFO - 2 days
         ARC/INFO Processing Techniques - 2 days

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                       TABLE III-l
       CURRENT CIS-RELATED COURSES AT EPA
     EPA Courses
        VAX Course 1
        VAX Course 2
        PRIME Orientation*
        Introduction to INFO**
        Advanced INFO**
        One-day course on INFO and VAX*
     ESRI Courses
        ARC/INFO
        Applications Programming (AML)
        Introduction to the TIN System
        Introduction to the COGO System
        Introduction to GIS
*  Taught on an as-needed basis
**  Future courses will probably be contracted to Henco and will be taught on an
   as-needed basis.

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                                                                        III-2


     (3)  Introduction to GIS:   This course was developed by ESRI in June, 1988, in
response to a request by EPA Region I for a class that provided an introduction to GIS
for those who do not need to take the two-week ARC/INFO course. The intent of this
two-day course is to provide managers and end-users with an overview of GIS with a
minimum amount of detailed technical material.  The course content includes the
benefits of a GIS, a simplified description of how a GIS works, the major components of
a GIS, and GIS functions. This course has been added to the latest ESRI catalog (dated
September, 1988).
    In addition to these three types of courses, several classes that have been offered
through EPA's National Data Processing  Division (NDPD) provide instruction on
INFO, the relational data base management system used by ARC/INFO, and on the
basics of the PRIME and VAX operating systems, under which ARC/INFO is running
at EPA.  These courses include:

    •    Introduction to INFO - 2 days
    •    Advanced INFO - 3 days
    •    PRIME Orientation - 1 day
    •    VAX Course 1-2 days
    •    VAX Course 2-2 days

Future NDPD-sponsored courses  on INFO will probably be taught by Henco, the
vendor for INFO, and will be offered based on interest. The VAX courses are taught as
regularly-scheduled classes, whereas the PRIME Orientation course is offered on an as-
needed basis.

    NDPD also has developed a one-day course that covers the basics of INFO and the
VAX operating system and text editor. This scaled-down version of the "Introduction
to INFO" course and "VAX Course 1" was taught in July, 1988, prior to a two-week
ARC/INFO course.

B.  Limitations of Current Training

    The success of ESRI's two-week basic ARC/INFO course has been very mixed.
The following criticisms have been directed towards the two-week course:

    •    The course is too long and tries to cover too much material.
    •    The course assumes that students have a greater knowledge of data base
         management and cartography than is often the case.
    •    The course spends too much time on digitizing and editing data.
    •    Some parts of the course teach commands in alphabetical order, rather than
         grouping commands in a logical sequence.
    •    Course materials are crude and out-of-date.
    •    Examples and exercises are not always relevant to EPA.

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                                                                          III-3

     •    Some of the ESRI instructors have not been good teachers or have not been
         very knowledgeable about the hardware on which the course has been
         taught.

     ESRI has begun to address these criticisms in several ways.  The Environmental
Monitoring Systems Laboratory in Las Vegas  (EMSL-LV)  has provided to ESRI  a
training data base and training exercises that are relevant to EPA work.* Both the data
base and exercises were been designed as "stop-gap" measures until ESRI provides  a
more tailored training course to address EPA's specific needs. ESRI is also restructuring
the two-week course into two one-week segments that may be taken several weeks
apart. The sequence of the course material is being modified so that the first week of
the revised course  will use an existing data base to give a thorough overview of
ARC/INFO. The second week of the course will cover data base construction, analysis,
and data management in more detail. This course revision is currently in the planning
stage.  Although no formal date for offering the revised course has been published,
ESRI hopes to give the first presentation of the modified course in May, 1989.

     Besides inadequacies in the course itself, a second major reason for the mixed
success of the two-week ARC/INFO class has been the lack of screening students for
the course. The class has been taken by those with an interest in GIS but with no plans
of using the technology in the near future, as well as by a few who have no intention of
ever using GIS.  Such casual students displace  those who should be included in the
course or increase the class  size to unmanageable levels.**  Those who cannot  use
ARC/INFO almost immediately after completion of the course soon forget much of the
detailed technical material mat they have learned.  Some of the ARC/INFO students
have lacked prerequisite knowledge needed to benefit fully from the course, including
knowledge of  basic  mapping  concepts,  geographical analysis,  operating system
commands, the system's text editor, and relational data base management systems.
Without this prerequisite information, it has been impossible for some students to keep
up in the course as it is being taught.

     Few criticisms have been directed at the advanced courses taught by ESRI or at the
"Introduction to GIS" course. To date, the latter class has been taught only in Region I,
where it was very well received. Several sessions of the advanced courses have been
taught only recently.

     Beyond  the limitations of the courses that are offered, all GIS training needs in
EPA for both the present and the future are not met by the current array of courses. The
specific training needs for different groups of people are described in the next section as
part of the recommended strategy for GIS training.
  * An extract data base from the Environmental Methods Testing Site (EMTS)  project, which contains
   data for the Chattanooga Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, has been provided by EMSL-LV for
   EPA's ARC/INFO courses.
 ** Eight students have been recommended by EMSL-LV as the maximum size of an ARC/INFO class.

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                                                                         IV-1


            IV. RECOMMENDED STRATEGY FOR CIS TRAINING
    This section describes the recommended strategy for GIS training for EPA. Several
groups of staff within EPA have different training needs, and their needs for training
are described first.  The recommended curriculum is then presented for each  of the
groups, followed by a discussion of a phased implementation plan for this curriculum.

A.  GIS Training Groups within EPA

    Three broad  groups within EPA, two of which have been subdivided, require
different types of GIS training. These groups are:

    (1)  Senior managers
    (2)  Technical implementors
         (a)  Project/program managers of GIS teams
         (b)  GIS teams
    (3)  End-users
         (a)  Project/program managers of GIS end-users
         (b)  Environmental scientists, analysts, and other EPA personnel utilizing
             GIS in support of their programmatic work

    Each of these groups and their GIS training requirements are described below.

    1.   Senior Managers

    This training group includes upper-level managers (i.e., Assistant Administrators,
Office Directors, Regional Administrators, Deputy  Regional Administrators, Division
Chiefs, and their deputies) and mid-level managers. Typically, these managers  do not
need to know the technical details of GIS but must know how GIS will impact their
programs. The questions that must be answered for  senior managers include:

         What is GIS used for?
         How is GIS being used in other units within EPA with similar missions?
         How can GIS help to accomplish the goals of the manager's program?
         How may GIS affect the success or failure of a program?
         What resources are required for GIS in terms of both time, staff, and overall
         financial resources?
    •    How long is the implementation phase of GIS and what amount of resources
         must be committed before GIS will have  a beneficial impact on the goals of
         the manager's program?

    Senior managers also have little time to spend in training.  Consequently, a GIS
training session for senior managers must be limited to not more than two hours and

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                                                                          IV-2

must focus directly on the specific information  needed by management with little
ancillary, but not necessary, information presented.

     2.   Technical Implementors

     Technical implementors are the GIS teams that actually implement GIS technology
and their project/program managers. GIS teams are comprised of analysts who interact
with end-users to analyze the requirements of GIS applications, design and build data
bases, program in ARC/INFO, produce output  maps and reports, and  design and
program user-friendly sets of ARC/INFO commands (macros) that can be run easily by
end-users.  These GIS teams  obviously need to be experts in  ARC/INFO,  data base
design, and the life-cycle implementation of a GIS project.  They must be able to locate
possible sources of data and must know concepts, issues, and practices related to data
standards and data quality.  The  GIS teams also must understand thoroughly the
principles of geographical analysis  and mapping, since much of the data with which
they are working is geographical in nature.  Finally, those working on  a  GIS team
should have sufficient knowledge about the EPA  programs that their GIS projects are
supporting.  The best GIS teams are those with a multi-disciplinary staff and expertise
in EPA programs.  Although this type knowledge is important  for  successful GIS
applications, this report focuses only on information directly tied to GIS, not on the vast
array of supporting environmental information  that may be required  for specific
applications.

     The training needs of the project/program  managers of GIS teams are not as
technically detailed as those of their analysts.  Although these managers do not need to
know ARC/INFO as thoroughly as their analysts do, they nevertheless should have a
firm understanding of all technical  issues related  to life-cycle implementation and the
use of GIS hardware, software, and applications.  The training requirements for future
division-level GIS program managers will center on their ability and understanding of
planning GIS projects  and the life-cycle implementation of GIS applications.  Their
training needs are similar to those of "end-user" managers, which are described below.

     3.   End-users

     End-users are environmental scientists,  analysts, and other EPA personnel and
their project/program managers who are applying GIS as part of their  programmatic
work for environmental research, analysis, prioritization, decision-making, and the like.
Because these individuals will be working with the technical implementors in applying
GIS to the end-users' programs, end-users do not require detailed technical knowledge
of ARC/INFO. However, to effectively use GIS in  support of their programs, end-users
need to understand basic concepts of geographical analysis, mapping, and GIS. They
need to know how GIS can be applied to their specific programmatic work and must
also have a firm understanding of planning GIS projects and life-cycle implementation
issues.  They must be knowledgeable about issues related to data quality and the
potential impacts of data quality on project results and costs.

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                                                                         IV-3
     As use of GIS increases in EPA, some end-users may want to acquire sufficient
knowledge about ARC/INFO to perform some basic operations on their own without
needing to rely on the GIS teams for all support.  At the simplest level, this  would
involve running macros created by a GIS team. Other individuals may wish to become
proficient in a few basic ARC/INFO operations, such as overlaying different coverages
of data, producing simple maps of those overlays, and performing ad hoc INFO queries
against the data base.

B.   Recommended GIS Curriculum

     The recommended GIS curriculum for EPA is summarized in the following pages
and in Table IV-1.  This curriculum is designed as a series of courses with a phased
implementation plan to be completed by approximately fiscal year 1992. The following
subsections  present  the  rationale and  structure of the  curriculum and  specific
curriculum recommendations:

     (1)  Curriculum Rationale
     (2)  Roles and Responsibilities for Curriculum Development and Training
     (3)  GIS Education Recommendations beyond the Curriculum
     (4)  Relationships between  Currently Offered ESRI Courses and  Planned EPA
         Courses

Descriptions of the core courses and of the specialized advanced courses are given in
Sections V and VI, respectively.

     1.   Curriculum Rationale

     Several factors are fundamental to the rationale and design of this curriculum and
have resulted in  the specific training recommendations represented by the curriculum
itself:

     •   Because different groups in EPA  have different GIS training needs,  as
described above, a curriculum with specific courses for each training group has been
defined. In some cases, a course may satisfy training needs of two groups.

     •   The courses have been divided into Core Courses and Specialized Advanced
Courses. The core courses represent the fundamental information needed for use of
GIS.  Because the teams of GIS technical implementors also require extensive technical
knowledge about all aspects of GIS, other advanced courses will be needed by at least
some members of a GIS team. It is not anticipated  nor recommended that all team
members take all of these advanced courses. Rather, these courses should be taken to
reflect the specific responsibilities of individual  team  members.    Those  taking
specialized courses would in turn be able to transfer information learned in the course
to other team members on an as-needed basis.

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                               TABLE IV-1
            RECOMMENDED CIS CURRICULUM FOR EPA

                             Senior   Technical Implementors    End-Users
                           Managers  Managers  GIS Teams  Managers Staff
Core Courses

EPA
 Executive Briefing              R

 Geographical Analysis and                 R        R         R        R
   Fundamental GIS Concepts

 GIS Planning                            R        R         R        R

 ARC/INFO System Prerequisites                      R                  O
   Introduction to INFO
   Operating system basics
   Text editor

 End-user ARC/INFO                                                    O

ESRI
 ARC/INFO                                       R
Specialized Advanced Courses

EPA
 Advanced INFO                                     O
 Specialized Applications Courses                      O                  O

ESRI
 Applications Programming (AML)                     R
 Introduction to Database Design                      S
 Systems Administration for ARC/INFO                 S
 ARC/INFO Processing Techniques                     O
 ARC/INFO Systems Programming                     O
 Cartographic Production                             O
 Geographic Analysis                                 O
 Introduction to the TIN System                        O
 Introduction to the COGO System                     O


R:  Recommended for all persons in a category
O:  Optional, based on specialized needs
S:  Site; At least one person from each ARC/INFO site should lake this course.

New EPA courses and current ESRI courses that have not been offered at EPA are in bold, italicized type.

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                                                                         rv-4
     •    The knowledge learned through some of the specialized advanced courses
may be  gained through other ways.   For. example, someone who  has  worked
extensively with relational data base management systems and has done requirements
analyses and data base design work does not need to take the "Introduction to Database
Design" course.

     •    Senior managers have CIS training needs that differ so much from the
requirements of the other  groups that a separate executive briefing for senior
managers only is recommended.

     •    The need for instruction in geographical concepts and methods is distinct
and different from the need for GIS technical training.  Technical implementors must
be trained in the operation of GIS software,  building GIS data bases, writing user-
friendly macros that can be run by end-users, and similar computer-oriented topics.
The basic two-week ARC/INFO course and most of the advanced courses listed in
Table IV-I are  intended to satisfy this training need. Beyond this technical training
requirement,  however,  is  the absolute necessity of educating  both  technical
implementors and GIS end-users in geographical concepts and methods. By its very
nature, GIS is a tool that operates upon geographical data.  For GIS to be used as an
effective tool in supporting management decisions and in environmental analyses, its
users must uriderstand the principles and methods for the collection, analysis,  and
mapping of geographical data.  Knowing how  to execute ARC/INFO commands is not
the same  as understanding how to conduct sound geographical analyses. Towards this
end, a   course  in Geographical Analysis  and  Fundamental GIS  Concepts is
recommended for both technical implementors and end-users.  Appendix A presents an
outline for  this course.  (It should be mentioned here that one short course  is not
sufficient to satisfy all EPA's  training needs related to geographical concepts  and
methods.   This  point  is  discussed  further  in  Section  IV.B.3,  "GIS  Education
Recommendations beyond the Curriculum.")

     •    In looking at sources of GIS training, ESRI is currently the major supplier of
training.  Although other agencies within the federal government were investigated as
possible sources of training, none were found that are feasible at the present time.  The
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is teaching its own ARC/INFO training course and has
considered  developing classes  for advanced ARC/INFO, ARC/INFO programming,
and GIS  for end-users.  However, the USGS ARC/INFO class has a waiting  list of
students and could not accommodate EPA's needs.  Furthermore, USGS does not offer
agency-wide classes on basic mapping concepts or geographical analysis, since USGS
employees generally have such knowledge when they are hired. The Defense Mapping
School located at Fort Belvoir has not yet implemented a GIS training program.

