S2EZ   EPA
                                V7
 Vol. 1
April, 1978
No.  2
  PROCUREMENT
FOR   THE  1980's
SAM BROWN
Director,  National Computer Center
                                        ^ Operators  and technicians huddle
                                        around the main console of the U-1110
                                        at the NCC.
The Project Management Office  (PMO)   is
currently developing a detailed acquisi-
tion plan for the 1980's.  This plan  for
future computer systems will contain  not
only the milestone dates but the methods
to be used in the acquisition.  The plan
should  be approved  by  the management
around April 1.  Major milestones are:
   o  The release of the RFP - 4/1/79

   o  The demonstration of the
      vendor's capabilities -  8/1/80
   o  The final award - 9/1/81
   o  The conversion of the COMNET
      workload - 7/1/82

   o  Total implementation - 6/1/83

The major problem currently facing  the
PMO is obtaining  adequate  staffing   to
support the program.  We have  conserva-
tively estimated  that  the program will
require 25-30 man-years.   This estimate
is based  on discussions  with   FEDSIM,
the Federal Office of Conversion, and a
review of the  staffing requirements  for
a number of agencies conducting similar
        procurements.   The success  of the pro-
        gram  is dependent  on early resolution
        of this staffing problem.   In the mean-
        time,  the PMO  is  using  the  manpower
        that is available  from MIDSD.   A final
        decision on staffing  is anticipated  in
        April.

        Most of the work required  prior  to the
        issuance of the  RFP in April 1979 will
        be performed by the PMO.  A general sys-
        tem study must  be  performed to deter-
        mine the design of the future system(s).
        The benchmarks and  demonstration philo-
        sophies must be developed for incorpora-
        tion in the RFP.   In addition, a number
        of studies required by  the oversight
        agencies,  such as A-106 and A-108, must
        be conducted  before  the  RFP  can  be
        issued.

        In summary, the 1980's acquisition is  at
        a critical point.   The  next couple  of
        months will determine whether we will  be
        able to stay on  schedule.   Solvinp the
        staffing dilemma remains paramount ."&

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DIRECTOR'S
      CORNER
                          Willis Grccnstrect
 One  of  the  Carter  administration's major
 goals   is   to   reorganize   the  Executive
 Branch  of the  Federal  Government.   Most
 of you  are  familiar  with  the efforts  to
 reform  the   Civil  Service  Commission,  as
 that has   attracted   significant  press
 attention.   Another such  reorganization
 effort   is  focusing  on ADP  management
 and  its many ramifications.

 I have  been visited by four groups, each
 with a  specific interest in governmental
 ADP:   personnel,  operations,   procure-
 ment,   and  science and technology.   The
 teams are normally composed  of a  senior
 person  from industry and several govern-
 ment members.    In general,   they  inter-
 view from a questionnaire,  attempting  to
 determine each  agency's   ADP management
 methods and  their  strengths  and weak-
 nesses.  Further, they are  looking for
 methods and ideas which   can  be  trans-
 ferred, as well  as   overall   recommen-
 dations.    I  have been   generally  im-
 pressed with  the  attitude  of the  team
 members and feel   they have  identified
 the  proper  issues.  I am  impressed with
 the   quality of the  industrial members
 that are participating. I  hope  that  they
 find ways to decontrol the ADP   acquisi-
 tion process  as  many feel  it entirely
 too  oppressive.   I use the word "decon-
 trol"   as   I  feel that   it  is overcon-
 trolled and not  well-managed.   I will
 keep you informed  as   events  progress  in
 this study.

 We  are  entering an era of  better service
 from the two computer  centers.   At  WCC,
 the  Data  Center  was   above   95 percent
 available   in   January  and  all  trends
 are  favorable  (MTBF  - MTR,  etc.)    for
further  modest  improvements.    The ad-
vance  of Level 33  of the Univac opera-
ting system appears  as  of this writing
to have occurred successfully.    (During
the planning for this conversion, we de-
cided on  a D-Day approach in  advancing
to Level 33.   I kept wondering at which
beach we were going to land.)
The  Communications  Network  has  shown
striking  improvement  and is performing
more nearly  to COMNET  and our expecta-
tions.  Everything  is not  perfect,  but
you can reasonably  expect this level of
service, with minor variations resulting
from component failures,  in the future.
We will continue with our  several  con-
tractors and  your  assistance  to  make
improvements  in the