     •    There is a fundamental requirement to teach the core courses from a problem-
solving perspective oriented towards EPA's applications for GIS. Also, it is anticipated
that the use of GIS will increase substantially throughout EPA, both at headquarters, the

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                                                                         IV-5

Regions, and the Labs. This increasing demand for training, as well as the critical need
to orient training towards EPA's needs and programs, has led to the recommendation
that EPA assume responsibility for developing and giving some training courses over
the next four years.   EPA would develop and teach most of the core courses, while
ESRI would be retained for the foreseeable future for both the basic ARC/INFO course
and all the specialized advanced courses that the  firm presently teaches.  If  other
vendors or organizations  develop extensive advanced ARC/INFO  courses in the
coming years, such alternative sources should be investigated. Until EPA's courses are
available, ESRI courses will be used as substitutes.

     •   Some in EPA have suggested that the Agency move towards developing its
own basic ARC/INFO course to replace the ESRI course. At the present  time, it is felt
that the more pressing need is to devote limited EPA resources to develop the Executive
Briefing, the Geographical Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts course, and the CIS
Planning course. ESRI's current course offerings do not meet all of the specific Agency
needs that these internal courses will satisfy. On the other hand, ESRI is in the process
of revising its ARC/INFO course and is incorporating many of EPA's suggestions for
improvements.  The sequence of material presented in the course is being modified, and
the course  will be structured into two one-week segments that can be  taken several
weeks apart.  Until other Agency GIS training needs are met, the more cost-effective
approach is for EPA to continue to work with ESRI to develop an ARC/INFO course
tailored to  EPA's requirements.  The Agency should reevaluate periodically the need
for its own ARC/INFO course by looking at the demand for basic ARC/INFO training,
the success of the revised  ESRI course, the extent  to which  ESRI responds to EPA's
requests for a course tailored to the Agency, and the cost-effectiveness of developing an
internal course.

     •   "Specialized Applications Courses" in the curriculum refer to the knowledge
and experience  that is being  acquired  by some  EPA  units (e.g., EMSL-LV,  ERL-
Corvallis) as they apply GIS to specific program areas (e.g.,  CERCLA, RCRA, water,
acidic deposition).  As Regions move from the pilot project phase towards developing
applications focused on specific programs, the GIS knowledge base acquired by other
EPA units needs to be transferred to the Regions so that they might take advantage of
work that has already been done.  This requirement for technology transfer of GIS
knowledge and experience assumes that GIS applications will  be developed in the
Regions.  Rather than define specific courses at this time under the title "Specialized
Applications Courses/' it is  recommended that an effort should begin  to define the
mechanism by which this technology transfer should occur. Questions that need to be
resolved include the following:

        What is the preferred  mechanism(s) of transferring  GIS  knowledge and
        experience  that have been accumulated by a  specific EPA unit  to others,
        especially to the Regional GIS teams?  (e.g., formal course or seminar, on-site
        assistance, transfer of application macros, etc.)
        What are the appropriate steps for accomplishing this technology transfer?

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                                                                         IV-6


         How will needs for technology transfer of GIS applications be identified?
         Who has what responsibilities for implementing the various steps that are
         identified to transfer GIS applications and knowledge specific to a program
         area?

Under the umbrella  of a GIS  training program, development of a mechanism for
accomplishing GIS technology transfer should  begin  as soon as possible.  OIRM
should facilitate the start of this effort, while  EMSL-LV should be the technical lead,
consistent with its mission related to GIS technology transfer.  The newly-formed Office
of Technology Transfer should also be involved with this effort.

     •   As another  way to transmit Agency GIS knowledge, all EPA courses should
incorporate  applicable  knowledge and   experiences  gained by  EMSL-LV,  the
Environmental Research Laboratory at Corvallis, Region IV, and the GIS Support
Group at NDPD.   This incorporation of Agency experiences into the other courses of
the GIS curriculum should not be considered as a substitute for developing and
implementing a mechanism for technology transfer which is focused on applications.

     •   The curriculum has been designed with a long-term perspective.  All EPA
courses in  the curriculum will probably not  be available  or  in  demand  until
approximately fiscal year 1992.  Section IV.C discusses a phased implementation plan
for the curriculum in which targets for specific fiscal years are described.

     •   Understanding certain prerequisite information  before taking the basic
ARC/INFO course is essential.  Without basic knowledge of INFO, which is the data
base management system used by ARC/INFO, and of the operating system and text
editor used on the student's computer, a student in the ARC/INFO course will lack the
fundamentals needed to get the most benefit from the course and may  quickly fall
behind in the course. EPA already has several classes  offered through the National
Computer Center Training Office that can satisfy these  prerequisites.  Everyone who
takes either the basic ARC/INFO course or the planned end-user ARC/INFO course
must know this prerequisite information.

     •   EPA should implement a screening process for students taking  the basic
ARC/INFO course. The screening process would limit the course to those students that
really need the course and will be using ARC/INFO in  the near future.  Persons that
only have an interest in GIS and do not plan on using ARC/INFO in the next month or
two should not be permitted to take the course, since such students displace those who
need the course or increase the class size to unmanageable levels. The screening process
could also ensure that ARC/INFO prerequisites have been satisfied by  prospective
students.

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                                                                          IV-7

     2.   Roles and Responsibilities for Curriculum Development and Training

     The following recommendations concern the roles and responsibilities for GIS
curriculum development and training:

     •   Development of the EPA GIS curriculum should be a joint venture between
OIRM, NDPD, and the GIS Centers of Excellence, with OIRM as the lead.  With its
training office, facilities, and equipment, NDPD should  have a major role in GIS
training efforts.*   EMSL-LV should be a key contributor to curriculum development
through its extensive experience as a center for GIS research and development. OIRM
should take the lead in reviewing and resolving questions of specific responsibilities
for curriculum development and delivery. Questions that must be addressed include
the following:

         Who will develop each course?
         Who will fund course development?
         Under   which  program  will  training  be  offered, and who  will  have
         responsibility for course delivery?
         Should advanced training be centralized at one facility?
         Who will fund specific offerings of courses, or will courses be offered on a
         cost recovery basis?
         How do the decisions on responsibility for course delivery and funding
         impact implementing  a screening process for students wanting to take the
         basic ARC/INFO course?

     Determination of who is responsible for delivery of a specific course will depend
in part on for whom the course is designed (e.g., senior EPA managers, new GIS
analysts, end-users, etc.) as well as on which program is offering the course.

     •   Some in the Agency have recommended that a partnership between EPA
and academia be used to develop the GIS courses. This recommendation should be
given  careful attention as  the  questions of  specific  responsibility  for course
development are  resolved.  Participation by academia in  meeting  EPA's overall GIS
educational needs through degree programs is addressed below under y/GIS Education
Recommendations beyond the Curriculum."

     •   Resolving the questions of specific responsibilities for course development
and delivery should be done quickly, so  that implementation of EPA's GIS courses can
proceed.  Integration of GIS into Agency programs cannot be done without a training
program that goes beyond the two-week ARC/INFO course.  Sufficient lead time will
be required for course development and recruiting skilled GIS trainers, and these tasks
cannot begin until GIS training roles in EPA have been resolved.
   Facilities needed for effective training and those available at NDPD at Research Triangle Park are
   described in Sections VII.C and VIII.B, respectively.

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                                                                        IV-8

     •    Consideration  should be given to forming an  EPA educational review
board to review GIS courses for content and relevancy.  As the use of GIS expands in
the Agency, the board would ensure that the courses continue to be relevant towards
EPA's training needs.  The board should be comprised of representatives from EPA's
lead GIS offices as well as representatives from a Regional GIS team(s).

     3.   GIS Education Recommendations beyond the Curriculum

     GIS education recommendations that go beyond the curriculum presented in Table
IV-I are given below.

     •    EPA should not assume that the recommended curriculurn presented above
satisfies all the educational needs associated with the integration of GIS into Agency
programs.  Especially in the area of geographical concepts and methods, a one day
course in "Geographical Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts"  can only introduce
end-users and others to basic concepts and methods.  More thorough training is needed
for someone  to effectively apply those concepts  and  methods to environmental
problems by using a GIS.

     •    For  adequate training in geographical concepts  and analysis and  in  the
application of GIS to environmental problems, EPA should look  to universities  for
educational support through degree programs. The efforts of EMSL-LV to play a role
in the development of university GIS curricula through its cooperative agreements with
UC-Santa Barbara and North Texas University should be continued.

     «    EPA should emphasize hiring people who have  academic training in
geographical  concepts and methods as GIS analysts. The conceptual and analytical
understanding gained through a university degree program cannot be matched by a
series of short courses developed by EPA.

     •    As the use of ARC/INFO spreads throughout EPA, the Agency will gain in
advanced knowledge of the use of ARC/INFO as applied to environmental problems
that  needs to be shared  throughout the Agency.  Such knowledge will consist of
techniques and tips on the most efficient use of ARC/INFO, macros that may be shared,
and  other strategies for effectively using environmental  data.  Because this type of
knowledge will be continually growing, it is recommended that an Agency-wide GIS
user group be established to transfer such information.  The group should be able to
communicate  and send macros and other material over electronic mail.  At periodic
regional or national meetings, such as the annual ARC/INFO conference hosted by
ESRI, the EPA user group could meet to share new techniques. Technical memoranda,
such as the series instituted by the Spatial Analysis Laboratory at EMSL-LV, may also
be used to transmit various techniques and methodologies. It is felt that such methods
provide a better mechanism for sharing a growing base of advanced knowledge than a
formal course, which most individuals would attend only once.

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                                                                         IV-9

     4.   Relationships between Currently Offered ESRI Courses and Planned
         EPA Courses

     Table IV-2 lists new EPA courses that are part of the recommended GIS curriculum
and  current ESRI courses that may be considered precursors to the  planned EPA
courses. The following paragraphs contrast the EPA courses with the ESRI courses and
explain the reasons for developing new EPA courses.

     It first should be pointed out that the ESRI courses fill a pressing need for GIS and
ARC/INFO  training  within  EPA and  should continue  to  be taught  until the
replacement EPA courses are available.  In fact, the ESRI courses will serve as the basis
for developing the EPA courses, and the need for advanced GIS training will continue
to be met by ESRI courses.  However, as discussed above, the need to teach GIS from a
problem-solving perspective focused on EPA applications and the growing demand
for GIS training dictate that EPA develop its own core courses.

     Executive Briefing: As described above, senior managers require a briefing on GIS
that focuses directly on the benefits of GIS to EPA programs and the resources required
for GIS.  Such a briefing is best developed and taught by someone internal to EPA that
directly knows the Agency's programs and perspective.   Although some material in
ESRI's two-hour introduction to the two-week ARC/INFO course and in the two-day
"Introduction to GIS" course may relate to the executive briefing, neither of these two
formats  focuses on  EPA  applications or on  Agency  resources supporting GIS.  In
addition, the two-day 'Introduction to GIS" course is far too long to accommodate the
schedules of senior managers, who have limited time to spend in training. Both of these
ESRI courses are also attended by those not in management positions. Addressing the
information requirements  of senior managers can best be  done  in  a  setting  where
questions  and discussion  can focus directly on management issues without being
sidetracked by questions that are not of immediate concern to management.

     Geographical Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts: ESRI's  'Introduction to
GIS"  serves as a sound  base  and prototype for developing an  EPA course  on
"Geographical Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts."  Like the ESRI course, the
EPA course  is intended to cover GIS concepts so that  an end-user or a technical
implementor new to GIS can obtain a good understanding of GIS basics.  However, the
EPA course is intended to go beyond the ESRI course in two ways.  First, the ESRI
course takes a technology-based approach in its description of GIS concepts. The EPA
course will be designed to present GIS concepts from a problem-solving perspective
that focuses on the application of the technology to EPA programs.  Second, the EPA
course will also stress basic concepts of mapping and geographical analysis much more
than the ESRI course. Use of GIS depends on a fundamental understanding of mapping
concepts and principles of geographical analysis.  It cannot be assumed that all end-
users or technical implementors will have this understanding. Appendix A describes in
further detail the contents of the new EPA course.

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                            TABLE IV-2
              PRECURSORS TO NEW EPA COURSES

      Current ESRI Course                   New EPA Course
      Two-hour introduction to ARC/INFO*        Executive Briefing
      Introduction to GIS
      Introduction to GIS                       Geographical Analysis and
                                             Fundamental GIS Concepts
      Introduction to Database Design             GIS Planning
      ARC/INFO*                            End-user ARC/INFO
* "ARC/EMFO" refers to the two-week basic ARC/INFO training course.

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                                                                        IV-10

     It should be emphasized that ESRI's "Introduction to GIS" fills a definite void and
should continue to be taught in its present form until the EPA course is developed. As
with the other courses to be developed, the EPA perspective on GIS applications within
the Agency which will be incorporated into the new course will make the course of
unique value to EPA staff.

     GIS Planning: The "GIS Planning" course is intended to be a half-day or one-day
course that will cover life-cycle planning  of a GIS project.   The course will also
incorporate standard EPA life-cycle guidance for automation projects.  Although the
course will be oriented  towards end-users, technical implementors  also need  to
understand the course's material.

     Although ESRI's "Introduction to Database Design" covers much of the material
anticipated for inclusion in an EPA course on GIS planning, the ESRI course is more
appropriate for technical implementors.  The ESRI class, which to  date has not been
taught at EPA, is a three-day course that also covers conceptual and physical data base
design, subjects which are of the utmost importance to technical implementors but not
to end-users.  Data base design is a specialized job that requires the expertise of GIS
teams trained in that  subject.  ESRI's "Introduction to Database Design"  should be
taught to GIS teams to  provide that type of specialized knowledge.  However, a shorter
and less technical class  is needed for  the numerous end-users who  require an
understanding of issues involved in the life-cycle of a GIS project.  It is recommended
that technical implementors also attend the "GIS Planning" course to receive EPA-
specific life-cycle guidance and information.  Appendix B describes  the contents of the
EPA "GIS Planning" course.

     End-user ARC/INFO:  As use of ARC/INFO increases in EPA, some end-users
may want to acquire sufficient knowledge  about ARC/INFO to perform some basic
operations on their own without needing to  rely on the GIS teams for all support. The
"End-user ARC/INFO" course is designed to fill that training need. The course would
cover the use of macros developed by GIS teams as well as some analytical ARC/INFO
operations, such  as overlaying data coverages, producing simple maps of those
overlays, and performing ad hoc queries against the data base.   ESRI's two-week
ARC/INFO course is too long and detailed to meet these end-user training needs, as
well as  too expensive for a much  more limited set  of training requirements.  It is
anticipated that the demand for the "End-user ARC/INFO" course will not develop for
a year or two until ARC/INFO is utilized more throughout EPA.

C.   Phased Implementation Plan for GIS Curriculum

     The future GIS curriculum that has  been  described  cannot be implemented
immediately, since time is needed to develop quality courses.  Figure IV-1 depicts a
phased implementation plan for the curriculum.

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                                                   Figure IV -1
                     Phased Implementation Plan for GIS Curriculum
Managers
  EPA

Executive
 Briefing
                                                EPA
 Executive
  Briefing
                           EPA
 Executive
 Briefing
                          EPA
Executive
Briefing
 Technical
 Implementors
 Only
Technical
Implementors
& End Users
 End Users
 Only
                         ESRI
                       ARC/INFO
Advanced Courses
                          EPA
                        ARC/INFO
                       Prerequisites
                          ESRI
                       Introduction
                         to GIS
   EPA
                      Geog. Analysis  '
                      & GIS Concepts '

                      '  GIS Planning
                         ESRI
                       ARC/INFO
 Advanced Courses
                         EPA
                       ARC/INFO
                      Prerequisites
                         EPA
Geog. Analysis
& GIS Concepts

|   GIS Planning
                          ESRI
                        ARC/INFO
Advanced Courses
                          EPA
                                              ARC/INFO
                                             Prerequisites
  Geog. Analysis
 & GIS Concepts
                                                  GIS Planning
                                                                          EPA
                                                 End-User
                                                ARC/INFO
                          ESRI
ARC/INFO

—
Advanced Courses
                           EPA
ARC/INFO
Prerequisites



Geog. Analysis
& GIS Concepts

GIS Planning
—
                                                                          EPA

                                                  End-User
                                                  ARC/INFO
New Course c:
Prototype
 FY89
  FY90
 FY91
FY92

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                                                                       IV-11

     Of the five EPA courses to be developed/ the "Executive Briefing" should be
developed first. The briefing should be prepared, tested, and implemented by the end
of FY 89. Because there currently is no ESRI course that adequately substitutes for this
briefing, it is imperative that the briefing be developed as soon as possible.  Full-scale
implementation of GIS throughout EPA requires the support of management, and an
executive briefing on GIS is needed to garner that support.

     The next courses to be addressed are the "Geographical Analysis and Fundamental
GIS Concepts" and "GIS Planning" courses. EMSL-LV plans to teach a prototype of the
"GIS Planning" course in March, 1989. A prototype for "Geographical Analysis and
Fundamental  GIS Concepts" should also be developed by the end of FY  89.  The
materials provided in Appendices A and B of this report provide starting points for
those prototypes.  During FY 90, the  two prototype courses should  be tested and
refined. The final courses should be implemented by the end of FY 90.

     After the "Geographical  Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts" course  is
implemented, ESRI's "Introduction to  GIS" course is to be removed  from the EPA
curriculum. Until the EPA course is available, however, the ESRI course is to be taught
to satisfy EPA's training requirements in this area.

     It  is  anticipated that  the  development of a prototype for  EPA's "End-user
ARC/INFO" course could begin in FY 91 and be completed by the  end of that fiscal
year. The demand within EPA and the extent to which ARC/INFO is used throughout
the Agency need to be considered in planning the actual timing of the development of
this course. Assuming that the anticipated need for the "End-user ARC/INFO" course
occurs, implementation of the final course could occur in FY 92.

     In Figure IV-1, it should be noted that as the "End-user ARC/INFO"  course is
developed, the ARC/INFO prerequisites move from being applicable for  technical
implementors only to courses for both technical implementors and end-users.  This
occurs because the prerequisites, which are currently available from several EPA NDPD
courses, are needed by end-users  doing  simple work in ARC/INFO, as well as by
technical implementors.

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                                                                       V-l


                        V. LIST OF CORE COURSES
    This section presents a summary of each core course in the recommended GIS
curriculum for EPA. These courses are:

         ARC/INFO
         ARC/INFO System Prerequisities
             Introduction to INFO
             PRIME Orientation
             VAX Course 1
             VAX Course 2
         End-user ARC/INFO
         Executive Briefing
         Geographical Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts
         GIS Planning
         Introduction to GIS

    For each course the following information is given when appropriate:

         Description
         Status (new course to be developed, course currently taught by whom)
         Audience
         Prerequisites
         Format of the course
         Length
         List of topics to be covered in the course

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                                                                          V-2
                                  ARC/INFO
Description:
Status:
Audience:
Prerequisites:
Format:
This course is the basic  training course for ARC/INFO.   After
completion of this course, students should be able to use ARC/INFO
with their  own projects.  Because the package contains  over four
hundred commands, a person completing the course will be a novice
ARC/INFO user. Expertise in the package comes only after about one
year's use of the software.

This course is currently taught by ESRI.  As discussed in Section IV of
this report, it  is recommended that EPA reevaluate  periodically
whether there  is the demand  for an EPA-developed  and taught
ARC/INFO course and whether such a course would be cost-effective.

This course is designed for technical implementors who will be  using
ARC/INFO on  a  daily basis.   Only those  who currently  have
ARC /INFO installed or who have installations planned for less than
one month after completion of the course should enroll.  Those with a
casual interest in CIS or ARC/INFO should not  take this course.

A  student should  understand  the material   covered  in  the
"Geographical Analysis and Fundamental CIS Concepts" course as
well as  have a basic understanding of INFO, the  system's operating
system,   and  its  text  editor.  For  more information  on  these
prerequisites, reference the entries in this section for  "Geographical
Analysis and  Fundamental CIS  Concepts"  and for  "ARC/INFO
System  Prerequisites".  Students should not be allowed to take the
ARC/INFO course without these prerequisites, because keeping up in
the course without understanding these basics  is most difficult. EPA
should implement a screening process for students  wanting to take the
ARC/INFO course to ensure that they satisfy the prerequisites and
therefore will get full value from the course.

ESRI is in the process of adopting a review process  whereby the extent
to which students meet these prerequisites is evaluated before  the
ARC/INFO course begins.  Those students who  are lacking in this
basic knowledge will be told that they must spend extra time outside
of class  in the  first day or two learning the prerequisite information.
Otherwise, withdrawal from the class is recommended. For assistance
in meeting the prerequisites, ESRI sends written pre-training material
to students two weeks before the start of the course.

The format of the ESRI course consists of lectures supplemented with a
videotape,  slides, overhead transparencies,  and hands-on exercises.

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                                                                         V-3


               On-line demonstrations and exercises consume approximately half of
               the course time.

               EPA has been providing input to ESRI for development of a version of
               the  ARC/INFO course tailored to meet EPA's specific needs.  Key
               requirements for such a course are examples and exercises  that are
               directly related to EPA programs and environmental problems.  The
               data base used  for the exercises should contain  data elements that
               might commonly be included in an EPA GIS data base.

               It is also important that the course be taught with the computer that
               students will be using following completion  of the course.  For
               example, if future applications will be developed in ARC/INFO on a
               PRIME, then the course should also use a PRIME computer.

Length:        The current ESRI ARC/INFO course is taught in ten days, which are
               scheduled as two  consecutive weeks.   ESRI is in the process  of
               modifying this structure so that the course will be" taught as two one-
               week segments that may be taken several weeks apart. ESRI hopes to
               have this restructured course available in May, 1989.

               This restructuring  of the ARC/INFO  course into  two one-week
               segments is strongly recommended. Typically, a two-week period is
               too  long to  be  in  training for  both the amount  of  material
               communicated in the  course as well as the  time spent away from the
               office. The ARC/INFO course is a very intensive course that conveys a
               large amount of technical information in a short time. Students need
               to grasp the fundamentals during the first week and then reinforce
               those fundamentals through intensive practice between the two weeks
               of  the  course,  rather than being overloaded with  too  much
               information. Although class exercises are designed to provide some
               practice, it is only after students have more hands-on experience with
               the  software that they are able  to proceed effectively in  learning
               additional material.  The break between weeks  of  the course also
               allows students time  to relate the course material to future projects
               where they will be applying ARC/INFO and to formulate questions
               about their  initial projects that can be addressed during the second
               week of the class.

               Structuring the ARC/INFO course  as two separate one-week segments
               also will ease the burden of being away from the office. Most students
               in the course have  other  responsibilities that must receive attention.
               Those who spend two weeks in a course often have too many other
               pressing matters which need  attention after their return to the office
               that time cannot be  spent immediately on  using ARC/INFO.   By

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                                                                         V-4

               limiting each part of the course to one week, this situation should be
               eased somewhat, allowing students to use ARC/INFO sooner after
               their return from the course.

               It is recommended that students take the two weeks of the revised
               ARC/INFO course approximately one month apart. In most cases, a
               one-month interval should allow enough time for students to review
               material from  the first  week and  to  practice  using ARC/INFO
               commands before taking the second week of the course.   Because
               students need  the material from  both  weeks to effectively apply
               ARC/INFO, an interval between course weeks that is longer than one
               month would limit students in moving ahead with using ARC/INFO
               for their applications.

               A set of exercises should be provided to students to work between the
               two class weeks. These exercises would reinforce the information and
               skills learned during the first week in preparation for the second week
               of the course.

Topics to Be
Covered:       The ESRI catalog of courses dated September, 1988, lists the following
               topics as being covered in the two-week ARC/INFO course:

               Introduction GIS
               Overview of ARC/INFO
               Data base design
               Spatial data automation
               Attribute data automation
               Attribute data manipulation
               Data base construction
               Data base management
               Spatial data manipulation
               Data analysis
               Data display (reports and graphics)
               Network analysis
               System interfaces
               ARC Macro Language (AML): An overview
               Batch processing

               As part of the restructuring of the course from two weeks to two one-
               week segments, ESRI is also changing the sequence in which material
               in the course is presented.  The first week of the current course steps
               through the process of building a GIS data base, including digitizing a
               map, creating  topology, entering attribute data, and editing both
               spatial and attribute data. The first segment of the revised class would

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                                                          V-5
use an existing data base to give a thorough overview of ARC/INFO.
During the weeks between the two segments of the course, students
would be able to practice simple analyses and output operations with
ARC/INFO using a sample data base.  When students return for the
second class segment, they will have a firm understanding of how
ARC/INFO may be applied.  The second segment will then cover in
more depth the process of building a data base, data analysis, and data
management. It is felt that students will learn ARC/INFO better by
getting a good overview first, rather than getting bogged down in de-
tails of data base construction during the first week.

The following guidelines can also be given for a revised ARC/INFO
course, based on EPA's experience with the current course:

•   The first week of the course should provide enough information
so that students can be using ARC/INFO after the first week.

•   The course should use  a  data base appropriate  to  EPA and
environmental  problems.  Course examples  and exercises should be
relevant to EPA.

•   The current ESRI course spends too much time on digitizing and
editing coverage data. In many cases EPA applications will be starting
with existing data bases  that  must be  converted to ARC/INFO
coverages,  not with  hard-copy  maps  that  must  be  digitized.
Consequently, the version of the revised course taught to EPA should
step through an example of converting data from an existing EPA data
base into ARC/INFO coverages. Conversions from other relational
data base management systems to ARC/INFO coverages also should
be addressed.

•   The current ESRI  course describes  various commands  in
alphabetical  order.  The revised course should present ARC/INFO
commands in a logical sequence that groups commands according to
logical function.  An  alphabetical index of commands  should  be
present to allow cross-referencing of various commands.

•   The revised class should dearly describe the differences between
the various overlay commands.

•   The revised course should spend much more time than the
current course on ARCPLOT for producing output maps.

•   Finally, the revised course  should take a project through the
various stages  of applying ARC/INFO to the project, from creating

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                                                          V-6
coverages through producing end products of analyses and output
maps. This sequence would best be done during the second week of
the ARC/INFO  course, after students have been  given a good
overview of the package.

-------
                                                                        V-7


                    ARC/INFO SYSTEM PREREQUISITES
Description:    Four subjects are included under the heading "ARC/INFO System
              Prerequisites:"
              (1)  Introduction to  INFO, the relational  data  base management
              system used by ARC/INFO
              (2)  Basics of the operating  system under  which ARC/INFO  is
              running
              (3)  Basics of the system's text editor
              (4)  "Geographical Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts"

              The course  in   "Geographical Analysis  and -Fundamental  GIS
              Concepts" is described as a separate entry in Section V. The following
              paragraphs refer  to the other three prerequisites listed above.

Status:        Several courses that have been offered through EPA's National Data
              Processing Division (NDPD) can be used to meet these prerequisites.
              These courses are:
               •    Introduction to INFO
               •    PRIME Orientation
               •    VAX Course 1
               •    VAX Course 2
              Descriptions of these courses are given on the following pages.

              To use these courses to satisfy the prerequisites for ARC/INFO, both
              the "Introduction to INFO" and either "PRIME Orientation" or "VAX
              Course 1" must  be taken. Because the  'Introduction to INFO" is a
              two-day course and the PRIME and VAX courses are one day and two
              days in length, respectively, three or four days are required to obtain
              the prerequisite information from these classes.

              To reduce the amount  of training  time  required for prerequisite
              material, NDPD  developed a one-day class that covered the basics of
              INFO and the VAX operating system and  text editor.  This scaled-
              down version of the two courses was offered in July, 1988, prior to a
              two-week ARC/INFO course.

              Based on the demand for prerequisite training for ARC/INFO courses,
              EPA should consider offering the one-day course covering the basics of
              INFO, the VAX operating system, and the VAX text editor on a regular
              basis. A similar course on INFO and the PRIME operating system and
              editor also could be developed.

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                                                                         V-8
Audience:


Prerequisites:

Format


Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
It should be emphasized that these one-day courses, which would
devote half a day to INFO, do not allow a student to become fluent in
INFO.  The  purpose of the one-day courses is  to provide enough
information on basic INFO concepts and the operating system to allow
a student to take the ARC/INFO course. Anyone who will be doing
extensive queries or programming in INFO should take at least the
two-day "Introduction to INFO" course and probably  the "Advanced
INFO" course, which is described in Section V.

The remaining items in this entry refer to these one-day courses. The
list of "topics  to  be  covered" are those subjects  that  should  be
addressed in the courses.

The  courses are intended for  anyone  who needs to acquire  this
information prior to taking "ARC/INFO" or "End-user ARC/INFO."

None

Lecture material in the courses should be supplemented by hands-on
exercises.

One day;  This includes a half day on the operating system and text
editor and a half day on INFO.

Operating System Basics
Login and logoff the system
Create, copy, rename, and delete files
Understand the directory file structure

Text Editor
Create a file, enter information, edit information, save the file
Recall the file for additional editing
Search and replace operations/ global replacements
Insert and delete lines in the file

INFO
Concepts of tables, keys, unique keys
Create and update tables and keys
Relate and join tables
Produced simple reports

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                                                                         V-9
                          INTRODUCTION TO INFO
Description:
Status:



Audience:



Prerequisites:

Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
 Information for this class is  taken from the  "EPA/NCC Training
 Course Syllabus" dated Spring, 1988, and  developed by NDPD's
 training office located at Research Triangle Park.

 The course will help new users become proficient in INFO.  Basic
 features of INFO are explained, including data base creation,  data
 retrieval, data management, report writing,  and an introduction to
 programming.

 Henco, the vendor of INFO, will probably teach this  course in the
 future under contract to NDPD.  The course will be offered on an as-
 needed basis.

 PRIME users who wish to learn about the functions and capabilities of
 INFO. (Users who need a good understanding of INFO prior to taking
 an ARC/INFO course.)

 PRIME Orientation

 Two days
Introduction to INFO
Datafile management
Revising dataflle characteristics
Data entry
Data retrieval
Query language
Data manipulation
Output form files
Relating datafiles
Programming
Advanced INFO topics

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                                                                       V-10
                           PRIME ORIENTATION
Description:
Status:


Audience:



Prerequisites:

Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
Information for this class is taken  from the  "EPA/NCC Training
Course Syllabus"  dated  Spring, 1988, and developed by NOP^s
training office located at Research Triangle Park.

This course provides an  introduction to the EPA PRIME computer
system.   Featured are the hardware, common  software, menus,
capabilities to  communicate with other system,  ELTNK (a local
electronic mail system that is similar to EMAIL), and additional menu
options.   Basics  of  the  PRIMOS operating system, including  file
handling, the editor, and some PRIMOS commands, are covered.

The course is taught by  the NDPD training office staff on an as-needed
basis.

Beginning users of the PRIME computer systems. (Users who need to
understand the basics of the PRIMOS operating system prior to taking
an ARC/INFO course.)

None

One day
PRIME overview
Introduction to PRIME computers
Common software
Communication software
Additional PRIME functions

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                                                                        V-ll
                               VAX COURSE 1
Description:
Status:
Audience:
Prerequisites:

Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
 Information for this class is  taken from  the "EPA/NCC Training
 Course Syllabus" dated Spring,  1988, and developed  by NDPD's
 training office located at Research Triangle Park.

 This course is designed to familiarize the end user with the basics for
 using the VAX/VMS computer. Operating system commands will be
 covered, as well as the essentials of constructing command procedures
 for repeated usage.  The VAX batch environment, editing, and NCC
 communication basics are detailed as part of the ovarall presentation.

 The course is taught by the NDPD training office staff on a regularly-
 scheduled basis.

 Users of the VAX/VMS computer who require a basic beginning level
 explanation of the system.  (Users who need to understand the basics
 of the VAX/VMS operating system prior  to taking an  ARC/INFO
 course.)

 None

 Two days
VAX/VMS overview
Basic system use
Simple commands
VAX files
DCL commands, logicals, symbols
Command procedures
Login.com - special command procedure
Batch processing
Editing
VAX dusters and networking

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                                                                      V-12
                              VAX COURSE 2
Description:
Status:
Audience:
Prerequisites:

Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
Information for this class is  taken from the "EPA/NCC Training
Course Syllabus" dated Spring,  1988, and developed by NDPD's
training office located at Research Triangle Park.

This course is designed to expand the knowledge of the VAX/VMS
user.  Concentration areas include additional information on system
usage as indicated below by the topics to be covered.

The course is taught by the NDPD training office staff on a regularly-
scheduled basis.

The course is  targeted towards  users of the VAX/VMS computer
system who require a more in-depth knowledge of system capabilities.
The need for  this  level  of understanding generally arises in the
program development environment.  Any intensive VAX user could
benefit from the course material, even if FORTRAN is not the local
language of choice for development.  (This course is not needed as a
prerequisite for an ARC/INFO course. However, those who may be
doing intensive programming on the VAX in conjunction with their
use of ARC/INFO may wish to take the course.)

VAX Course 1

Two days
EVE - The Extensible VAX Editor
Advanced Command Procedures and Lexicals
VAX Librarian Utility
DCL commands for programming support
FORTRAN language features
FORTRAN compiler and VMS linker
VAX Run Time Library and FORTRAN
VAX file handling and FORTRAN
VAX Symbolic Debugger
VMS System Services

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                                                                        V-13
                            END-USER ARC/INFO
Description:
Status:
Audience:
Prerequisites:
Format:
Length:
This course  is designed for those end-users who want to  acquire
sufficient  knowledge  about  ARC/INFO  to  perform  some  basic
operations on their own without needing to rely on a CIS team for all
support.  For such end-users, the two-week ARC/INFO course is too
long and contains too much detailed information for their needs. The
"End-user ARC/INFO" course will assume that end-users  will be
starting with existing ARC/INFO coverages.  Thus, the course will
contain no material on data base design, data automation, digitizing,
ARCEDIT, or similar  capabilities  but will focus instead  on data
analysis and  simple output operations.

This course  has not  been  developed yet  but  is  part  of the
recommended GIS curriculum for EPA.  It is anticipated that as use of
ARC/INFO  matures and spreads throughout EPA, the demand for
this course will grow.  Based on that demand, a prototype of this
course  should be available by the end of FY 91, with the final course
ready by the  end of FY 92.

The targeted audience for this course  is EPA personnel who utilize
ARC/INFO as a tool in support of their work. Those end-users who
want to perform data analyses in ARC/INFO or ad hoc INFO queries
on their own would benefit from the course.

A student should have a basic understanding of the material  covered
in the "Geographical Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts" course
as well as an understanding of INFO, the system's operating system,
and its text editor. For more information, reference the former course
entry in this  section as well as the entry entitiled "ARC/INFO System
Prerequisites."

Course lectures should be structured around examples and hands-on
exercises relevant to EPA programs and  environmental problems.
Course material that the students can take with them upon conclusion
of the course should have additional examples that utilize ARC/INFO
coverages extracted from common EPA data bases. Students can use
these examples as models for their work.

Three days

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                                                                       V-14
Topics to Be
Covered:      Use of macros, especially macros already developed by EPA
              INFO data base manipulation
              Ad hoc INFO queries
              Basic data analysis operations/ such as overlays and buffer generation
              Simple output operations for generating maps and reports (includes
              basic ARCPLOT commands)

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                                                                        V-15
                           EXECUTIVE BRIEFING
Description:
Status:
Audience:
The purpose of the Executive Briefing is to inform senior managers of
the uses of GIS in EPA, the ways in which GIS may help managers to
accomplish EPA program goals, and the resources required to support
GIS.  The briefing is a non-technical presentation directed towards the
needs of managers and is not intended to be a "training session" on the
use of GIS or ARC/INFO.

At the present time this briefing has not been developed but is part of
the recommended GIS curriculum for EPA. The  Executive Briefing
should be prepared and implemented by the end of-FY 89.

The Executive Briefing is intended for senior managers (i.e., Assistant
Administrators, Office Directors,  Regional Administrators, Deputy
Regional Administrators, Division Chiefs, and  their  deputies).  Mid-
level managers down to the  level of branch chiefs may also wish to
attend this briefing.
prerequisites:   None

Format:
The Executive Briefing is not a formal training course like the other
courses in the recommended curriculum.  As its name suggests, the
briefing must be designed to accommodate the needs and schedules of
busy  managers.  The preferred format for  the briefing is a  very
colorful, graphical, fast-moving 35mm slide  show that  may be
supplemented by  a graphical GIS  presentation on  a workstation
projected onto a large screen. The briefing should be filled with EPA
examples that include not only EPA programs that are applying GIS
but also situations in which programs and projects could have been
more successful if GIS had been used. All material in the briefing
should be presented in non-technical language.  There should  be no
hands-on  work or problem-solving by  the. managers during the
briefing.

The briefing should be  supplemented by a  colorful  package that
managers can take with them at the conclusion of the briefing.  This
package should contain copies of  the  slides shown during  the
presentation as well as additional graphical examples and maps of the
use of GIS in EPA.

If possible, the briefing should be given by an  EPA manager who is
both  well-versed in GIS and  understands management's  concerns
about applying new technologies. A manager would be more likely to

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                                                                        V-16
Length:
Topics to Be
Covered:
have a better appreciation for the perspective of other managers than a
GIS technical implementor would.  If the instructor is not an EPA
manager,  then he/she  should have  had either  coursework  or
experience is management and the application of new technologies.

Presentations of the briefing should be limited to six to eight managers
at a time in a comfortable setting that allows them sufficient room to
spread out.  Individuals  who are curious about GIS but who are not
managers should not be allowed to attend the briefing. The course on
"Geographical Analysis  and Fundamental GIS Concepts" could be
attended by non-managers to get an overview of GIS.

The briefing should be limited to a maximum of two hours. A period
of approximately twenty or thirty minutes should be built into the
briefing for questions and discussion.
The briefing should be given from the perspective that GIS is a tool
that management can use to make decisions related to EPA programs.
GIS can  be used to tie programs  and their results to changes in
environmental quality. Based on this perspective, the briefing should
address the following questions:

What is GIS?
How is GIS being used in EPA, especially in other units that may
    have similar missions?
How can GIS help managers accomplish the goals of their programs?
How may GIS affect the success or failure of a program?
What resources (staff, time, hardware, software, overall financial
    commitment) are required to get started with GIS?
How long is the start-up period for GIS, and what resources must be
    committed before GIS will have a beneficial impact on program
    goals?
What resources (staff, time, ongoing financial resources) are required
    to support GIS on an ongoing basis?
What are the impacts of GIS on the current workplace? What will be
    the impacts on existing staff, hardware, and the way work is
    presently done?
What trade-offs may be necessary to balance concerns of accuracy and
    data quality with both the need to produce immediate results and
    funding limitations?

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                                                                        V-17
      GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS AND FUNDAMENTAL CIS CONCEPTS
Description:
Status:
Audience:
Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
The purpose of this course  is to instruct end-users and technical
implementors in basic concepts of mapping, geographical analysis, and
GIS.  Since GIS is based on geographical data that are best displayed
through maps, it is vital that all end-users and technical implementors
understand  fundamental  principles  of  maps  and geographical
analysis. The course also serves as a good introduction to GIS for
those with no prior exposure to  the subject. Rather than taking a
technology-based approach, the course is designed to be taught from a
problem-solving perspective that focuses on application of GIS to EPA
programs and environmental problems.

This course  is not  available  at the present  time but is part of the
recommended GIS  curriculum for EPA.  A  prototype of  the course
should be developed by the end of FY 89. During FY 90,  the course
should be tested, and the completed version should be available by the
end of FY 90.  Until this course is available, ESRI's  'Introduction to
GIS" should be used as a substitute, as described in Section HI.

The  course  is  directed  towards  all  end-users  and  technical
implementors. Technical implementors  who are currently using GIS
and understand fundamental concepts of mapping and geographical
analysis do not need to take  the course.  However, those who know
ARC/INFO but have limited knowledge of mapping and geographical
analysis would benefit by taking the course.
Prerequisites:   None

Format:
The course should be presented in a lecture format with the usual
supporting slides and overhead transparencies and a limited number
of hands-on exercises. All concepts should be illustrated by examples
relevant to EPA. The materials used for these examples may include
slides  or  overheads  of  actual  maps  as  well  as  ARC/INFO
demonstrations. Whenever possible, concepts should be demonstrated
by using an on-line ARC/INFO application or maps produced by
ARC/INFO.   The  course  should be  structured  so that  student
participation in the hands-on exercises is optional.

One day
Appendix A describes in detail the topics to be covered in the course.

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                                                                           V-18
                                CIS PLANNING
 Description:
 Status:
 Audience:
Prerequisites:

Format:
Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
 This course provides instruction on life-cycle planning of a GIS project,
 including standard EPA life-cycle guidance  for automation projects.
 The course is designed to give end-users and technical implementors
 an understanding of the various stages of a GIS project and the types
 of decisions that must be made at each stage.  The implications of
 making (or not making) certain types of decisions at various stages in a
 project are discussed.

 EMSL-LV plans to teach a prototype of this course during March, 1989.
 Based on EMSL-LV's experiences in teaching the prototype, the course
 should be refined, and a final version should be available by the end of
 FY90.

 The  course is  recommended  for both end-users and technical
 implementors.  Although technical implementors who have taken
 ESRTs "Introduction to Database Design" will have covered some of
 the same topics  in that course, they should take the "GIS Planning"
 course also for EPA-specific information and the Agency's perspective
 on GIS project planning.

 None

 A lecture-format with supporting slides and/or overhead transpancies
 will be used for the course.  The GIS project planning process should
 be illustrated  by using several actual  projects of differing sizes and
 scopes. The critical importance of planning should be emphasized by
 examining both projects that succeeded because of good planning as
 well  as projects where  problems developed  due  to inadequate
 planning.

 Half a day or one day
Appendix B describes in detail the topics to be covered in the course.
The  course material  is based on GIS Technical Memorandum 1-88,
"GIS Project Planning and Data  Set Selection", written  by  EPA's
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory staff at Las Vegas.
Comments made by  GIS Technical  Support at the National Data
Processing Division, Research  Triangle  Park,  have  also  been
incorporated into the recommended course topics.

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                                                                        V-19
                          INTRODUCTION TO CIS
Description:
Status:
Audience:
Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
The  course provides  an overview  of basic GIS concepts and
applications with a minimum amount of detailed technical material.
As discussed in Section in, this course is serving as a substitute for a
future EPA course entitled "Geographical Analysis and Fundamental
GIS Concepts" until the EPA course is available.

The course was developed by  ESRI in June, 1988, in response to a
request by EPA Region I for a class that provided an introduction to
GIS. ESRI has added the course to its catalog of course offerings dated
September, 1988.

The  course  should  be  taken  by  all  end-users and  technical
implementors new to GIS who need a good understanding of basic GIS
concepts.
Prerequisites:   None

Format:
The  course is taught through  a  combination of a  video  tape
presentation, lectures with overhead transparencies, and a hands-on
tutorial with supplemental exercises.

Two days
ESRI's class materials list the following topics to be covered:

Introduction
     GIS applications (video tape)
     Benefits of GIS
     Importance of data base
How a GIS works
     Spatial data
     Topology
     Thematic data
     The layer concept
GIS components
     Hardware
     Data
     Software
     People
     Administrative procedures

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                                                       V-20
Functions of a GIS
    Data input
    Updating functions
    Spatial manipulations
    Thematic manipulations
    Output
    Management functions
    Analysis functions
    Query
Data automation techniques
    Preparation
    Organization
    Digitizing alternatives

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                                                                       VI-1


                    VI. LIST OF SPECIALIZED COURSES
    This section presents a summary of the specialized advanced  courses in the
recommended CIS curriculum for EPA. As stated earlier, it is not recommended that all
CIS team members at an ARC/INFO site take these courses. The extent to which these
courses are offered for EPA staff should be based on specialized needs.   Because
advanced GIS training requirements will change as ARC/INFO use grows within EPA,
a survey of the need for these courses should be conducted in one or two years.

    The courses summarized in this section are:

    EPA Course
    •    Advanced INFO

    ESRI Courses
    •    Applications Programming (AML)
    •    ARC/INFO Processing Techniques
    •    ARC/INFO Systems Programming
    •    Cartographic Production
    •    Geographic Analysis
    •    Introduction to Database Design
    •    Introduction to the COGO System
    •    Introduction to the TIN System
    •    Systems Administration for ARC/INFO

    For each course die following information is presented:

         Description
         Status
         Audience
         Prerequisites
         Length
         List of topics to be covered in the course

         Information  for EPA's  "Advanced INFO"  course  is obtained  from the
"EPA/NCC Training Course Syllabus" dated Spring, 1988, and developed by the
National Data Processing Division's training office.  The information for  the ESRI
courses is  taken from the  firm's 'Training  Center Announcement and Course
Description" dated September, 1988, and developed by ESRI's Education and Training
Center.

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                                                                        VI-2
                             ADVANCED INFO
Description:
Status:



Audience:


Prerequisites:

Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
For those who will be programming in INFO, this course builds on the
material presented in "Introduction to INFO."  The emphasis is on
sound programming concepts and commands;  Some time will be
spent reviewing INFO  commands/ introducing  commands  that
provide more efficiency in INFO, and accessing existing files.

Henco, the vendor of INFO, will probably teach this course in the
future under contract to NDPD. The course will be offered on an as-
needed basis.

Experienced INFO users who want to expand their application of the
package.

Introduction to INFO

Three days
System design
Programming in INFO
Input forms
External files
Design notes
Programming techniques
Multi-user systems

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                                                                        VI-3
                  APPLICATIONS PROGRAMMING (AMD
Description:
Status:


Audience:


Prerequisites:
Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
This course is designed to give guidance for designing, building, and
maintaining application  programs  written  in  the  ARC  Macro
Language (AML). The course begins with  an introduction to AML
coding and  exercises using AML. AML Users Guides are used heavily
in  all  exercises..   An  overview  of the  System  Design  and
Implementation Process (SDIP) is presented next. A group exercise is
used to design and produce an application using AML and SDIP.

This ESRI course has been taught to EPA staff.  The course is included
in the recommended GIS curriculum for EPA.

This course should be taken by GIS teams that are supporting GIS
applications throughout EPA.

Students must have taken the ARC/INFO Training Course or have the
equivalent  experience.  They must also have more than six months
experience working with ARC/INFO on a daily basis. Exposure to the
project design process and experience with a programming language is
strongly recommended.

Two days
Coding introduction
First AML macros
AML interfaces
System design and implementation process
Determine functionality
System design
Program specification
Production

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                                                                          VI-4
                    AROINFO PROCESSING TECHNIQUES
                             NAVIGATING INFO
 Description:
Status:

Audience:


Prerequisites:
Length:
This course deals mainly with structuring an ARC/INFO data base to
minimize resource (computer and people)  utilization.   Particular
attention is paid to large data bases (25,000 plus features).

There are three major sections. The first is an in-depth review of all the
different types of relationships (RELATES) that can be established in
INFO and how these relationships can be used to optimize resource
utilization and perform basic data checking functions.  Included in this
first section is a thorough discussion of Item types, Relates, Reselects,
Key Index Files, Double and  Phantom Arrays, Redefined Keys, and
External data bases.

The second section, Basic Processing, examines INFO programs and
macros to do basic error checking, data base restructuring, histograms,
and conflation.

The third section, Advanced Processing, is devoted mainly to line and
network coverages and includes Node valence tables, dangling and
orphan  arcs,  node-arc lists, ALLOCATE operations, geocoding, and
linked list data structures.

The major objective of this course  is to utilize INFO  efficiently and
creatively.  After completing this course, students will be able to cut
resource utilization  in  ARC/INFO  by more than  half in many
instances.

To date, mis ESRI course has not been taught to EPA staff.

Experienced ARC/INFO users who want to increase their productivity
and efficiency in the advanced processing of ARC/INFO data.

Students must have taken the basic ARC/INFO Training Course and
should  have  a minimum of six to twelve months  experience  in
processing  ARC/INFO  data.     Some  experience  with  INFO
programming techniques and exposure to basic AML macro-building
is highly recommended.

Two days

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                                                                      VI-5
Topics to Be
Covered:      Item definitions
              ORDER, LINK, APPEND, SUMMARY, FILL, TABLE relates
              RESELECTs
              Program sections ODD and EVEN
              Key index files
              Double and phantom relates
              Arrays
              Adjacent and non-adjacent redefined keys
              Kicker files
              Missing and unknown codes, code occurrence
              File restructuring
              Splitting and coding arcs
              Node valence
              Dangling and orphan arcs
              Arcs surrounding a node
              Travel time to a node
              Linked list navigation

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                                                                       VI-6
                    ARC/INFO SYSTEM PROGRAMMING
Description:
Status:

Audience:


Prerequisites:


Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
This course will show  students how ARC/INFO can be used to
develop system  application programs.   The  architecture of the
ARC/INFO system will be presented with a detailed description of the
ARC/INFO data model  and the subroutine libraries.  The course is
organized as a series of morning lecture presentations followed by
programming workshops each afternoon. At the end of the course, the
students will understand the internal architecture of the ARC/INFO
system and the programming tools provided with it.

To date, this ESRI course has not been taught to EPA staff.

Experienced ARC/INFO users who have the ability and the need to
develop FORTRAN programs with the ARC/INFO software libraries.

ARC/INFO  Training Course,  very  experienced in the  use of
ARC/INFO, extensive FORTRAN programming knowledge

Four days
Architecture of ARC/INFO
ARC/INFO programming conventions
Reading and writing coverage data
Reading and writing attribute data
Interfacing ARC/INFO with other CIS data
ARC/INFO support modules
The ARC/INFO workstation concept
Tools for the user interface
Tools for graphic input
Tools for graphic display
Putting it all together - ARCPLOT
Putting it all together - ARCEDIT

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                                                                       VI-7
                      CARTOGRAPHIC PRODUCTION
Description:
Status:

Audience:


Prerequisites:



Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
Students will be introduced to basic cartographic theory of graphic
layout, symbology, etc., and will use  ARC/INFO to produce high
quality, computer generated maps. Techniques to be utilized include
creating custom symbols lookup tables, ancillary text (including titles,
legends, keys, etc.), and the creation and use of map annotation with
ARCEDIT and ARCPLOT.  Emphasis will also be placed on the use of
macros for producing a series of standard map products.

To date, this ESRI course has not been taught to EPA staff.

New or experienced ARC/INFO users interested  in producing high
quality maps for presentation and display.

Students must have taken the  ARC/INFO Training Course.   It is
highly recommended  that students  have  three  to  six  months
experience using ARCPLOT and ARCEDIT.

Two days
Cartographic design
ARCPLOT cartographic capabilities
Effective use of symbology and annotation
Cartographic production methodology
Advanced techniques with ARCEDIT and ARCPLOT
Developing and using macros for cartographic production
Creating custom fonts and symbol sets
Using the "Map Composer"

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                                                                         VI-8
                          GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
Description:
Status:

Audience:



Prerequisites:



Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
The course will discuss the basic elements and concepts of geographic
analysis as they relate to the functions of ARC/INFO.  The process of
developing and implementing logical models will be described, as well
as basic modeling techniques  using both spatial and thematic data.
Emphasis will be on the  use  of INFO programming, together with
macros for implementing the models.

To date, this ESRI course has not been taught to EPA staff.

Experienced ARC/INFO users who want to increase their proficiency
in  geographic   analysis  and  the process  of  developing  and
implementing complex spatial analysis models.

Students must have taken the ARC/INFO Training  Course.  Some
INFO programming experience is highly recommended for persons
interested in this  course.

Two days
Principles and concepts of geographic analysis
The analysis process/types of models
Model design and verification
INFO programming techniques for spatial analysis
Spatial and thematic modeling techniques
Modeling applications
     Suitability/capability modeling
     Forecast modeling

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                                                                         VI-9
                  INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE DESIGN
Description:
Status:

Audience:
Prerequisites:
Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
The course will give students an introduction to data base design
methodology, including the considerations of project scope, resource
requirements, users' needs, data sources, data quality, and data base
project management. Students will acquire a basic knowledge of the
concepts and process of designing and building a large, integrated CIS
data base.

The course will also introduce students to the methods of building and
maintaining a well-structured CIS data base. Included is a discussion
of geographic control  and registration,  map  preparation,  data
automation processes, automated map libraries, data dictionary, and
data transfer/archival.

To date, this ESRI course has not been taught to EPA staff.

The course is recommended for EPA's CIS teams, especially those who
are designing  and  building new GIS data bases.  It is recommended
that at least one member of each GIS team take this course. Those who
have  sound experience in  requirements analysis and  logical  and
physical data base design in a non-GIS environment probably do not
need the course.

Students must have taken the ARC/INFO Training Course.  It  is
highly recommended that students have at least six months experience
in GIS applications or in  traditional  DBMS applications using a
Relational Data Model.

Three days
 User needs assessment
 Requirements analysis
 Conceptual design
 Physical/detailed data base design

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                                                                     VMO
                 INTRODUCTION TO THE COGO SYSTEM
Description:
Status:

Audience:



Prerequisites:
Length:
Topics to Be
Covered:
The course will include a review of surveying and mapping principles,
introduction to Coordinate Geometry (COGO), an overview of land
records, a description and capabilities of the ESRI COGO system,
procedures for processing COGO data, display of COGO data, and
conversion of COGO data to ARC/INFO coverages.

This ESRI course has been taught to EPA staff.

Experienced ARC/INFO users who have a need to input and manage
coordinate data obtained  from typical survey measurements and
descriptions.

Students must have taken the ARC/INFO Training Course. Students
should  be familiar with  fundamental surveying and  mapping
principles, as well as the basic techniques of measuring and recording
locations with standard surveying instruments. Some knowledge of
legal descriptions is desirable for the course.

Two days; A  one-day version of this course has been taught to EPA
staff.
Review of surveying and mapping principles
Introduction to the ESRI COGO System
COGO data files
Processing COGO data
Locating points
Creating and processing traverses
Coordinate manipulation (transformation)
COGO feature description
Display of COGO data
Converting COGO data files to ARC/INFO coverages
Data management issues with COGO data

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                                                                         VI-11
                    INTRODUCTION TO THE TIN SYSTEM
Description:
Status:

Audience:


Prerequisites:
Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
The  course  will give students an introduction  to  the nature and
characteristics of surface data and the TIN system.  It will include the
description of surfaces, sampling surface data, converting surface data
from one form  to another, the concepts  of the TIN  system, and the
structure of TIN data.  The course will also cover capabilities for
analysis and display of TIN data,  conversion of TIN  data to other
forms of data in the ARC/INFO system, typical errors in processing
TIN data, and techniques for handling surface data.
This ESRI course has been taught to EPA staff.

Experienced  ARC/INFO  users  who   have  a   need
analysis/display of surface data, such as topography.
to  do
Students must  have taken the  ARC/INFO Training Course.  It is
highly recommended that students have some familiarity with the use
of Digital Elevation Models (DEM) or Digital Terrain Models (DTM).
Prior experience with "raster" data, such as GRID, will be very useful
in the course.

Two days
Surface data and sampling in TIN
Display and analysis products
Data input to TIN
Processing data with TIN
Using VIEW
TIN applications

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                                                                         VI-12
                 SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION FOR ARC/INFO
Description:
Status:

Audience:


Prerequisites:

Length:

Topics to Be
Covered:
This course teaches the skills, techniques, and knowledge required to
install and maintain ARC/INFO software, the installation of graphics
devices,  and  interface  requirements  for  unsupported  graphics
equipment.

To date, this ESRI course has not been taught to EPA staff.

Computer systems administrators at sites who are acquiring or have
recently acquired ESRI software.

Systems administration training from a site's computer vendor

One day
Process of ARC/INFO software execution
Steps for software installation
Confidence tests for installations
Device installation and interfacing
File protection and access considerations
Data base maintenance considerations
Data base and system back-up considerations
Customizing your ARC/INFO installation

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                                                                          VII-1

                VII. COURSE DELIVERY RECOMMENDATIONS
     The success of any course in transmitting knowledge to students depends in part
on  the  manner  in which the course material  is delivered.  This section  presents
recommendations on delivery of the courses that are part  of the GIS curriculum for
EPA.  Fundamental  principles  of training that can make  the difference  between a
successful course and an unsuccessful course are discussed first, followed by  a review
of criteria that an instructor must meet to be qualified to teach these courses. Finally,
brief consideration is given to facilities needed for effective  training and to alternative
training media.

A.   Fundamental Principles of Training

     Several fundamental principles of training that should be applied to all courses in
the GIS curriculum are described in the following paragraphs:

     •   Training should be done  from a problem-solving and  decision-making
perspective. Although GIS may be a new and interesting technology, the application of
that technology to environmental problems and to Agency decision-making is the factor
that drives the use of GIS in EPA. Course material should  demonstrate how GIS will
help EPA staff in their jobs.  This especially should be done for  the  management
"Executive Briefing."  If managers do not understand how GIS will assist them in
accomplishing the  goals  of their  programs,  the  use of  GIS in  EPA will  lag.
Consequently, it is important that specific instructional material, especially in the core
courses, be related frequently to environmental problems and decision-making.

     •   Train by EPA-related examples.   One of  the best ways to relate  course
material to a problem-solving and decision-making perspective is to train by EPA-
related examples.  Using a data base that contains data familiar  to EPA staff is one
method to constantly reinforce the application of GIS to EPA's work.  In addition to
using an environmental data base, all methods of analysis should  be illustrated by
examples of situations in which those analytical methods have been (or could  be) used
in EPA.   For  instance, the concept of buffer generation could be  demonstrated in
ARC/INFO by creating areas around streams where landfills are prohibited. Actual
EPA projects in which buffer generation has been used could  also be cited.

     Besides using examples to illustrate analytical methods, basic concepts presented
in the courses should  also be  supported by examples.  Although it might not be
practical to provide an EPA example for every  concept  that is discussed, groups of
concepts could be illustrated with an example  that emphasizes the importance of
understanding the basics. Providing negative examples of problems that could develop
if fundamental concepts are ignored or not  understood is also an effective way of
reinforcing material  whose  importance may not be apparent.  For example,  the
"Geographical Analysis and Fundamental  GIS Concepts"  course describes basic

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                                                                          vn-2

mapping concepts (reference Appendix A).  As a group, these  concepts could  be
illustrated by  citing  a situation  in which failure to understand the implications of
different map  scales or projections could result  in erroneous  conclusions  about
information displayed on such maps.

     •   All courses involving software training should include hands-on exercises.
Hands-on exercises are vital in reinforcing concepts that have been introduced through
lectures.  It is only after a student has had actual experience with a software product
that the student really understands how to use that product.

     •   Relate technology and information back to the decision-making  process.
This principle is tied to the principle of training from a problem-solving and decision-
making perspective.  In a GIS course, it is easy to become so involved in techniques or
in colorful, graphical outputs and the supporting  hardware that an overall perspective
of  applying  technology  to  decision-making  is  lost.    In  all GIS  courses  the
interrelationships between technology, information, and  the decision-making process
should be reinforced periodically. Students should be reminded that the purpose of GIS
technology is to provide better ways for applying spatially-based information to the
decision-making process.   With this perspective, students will  be more  likely to
structure data  gathering, analysis,  and output  activities  around an environmental
problem or decision, rather than structuring a problem or decision around an exciting
technology.

     •   Remember who the audience is. As described in Section III, different groups
in EPA have different training needs.   Instructors  must always remember  who the
audience is for a specific course because different  types of information are important to
different groups. For example, all course material for senior managers eventually must
be  tied to  the  impacts of GIS on programs and to required resources.  Although
technical information may be interesting to an instructor, senior managers will quickly
lose interest in  a course that concentrates on technology  as opposed  to the impacts of
applying that technology.

     •   Students  should be given handouts appropriate to the  course.  At a
minimum all courses should  provide students with copies of the slides or  overhead
transparencies used  in the  course.  If possible, these handouts should contain more
details than could be included on the slides or transparencies. The handouts also must
be available for the first day of class so notes can be taken on the handouts. For all
courses with exercises, complete procedures for arriving at the answers to the exercises
should be provided.  Additional exercises and listings of sample data bases for the
exercises are valuable material that will assist those students who want more practice in
applying course concepts.

     •   Students should  be given time to review and practice with sample data
after a  course.  One of the most counterproductive occurrences that  can affect the
success of  training is to have a long period after the completion of a course before

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                                                                         VH-3

 students can apply the course material.  This is especially true for detailed technical
 material such as that in ARC/INFO courses.  Although this is properly a management
 issue, it is important to emphasize the need for students to apply their new knowledge
 soon after completion of a course.  For those students who take die two segments of the
 revised ARC/INFO course several weeks apart, the period between the two one-week
 segments must include review and practice time with a sample data base. Otherwise,
 the second week of the course will be less beneficial than it could be. Managers should
 provide for review and practice time in the work loads of students taking the two-week
 ARC/INFO course. As mentioned earlier in this report, students also should not take
 the two-week course unless their site has installed ARC/INFO or wiU be installing the
 package within one month.

 B.   Criteria for Qualified Instructors

     Qualified instructors for EPA's CIS curriculum should meet  several criteria in
 addition to having good teaching skills. One of the most important of these criteria is
 having a sound understanding of how CIS  can be applied to environmental problems.
 As discussed above, CIS is important to EPA in terms of how it may assist the Agency
 in accomplishing programatic goals and in making decisions.  If an instructor does not
 appreciate how GIS can assist in these ways, tfcen the course will not be as successful as
 it could be.

     Understanding the application of GIS to environmental problems is an important
 criterion for good ESRI instructors as well as for EPA instructors. EPA has requested
 that ESRI have a small set of instructors that teach all courses offered to EPA,  so that
 these instructors will become familiar with  Agency needs  and applications. EPA
 should continue its efforts to ensure that ESRI provides qualified instructors that
 understand EPA's GIS applications.

     For each course that  is part of  the  recommended curriculum, the instructor
 obviously must possess expertise  in the specific course material that will be  taught.
 Knowledge about ARC/INFO does not by itself qualify an instructor to teach other
 courses.  For example, an expert in basic ARC/INFO who has minimal experience in
 TIN should not be teaching a course in  TIN.   Likewise, instructors should have
 experience  in the particular operating system on which  a course will be taught. VAX
 experience is not sufficient to teach a course on a PRIME.

     Because qualified instructors for EPA's  GIS courses must understand GIS software
and  its  application to environmental problems, it should  not be  assumed that
 instructors  for EPA'S data processing courses can also be effective GIS teachers. Data
 Processing training experience cannot substitute for  GIS knowledge when GIS
 instructors are selected. Since sufficient lead time may be required to recruit qualified
GIS instructors, decisions on which office(s) will be responsible for developing and
delivering each of EPA's GIS courses should  be made as soon as possible.

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                                                                           VIM

 C.   Facilities Needed for Effective Training

     The quality of training facilities impacts the overall success of a training course.
 Both the training facility itself, the availability of hardware and software needed for GIS
 training, and the support staff are important to the quality of a training center.

     The room where  training is conducted should be large enough so that there is
 enough space for students to spread out with their training materials and take notes.
 The room should have equipment  for showing slides and  overhead  transparencies as
 well as a projection system  or large monitor for the terminal used by the instructor.
 Since much of the training in ARC/INFO classes is through online demonstrations and
 examples, students must be able  to see dearly the instructor's demonstrations, without
 having to crowd around one terminal.  The room must also be arranged so  that all
 students have unobstructed views of projected materials.

     Special hardware and software needed for GIS courses include a digitizer, graphics
 terminals and terminal emulators, a plotter-screen dump facility, and  a printer.  If EPA
 moves to  a workstation platform for GIS in the future, a workstation must  also be
 available in the training facility.  The importance of having all appropriate equipment
 for GIS training cannot be emphasized enough, because the courses are far less effective
 if various  operations  cannot be demonstrated.  There should be  enough graphics
 terminals so that one terminal is  shared by no more  than two students. There should
 also be sufficient desktop space around each terminal so that manuals and papers can
 be laid beside each terminal while students are conducting online exercises.  At least
 one  complete set of documentation appropriate to the class  must be available for
 student use.   This  documentation would include manuals  for ARC/INFO  and its
 various modules, INFO, the system's text editor, operating system  file management
 commands, and the terminals or  terminal emulators  in use. If terminal emulators are
 used, keyboard templates should  be available for all of the training terminals.

     The support staff for a training center is key to its smooth operation.  If hardware,
 software, or other equipment malfunctions, quick resolution of the  problem is often
 critical for students to  get the full benefit from a training session. Qualified support
 staff should be readily available to provide such services when needed.

 D.   Alternative Training Media

     At the present time training media that are alternatives  to instructor-led courses
 are very limited for GIS.  ESRI is completing PC training modules for PC ARC/INFO
which will eventually serve as prototypes for self-training on other hardware platforms.
The PC-based training will guide a  user at a PC through a training session and will be
supplemented with workbooks. ESRI also is in the process of developing videos for PC
ARC/INFO modules, in addition to the video that has been available for some time on
 the PC ARC/INFO Starter Kit. Despite these efforts the most viable training vehicles

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                                                                           VII-5


for the next year or two are the instructor-led courses that combine lectures with hands-
on experience.

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                                                                        vm-i

                   VIII. TRAINING SUPPORT WITHIN EPA
     This section lists support to GIS training that can be provided by several offices
within EPA, specifically by EMSL-LV, the National Data Processing Division, and the
EPA Institute.  Consideration is also given to  the need for support of  "continuing
education" for GIS.

A.   Support by EMSL-LV

     In its role as a primary center for research and support of GIS  within EPA, the
Spatial Analysis Laboratory of the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory in
Las Vegas (EMSL-LV) has identified several ways in which the unit has or can support
GIS training within the Agency.  One way that EMSL-LV already has assisted Agency
training efforts is by providing suggestions  to ESRI for improvements in its two-week
ARC/INFO training course.  In February and May, 1988, EMSL-LV staff met with ESRI
training personnel to recommend improvements in the course. During another meeting
in September, 1988, ESRI indicated that the two-week course was being revised and that
many of EMSL-LV's recommendations were being addressed by the revision. ESRI has
recently invited  the Manager of the Spatial Analysis Laboratory to sit on ESRI's
Educational Review Board. Through this opportunity, EMSL-LV will  have an ongoing
forum through which to provide input to ESRI on all of the firm's training.

     EMSL-LV has also supplied a training data  base and training exercises to be used
by ESRI in the two-week ARC/INFO courses taught to EPA. Both the data base and
exercises were designed as "stop-gap" measures until ESRI provides a training course
more tailored to EPA's needs. Use of a data base that is relevant to EPA's work has
made ARC/INFO training more applicable to EPA staff.

     A third  way that EMSL-LV may support  GIS training is by providing on-site
assistance  to  a Region  or office after the basic  ARC/INFO  training  course has been
taken. An important factor contributing to the success of initial GIS projects is to have
on-site expertise immediately after the basic ARC/INFO  training course.  This on-site
support will  allow novice ARC/INFO  users to receive immediate answers to their
questions as they are implementing the software for the first time.  If this support is
given by EPA, rather than by ESRI, novice users  will also benefit from accrued Agency
expertise in applying GIS to EPA programs. EMSL-LV has provided on-site support to
Regions I  and VII and has indicated  that it may be able to offer on-site support to
supplement basic ARC/INFO training.

     EMSL-LV's GIS technical memoranda are another direct support to GIS training.
The first memorandum is entitled "GIS Project Planning and Data Set Selection" and
gives valuable information on those two subjects. Other memoranda that are currently
in the draft stage deal with Digital Line Graph processing and the one-to-many relation

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                                                                         VIII-2

in ARC/INFO. These memoranda are an important source of ongoing GIS training
within EPA.

     Finally, EMSL-LV recognizes the need for special management education for GIS.
EMSL-LV has indicated its willingness to provide input to the  development  of
management training.

B.   Support by the National Data Processing Division

     The National Data Processing  Division's  (NDPD) training office  at Research
Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, and its Washington Information Center (WIC) in
Washington,  D.C.,  provide data processing training  to EPA.  . Contract support
managers at both centers have stated a desire to be involved with GIS training. That
involvement could include support in the preparation of EPA's GIS courses as well as in
teaching those courses, if it is cost-effective to do so and if the sites have appropriate
facilities for GIS training. Both sites have a staff that is experienced in developing and
giving data processing classes, although it should be noted that data, processing training
experience  does not by itself qualify someone to  develop and teach  GIS  courses
(reference Section VH.B).  Both sites also handle all administrative details of course
registration, student notification, prerequisite checks,  and course set-up for those
courses that are offered through their offices. Their courses are publicized in a monthly
schedule of classes.  NDPD has a GIS Support Group at RTP which provides user
support for GIS hardware and software on NDPD's VAX system and technical expertise
for GIS applications.

     NDPD's office at RTP has procured all equipment needed for a GIS  training
facility. This training facility includes the following equipment:

     •   Ten  PCs with Tektronix emulation software that are connected to NDPD's
         VAX duster; These PCs are all located in the GIS classroom.
     •   Instructor PC with Tektronix emulation software and a 25-inch monitor for
         demonstrations
     •   An adjacent workroom / GIS support area equipped with:
              Sun and Tektronix graphic workstations
              Printer
              Digitizer
              Plotter facility

     With the establishment of a fully-equipped GIS training facility, it is recommended
that EPA use the NDPD facility at RTP as a training site for those in EPA that do not
receive on-site training. As a training program is planned, NDPD should be consulted
in greater detail regarding the level of support that could be provided by  it facilities at
both RTP and the WIC.

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                                                                        vin-3
C   Support by the EPA Institute

     The EPA Institute provides in-house training to EPA employees in a variety of
areas, including job skills, program-specific topics, and training on how to share one's
expertise and knowledge with others.  The EPA Institute has recently compiled a
catalogue of courses offered throughout EPA.  The catalogue includes courses taught
not only by the EPA Institute but also by other offices, the Regions, and the Labs.

     As a GIS training program is implemented in EPA, GIS courses could be listed in
the EPA Institute's catalogue. This would increase the publicity for GIS courses within
all parts  of the Agency. EPA instructors  for GIS courses may also wish to take the
Institute's instructor training course, which covers effective presentation methods and
training techniques.

D.   Continuing Education for GIS

     Even after individuals have taken several GIS training courses and are experienced
ARC/INFO users, there remains the  need to keep up with new developments in a
rapidly changing technological environment.  Some methods for meeting this need for
continuing education are as follows:

     •   As discussed  in Section IV, an Agency-wide GIS user group could be
         established to transfer techniques and tips on the use of ARC/INFO, macros,
         and other advanced knowledge related to the use of GIS.

     •   Technical  memoranda  like  those produced by EMSL-LV  are  a  good
         mechanism for communicating GIS expertise throughout the Agency.

     •   Workshops or seminars on specialized applications of GIS could be offered by
         those who have implemented such applications.

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                                                                          A-l
         A. OUTLINE FOR A COURSE IN GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS
                    AND FUNDAMENTAL CIS CONCEPTS
     This appendix presents an outline for a course in "Geographical Analysis and
Fundamental GIS  Concepts/'   The purpose of  this course, which is  part  of  the
recommended GIS curriculum for EPA, is  to instruct  end-users  and  technical
implementors in basic concepts of mapping, geographical analysis, and GIS. The course
is designed to be a good introduction to GIS for those with no prior exposure to the
subject.  Technical implementors who  have worked with GIS  and have a good
understanding of mapping concepts and geographical analysis do not need to take the
course.

     As discussed  in Section IV, ESRTs "Introduction to GIS"  is a sound base for
developing the EPA course outlined in this appendix. The EPA course is intended to go
beyond the ESRI course in two ways:

     (1)  ESRI's "Introduction  to  GIS"  takes  a  technology-based approach  in
         introducing basic GIS concepts.   The EPA course outlined here takes a
         problem-solving  approach  in presenting GIS concepts and emphasizes  the
         application of GIS to EPA programs.

     (2)  The  EPA course stresses  basic  concepts  of mapping and  geographical
         analysis, which are only touched on lightly and indirectly in the ESRI course.
         Since the use of GIS depends on an understanding of fundamental mapping
         concepts and principles of geographical analysis, it is important  that all end-
         users and technical implementors of GIS understand these concepts.

In the outline below, special mention is given to those sections that relate to these two
differences.

     To  make  this  course particularly relevant  to EPA, examples  related   to
environmental problems should be used  throughout the course to  illustrate concepts.
Section VII of this report describes the importance of training by example.
        A Course in Geographical Analysis and Fundamental GIS Concepts


I.   Introduction — placement of GIS and its use in perspective

    A.   What is GIS?

         GIS is a system to collect, store, retrieve, analyze, and display geographical
         data.   GIS  requires  special  hardware, software,  data,  and  staff  with

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                                                                      A-2
    specialized expertise.  Software packages  called Geographic  Information
    Systems provide for input, storage, retrieval,  analysis,  and display of
    geographical data. ARC/INFO is a CIS package that is the CIS software of
    choice for EPA.

B.  What are geographical data?

    Geographical data have a locational component that can be tied to a position
    on the  earth.   For  example, data on public  water  supply wells  are
    geographical data if locations for the wells are part of the data base.  "Geo-
    based" data and "spatial" data are other ways of referring to geographical
    data.

C.  Why use a CIS?

    1.   Location is a valid  basis for analysis in  EPA.  Every environmental
         phenomenon or occurrence has a spatial component which may, in fact,
         contribute to an environmental problem. For example, the proximity of
         hazardous wastes to public water supply wells or aquifers may threaten
         the health of the population getting its water from those wells.  The
         location of the hazardous wastes and wells near each  other is a major
         factor contributing to a potential problem. If the hazardous wastes were
         in another location far from wells, aquifers, and population centers, then
         the likelihood of the hazardous wastes creating a health problem would
         be reduced.

         Because location is an important factor in environmental problems, EPA
         needs to use technology that can analyze and display geographical data
         in a meaningful way that aids in both the comprehension of complex
         environmental problems  and decision-making about such problems.
         GIS is a technology that is designed to process, analyze, and display data
         with a locational component.

    2.   Present several brief examples of the use of GIS in EPA.

    3.   Other benefits of using GIS
         a.  GIS adds new capabilities to EPA, since many spatial analysis
             techniques are too time-intensive to be done without an automated
             tool like GIS.
         b.  GIS can be used as a technique for organizing geographical data.
             This provides for better data management.
         c.  By using GIS as a data management tool, the quality, timeliness,
             and access to information improve.
         d.  GIS increases productivity (e.g., in map production).

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                                                                           A-3
    D.   The concepts of geographical analysis that are automated by GIS are not new
         but have existed for years.  GIS merely is a new technology that effectively
         automates the application of these concepts.  The development of GIS has
         been based on developments in relational  data base management systems,
         computer graphics, and personnel computers.

    E.   The concept of conducting  spatial analyses within EPA is not a new idea.
         EPA has used spatial analysis with some existing systems written in-house,
         such as STORET. GIS greatly adds to capabilities of existing systems.

    F.   GIS differs from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and mapping tools such as
         SASGRAPH. Neither CAD nor SASGRAPH deal with analyses of spatial
         data that depend on the relative locations of that data. These other tools have
         important uses, and it is essential to use the right tool for the right job.

    G.   GIS is a technology that can bring locational information about environmental
         problems to bear on the decision-making process.

II.  Concepts of mapping and geographical analysis

    This section of the course describes basic concepts of mapping and geographical
    analysis that generally are  mentioned only indirectly in ESRI's "Introduction to
    GIS" course.   Because GIS  is a  tool for  geographical  analysis, users of the
    technology must understand these fundamental concepts.

    A.   Basic mapping concepts

         1.    Scale
              a.   Describe the difference between small-scale maps (maps that cover
                  a large area) versus large-scale maps (maps that cover a small area).
              b.   Present different  methods of representing scales.   These should
                  include the scale bar on a map and the ratio notation (e.g., 1:24,000).
              c.   List  commonly-used  scales   of   maps  (1:24,000;   1:250,000;
                  1:1,000,000).

         2.    Resolution
              How features are represented on a map depends on scale. For example,
              the width of a river may be shown as a band with width on a large-scale
              map but as a line with no width on a small-scale map.

         3.    Accuracy
              The accurate placement of features on a map depends on scale, material
              of which the map is made, width of pen lines, etc.

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                                                                       A-4

    4.   Coordinate systems
         The purpose of coordinate systems is to tie positions on maps to specific
         locations on the earth.  Describe several major coordinate systems.
         a.   Latitude/longitude
         b.   UTM
         c.   Township/range

    5.   Map projections
         Because the earth is a three-dimensional sphere and most maps are two-
         dimensional planes, special methods have evolved over many years for
         representing  the unavoidable distortions  that  occur when a  three-
         dimensional object is represented in two dimensions. These methods for
         producing  maps are  called map  projections.   Since distortions are
         inherent in all maps, it is important to understand the basic classes of
         projections, their inherent inaccuracies, and when they should or should
         not be used.  For the two  classes of  projections  described  below,
         examples should be given of an inappropriate use of the projections.
         a.   Equal-area maps - Sizes of areas are represented accurately, but
              shapes are distorted.
         b.   Conformal maps  - Shapes are represented accurately, but sizes of
              areas are distorted.
         c.   There are many types of equal-area and conformal map projections,
              as  well  as  other classes  of  projections  that  are  not used as
              frequently in the kinds of maps utilized by EPA.

B.  Major types of maps

    Identify major types of maps that are often used in environmental work.

    1.   Topographic maps
         These maps are  produced by the  U.S. Geological  Survey and show
         transportation, hydrography,  elevation, settlements,  and other man-
         made features.   The concepts  of using contour lines to represent
         elevation  and of  deriving slope  from  this information  should be
         explained.

    2.   Isarithmic maps can be used for other variables besides elevation (e.g.,
         temperature, rainfall).

    3.   Thematic maps
         Maps can be used to show the spatial distribution of anything that varies
         over space.

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                                                                       A-5
C.   Statistics and maps
     1.   Descriptive  statistics,  such  as  means,  medians,  and  regression
         coefficients, are often represented on maps.  Any statistic that can be
         calculated for mapped phenomena can also be mapped. The calculation
         of descriptive  statistics  does not  depend  on  the location  of the
         phenomena  and can  be  calculated whether  the  location  of the
         phenomena are known or not.

     2.   Spatial statistics are those statistics that are dependent on the location of
         phenomena. The area of spatial statistics is less developed than the area
         of descriptive statistics. Examples of spatial statistics include measures
         of spatial autocorrelation

D.   Simplified explanation of topology

     1.   Spatial relationships  between map  features are  shown implicitly on
         maps, and our minds interpret these relationships. These relationships
         include adjacency and connectivity.

     2.   Adjacency (or contiguity) refers to the relationship of two features being
         next to each other. For example, determining the counties bordering a
         polluted stream involves adjacency relationships.

     3.   Connectivity refers to a link between two map features.  For example,
         finding the safest route for a truck carrying hazardous wastes between
         two sites involves connectivity relationships.

     4.   By mapping data, our minds can see spatial relationships that are too
         complex to understand by looking at  tables of data.

     5.   In digital  maps in a  computerized data base, spatial relationships like
         adjacency and connectivity are represented by data structures that store
         these relationships, or topology.

E.   Basic concepts of spatial analysis

     1.   Map overlay
         Map overlay is one of the most basic methods of spatial analysis and has
         been done for years  using  transparent  maps.  Different variables are
         mapped on separate  maps of transparent material. The maps are then
         overlaid  on each  other  on a  light table to determine  where the
         boundaries of the maps match and which areas have specific values for
         the several variables.  In  his book Design with Nature. Ian McHarg, a
         well-known  landscape architect,  was one of the  earliest advocates of

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              using this technique in planning.  Several examples of using the overlay
              concept with environmental problems should be given in the course.

         2.    Buffer generation around points and lines
              A buffer is created around a point or line to identify an area associated
              with that point or line. The purpose of buffer creation may be to identify
              an area where particular activities may not occur.  For example, a buffer
              may be identified  around a wellhead to designate  an area  where
              landfills and other disposal activities are prohibited.

         3.    Location/allocation
              a.    Locating a facility or series of facilities (or points) to best serve a
                   target population (or area) is a common problem in geographical
                   analysis. Typically, locations are chosen to minimize or maximize a
                   set of variables, subject  to constraints. For example, determining
                   the locations of recycling drop-off sites could be done to maximize
                   the accessibility of the surrounding population to those sites.
              b.    Allocating areas to a set of existing facilities is the reverse  situation
                   from  the location problem described immediately above.  For
                   example, several radon  sample readings are obtained at  different
                   locations in a zip code area as part of a project to map sample radon
                   readings.  Allocation occurs when deciding which parts of the zip
                   code area should be mapped as having which radon values.

              To summarize, the  "location" problem starts with a known area and
              tries to find the best location for facilities in that area. The "allocation"
              problem starts with  known locations for facilities and tries to distribute
              parts of an area to those facilities.

         4.    Network route finding
              This process tries to  find the best route based on some criterion, such as
              minimizing  distance or  time traveled, subject  to constraints.   For
              example,  it may be required to find  the best route for transporting
              hazardous waste that minimizes distance but avoids population centers
              with greater than 100,000 persons by a distance of ten miles.

III.   CIS concepts

     A.  Representation of data in  a GIS
         The material in this section is intended  to convey the level to which the
         structure of data in a GIS  should be described in the course. A very basic and
         relatively non-technical approach is taken,  since only basic information on
         data  structure  is required by students  taking  the course.   Technical
         implementors that need  more information on ARC/INFO's data structures
         will receive that instruction in the two-week ARC/INFO course.

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                                                                   A-7
1.    A GIS combines locational (spatial) and descriptive  (attribute) data
     about features that can be mapped.

2.    A GIS contains many layers (or coverages) of different types of data for
     the same geographical area.  Examples of layers that might be needed
     include topography, water features (hydrography), roads, land use and
     land  cover, and special layers for the problem at hand, such as RCRA
     and Superfund sites.

3.    The following three types of map information are represented in a GIS.
     a.    Map features (e.g., counties, land  use patterns,  roads,  streams,
          landfills, public water supply wells)
          Two major ways have evolved for  representing map features in
          digital form:
          (1)   Raster (or grid): A grid is placed over a map. Each cell is
              assigned a value based on the feature that occurs in that cell.
              A separate layer is coded for each type of data.
          (2)   Vector (or arc/node): On a map, features can be described as
              areas, lines, or points. In the vector method of representation,
              these features are represented as polygons, arc, nodes, and
              points that are comprised of series of (X,Y) coordinates. The
              vector representation method is used by ARC/INFO.
     b.    Characteristics of map features (e.g., the name of a county, type of
          crops grown, the type of road)
          On a map, characteristics of map features are represented by the
          type, size, color, shading pattern, and the like of the symbols used
          to designate the features.   Text on maps  also conveys feature
          characteristics.  In ARC/INFO,  characteristics of map features are
          stored in an INFO data base and are linked to the map features  (or
          spatial information) by common identifiers in the data base (keys).
     c.    Spatial relationships between  the map features (e.g., adjacency
          and connectivity of features)
          On a map spatial relationships are represented implicitly, and our
          minds  interpret those  relationships.   In ARC/INFO, spatial
          relationships are represented by special data files created for that
          purpose.  These files store information on:
          (1)  which polygons are on the left and right of each arc
          (2)  which points (nodes) are the starting and ending points for an
              arc
          (3)  which arcs make up the boundaries of each polygon
          By storing these relationships (i.e., topology), ARC/INFO is able to
          reproduce spatial relationships between map features.

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                                                                       A-8
    4.   A true CIS combines topology and attribute data with spatial features.
         A mapping  package  or  CAD  system  does not  store  topological
         relationships.

    5.   As stated above, ARC/INFO uses the vector structure and has a module
         to convert data from its format into a grid structure. The course should
         briefly describe advantages and disadvantages of the vector and grid
         data structures.

B.  Use of a relational data base management system in GIS

    1.   A relational data base management system is used in a GIS to store data
         that are attributes of geographic features.  INFO is the relational DBMS
         used in ARC/INFO.

    2.   A relational DBMS uses basic concepts of Boolean algebra to retrieve
         data.
         a.   Common operators are: EQ, NE, LE, LT, GE, GT, AND, OR, NOT
              The course should provide graphical examples of the uses of AND,
              OR, and NOT.
         b.   In a relational DBMS, common identifiers (keys) are used to relate
              spatial and attribute data of features.  Each feature has a key that
              uniquely identifies that  feature.  This key  is repeated in every
              record that contains information about that feature.
         c.   The course should provide examples of the use of  operators to
              retrieve data in queries.

    3.   As described earlier in the course, the development of GIS has depended
         in part upon the development of relational DBMS's.

C.  Phases of a GIS project

    This section describes GIS through a problem-solving perspective. The basic
    phases of a GIS project are identified, and through those phases, the functions
    of a GIS are described. ESRI's "Introduction to GIS" treats the functions of a
    GIS independently rather than describing those functions  in the context of
    applying GIS to a problem. As each of the project phases described below is
    discussed in the course, it should be illustrated with an actual EPA project
    that has utilized GIS.

    1.   Problem definition and planning
         a.   This is the most important phase of a project, since the questions to
              be answered, the data to be acquired, and the general scope of the
              analyses to be done are defined in this phase.  If the problem to be

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                                                                   A-9
         addressed by GIS is poorly defined, the project will be unfocused
         and will risk time and cost overruns.
     b.   The "GIS Planning" course, which has been recommended as part
         of EPA's GIS curriculum, will address this phase of a GIS project.

2.    Data acquisition / data capture / data input
     a.   During the data acquisition phase, data for a project are located and
         acquired. The data that are needed for a project were determined
         in the problem definition and planning phase.
     b.   Both spatial and  attribute data for the project's planned analyses
         need to be acquired.
     c.   Data acquisition is typically the most time-consuming phase of the
         project.  If existing digital data files cannot be obtained, the data
         acquisition phase may require 90 percent of the entire project's
         time.
     d.   Several methods of getting  data include digitizing,  scanning,
         acquiring existing data bases from other GIS's, and converting data
         with  locational  information  from  other data  bases  into  GIS
         coverages.   The  course  should briefly explain the  processes  of
         digitizing and scanning in a non-technical way.
     e.   Prior to entering data into the data base, careful work needs to be
         done  to create a data base  structure that will permit easy and
         efficient retrieval and maintenance of the data. Data base design
         typically proceeds  in conjunction  with data acquisition activites
         and must be completed before data are actually input into the data
         base.
     f.   Data that are input into the  GIS data base must be verified and
         edited to correct errors. One technique of doing this is to map each
         data layer to see if the distribution of the data appears reasonable,
         based on the user's knowledge of the subject.
     g.   Data standards and documentation must be considered during this
         phase.  Data that are acquired or new data bases that are created
         through digitizing or scanning must comply with standards needed
         to effectively utilize that data (e.g., have a common  geographical
         reference). Standard documentation for each data layer should also
         be prepared.
     h.   Quality assurance/control issues also must be considered.   The
         quality of data that is required for a specific project depends in part
         upon the scale of analysis for the project and the uses of the data.
         For example, analyses  that  may  lead to  legal  actions  with a
         Superfund site require data of much higher quality than a project
         that is examining ozone patterns  in a metropolitan  area.  Data
         quality must also be balanced against the time and cost required to
         obtain high quality data.

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                                                                 A-10
3.    Data base storage and management
     a.   Problem  definition and the data required  for a project greatly
         impact the data base design.  As mentioned above, the data base
         design must permit easy retrieval and maintenance of the data.
     b.   Data base management includes routine operations of creating,
         deleting, updating, copying, and renaming files.
     c.   Routine backups  of  the data base must be performed  by the
         computer system staff.
     d.   Data base security is an important part of data base management.
         Who will have access to what data and the level of access they will
         have  (read  only,  read/write, read/write/delete, etc.) must  be
         determined. The effort devoted to data security will vary by type
         of project (e.g., more security for a Superfund project which may
         result in legal action).
     e.   Data  archiving is  another  issue that must be addressed.  The
         amount of data to  be retained on-line or archived, the period of on-
         line retention, and the ease of accessing archived  data must  be
         weighed  against the likelihood of needing archived data and costs
         of keeping data on-line.

4.    Data manipulation and  analysis
     a.   This part of the project is the phase where the power of a GIS is
         applied to the data  in performing analyses  appropriate to the
         problem. The analyses to be done are dependent upon the problem
         that has been defined and the data that have been acquired.
     b.   Data manipulation includes operations  such as changes in scale
         and  projections, edgematching, and erasing boundaries.  The
         course should briefly describe some  of these operations through
         diagrams and examples of when they would be used.
     c.   Data  analysis in  a GIS applies those concepts of geographical
         analysis described earlier, such as overlays and buffer generation.
         Examples of using overlays  and buffer generation should be given
         by both demonstrating these techniques in ARC/INFO and citing
         uses of these techniques in actual EPA projects.
     d.   A large part of data analysis also consists of ad hoc, interactive user
         queries of both spatial  and attribute data.   The use  of  queries
         should  also  be  demonstrated in  ARC/INFO   and  through
         referencing query use in EPA projects.

5.    Data display
     a.   Data display consists of both maps and reports.  Examples of a
         variety of the types of maps  that can be produced with ARC/INFO
         should be shown.
     b.   Data display products can be produced both at a terminal and as
         hard-copy. Brief reference should be made to the range of output

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                  devices (e.g., graphic terminals, several types of plotters, graphic
                  printers).
              c.   Although data display is listed as the fifth phase in a CIS project,
                  data display may, in fact, occur throughout the project.  Data may
                  be mapped in the data acquisition phase as a method of verifying
                  data quality.  The first step in data analysis may be  mapping
                  various coverages to view spatial distributions and patterns of data.
                  Typically,  analysis  and display  operations  will  be  done  in
                  coordination  as  the results of one analysis  are displayed before
                  another analysis  is done.

         6.    Application of the results of data analysis to the original problem
              This final phase of a GIS project seeks to answer the questions that were
              asked in the problem definition phase. The results are applied to any
              decision-making process that the project was designed to assist.

IV.  Implementation of CIS at EPA

     A.   Use  of  GIS at EPA — Reference the GIS case  studies document, which
         describes numerous GIS applications throughout the agency.

     B.   How to get started with GIS

         1.    Reference the GIS handbook, which lists EPA resources that can provide
              help with GIS.

         2.    Reference other courses in  EPA's GIS  curriculum that are currently
              available.

     C.   GIS tools at EPA

         1.    ARC/INFO: EPA's GIS software of choice
              List and briefly describe the various ARC/INFO modules.

         2.    Hardware platforms on which ARC/INFO is operational at EPA
              a.   VAXs at NDPD and at the labs
              b.   PRIMEs at the WIC and the regions
              c.   Common types of graphics terminals and plotters in use at EPA

     D.   Data sources

         1.    Idenfity geo-based data readily available from EPA and other federal
              agencies.
              a.   EPA data

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                                                             A-12
    b.  USGS data - Digital Line Graph (DLG) and Digital Elevation
        Model (DEM) data
    c.  Bureau of Census DIME and TIGER data files

2.   EPA's data clearinghouse is a source of information about data.

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               B. OUTLINE FOR A COURSE IN CIS PLANNING
    This appendix presents an annotated outline for a course in GIS Planning.  This
course is part of the recommended GIS curriculum for EPA and should be taken by
both  technical  implementors (GIS  teams  and  their  managers)  and  end-users
(environmental scientists and their managers).

    Much of the outline is based on EMSL-LV's GIS Technical Memorandum  1-88,
"GIS Project Planning and Data  Set Selection".  The Memorandum  was written by
Mason J. Hewitt, III and Eric N.  Koglin of EMSL-LV and by Richard A. Dulaney of
Lockheed Engineering and Management Services, Inc.  Substantive comments on the
need for a GIS  planning course made by Tom Scheitiin of Unisys Corporation, GIS
Technical Support at EPA's NDPD, have also been incorporated into the outline.
                           A Course in GIS Planning
I.    Introduction — importance of planning a GIS project

     A.   Because GIS projects can  be  very consumptive  of time and  resources,
         especially if lengthy data collection efforts are undertaken, planning a GIS
         project is critical to its success.  By careful planning, resource requirements
         can be determined in light of available project funding.

     B.   Simpler technologies should be used for projects whenever those technologies
         will do the job.  Basic guidelines and examples could be presented of when a
         GIS is not  needed  and a simpler technology, such as  SASGRAPH, is
         preferable.

II.   Life-cycle of a GIS project

     A.   Planning phase

         Planning a project requires both end-users and GIS staff and a substantial
         time commitment from both groups. The level of involvement of end-users is
         especially important.  With only limited  involvement of  end-users in the
         planning phase, projects run the risks of delays and failure because various
         data requirements or other project needs may go unconsidered until a much
         later stage in the project.  As the following steps in the planning process are
         described, key decision points should be highlighted.

         1.   Define  the objectives  of the project.  How,GIS will support these
              objectives must also be stated clearly.

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                                                                        B-2
    2.   Define major decisions to be made and questions to be answered by the
         project.  Based on these decisions, define the quality of data needed to
         make these decisions (Data Quality Objectives).   Consideration also
         should be given to the spatial accuracy of data that are needed.

    3.   Define information needed for the project based on the objectives and
         decisions to be made. A matrix of project questions and decisions versus
         data needs may assist in this effort.  Project staff also must have some
         plans regarding how the data will be used in the GIS to answer project
         questions.  At  this time a second matrix of data needs versus data
         sources should be constructed.

    4.   Determine the  availability of data  that are needed for the project.
         Categorize the data into three groups:
         a.    Data you have
         b.    Data someone else has
         c.    Data that no one has

    5.   Determine whether the data that are available (data that you or someone
         else  has) are adequate for the project.  Project  objectives, data quality
         objectives,  and the project's timeframe, which  may or may not allow
         time to  acquire new data, must be considered  in evaluating available
         data.

    6.   Analyze estimated project costs and the costs of  the various  types of
         information needed for the project. Based on these estimated costs and
         available funding, determine  whether  project  objectives need  to  be
         revised in light of available funding and data.  If so, recycle through the
         previous project planning steps.

    7.   Based on data that will be obtained for the project, define in more detail
         the analyses that will be performed in  the project. If there are project
         questions where a method of analysis is not clear, define prototypes that
         may assist in developing a method of  analysis.

B.  Implementation phase

    Although much of the work in the implementation phase is done by the GIS
    staff, end-users  have a role in the various  steps of implementation, and that
    role should be emphasized in the course. End-users have major responsibility
    for verifying data quality, reviewing and testing the design and operation of
    applications, providing direction in performing analyses, evaluating results,
    and drawing conclusions based on the analyses.

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                                                                   B-3
The activities of the GIS staff in the various steps of the implementation phase
listed  below  should  be  described so  that  end-users  have a  good
understanding of the life-cycle process of a GIS project.  Key decision points
should be stressed  so  end-users understand the implications of changing
project scope, design, or data requirements at various points in the life of the
project. At the same time, it must be recognized that as end-users become
more familiar with GIS technology and it capabilities, end-users may wish to
refine the scope of a project to utilize GIS capabilities that they did not fully
understand during the project planning  phase.  If a project's scope is to be
refined, some planning activities will have to be repeated, perhaps after
implementation has already started. When refining a project's scope, careful
consideration must be given to potential impacts on resources budgeted for
the project and on estimated completion dates.

1.'   Data base design

2.    Logical system design
     If the objective  of a project is to develop an ongoing, application, the end-
     users of that application should  review all aspects of the user interface,
     including menus, data presentation screens and graphics, and methods
     to navigate through the application, as well as analytical operations to be
     performed  by the  application.   End-users  should  understand  the
     importance of  contributing their comments at this stage of application
     development before numerous macros have been written. The GIS staff
     should understand the  need for end-user  review of the application
     design.

3.    Data capture and automation

4.    Review and production of maps for data quality assurance
     End-users need to participate in  the review of GIS outputs produced for
     quality assurance.

5.    Development and testing of the GIS system
     End-users should participate in testing and reviewing the system.  This
     will typically require end-users to identify sample questions that can be
     used to test the system.

6.    Production
     From this point onward, end-users access the GIS system and/or work
     with the GIS staff to conduct analyses directed  towards the objectives of
     the project.

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                                                                            B-4
III.   Demonstration of the project planning phase through examples

     To assist end-users and GIS staff in understanding  the project planning phase,
     three scenarios of the planning process should be presented in the course.  The
     planning required for a small, a medium, and a large project should be described
     and contrasted. This will allow a comparison of the planning effort needed for
     different types of projects and the implications of that effort on required resources
     and budgets. If possible, these scenarios should be supported by examples of both
     successful projects  and projects in which inadequate  planning resulted in
     problems.

IV.   Data set identification and selection

     A.   Identify sources of data that frequently are used in projects on environmental
         problems.  Methods and resources  for identifying data sources,  such as
         OIRM's data clearinghouse prototype should be described.

     B.   Discuss important factors to consider in selecting the scale or source of base
         coverage data. Specific types of data to discuss include:

         1.   Digitial Line Graph data
         2.   Land use and land cover
         3.   Topography
         4.   Census geography
         5.   Demography

     C.   Provide lists of base ARC/INFO coverages that are available from EPA. Some
         indication of the quality of these coverages and their appropriate uses should
         be given.

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                                                                       C-l


                        C. LIST OF INTERVIEWEES


                          EPA HEADQUARTERS


Office of Information Resources Management. Program Systems Division

Joe Sierra                      National GIS Coordinator
Ed Partington                  Systems Integration Branch

Office of Administration and Resources Management. Washington Information Center

Sandra Gill                     Contract support manager

Office of Human Resources Management. Human Resources Development Division

Kerry Weiss                    Director

Office of Toxic Substances

Loren Hall                     Exposure Assessment Branch



   ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SYSTEMS LABORATORY - LAS VEGAS

Spatial Analysis Laboratory

Mason Hewitt                  Manager

Contract Support

Jerry Carter                    Scientist/Geologist
Dick Dulaney                  Scientist/Geographer
Lawrence Fisher                Staff Engineer
David James                   Senior Scientist
Frank Mynar                   GIS Analyst
Mark Olsen                    Supervisor
Jonathan Pickus                Senior Scientist

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                                                                     C-2


                NATIONAL DATA PROCESSING DIVISION
Contract Support
Tom Scheitlin                  CIS Technical Support
Gene Costello                  CIS Technical Support
Pat Straw                     Manager, Training Support
        ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORY ~ CORVALLIS

Contract Support

Denis White                   Geographer
Andrew Herstrom              Geographer



                               REGION I

Information Management Branch

Michael MacDougall            Chief
Greg Charest                  GIS Applications Manager



                               REGION III

Information Resources Management Branch

Robert Braster                 Chief, Information Management Support Section

Contract Support

Douglas Freehafer              Programmer/analyst
Renee Gelblat                 Programmer/analyst
David West                   Programmer/analyst

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                                                                    C-3
                              REGION IV
Office of Integrated Environmental Analysis
George Collins
Phyllis Mann
Jerry Sorenson
Henry Strickland
Chief
Environmental Scientist
Environmental Scientist
CIS Coordinator
CIS Research Laboratory
Jay Donnelly
                       U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Staff Geographer, ARC/INFO training
                      DEFENSE MAPPING AGENCY

Defense Mapping School

Capt. Bruce Donaldson          Management Technology Department
            ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
James Henderson
Director, Customer Support and Training

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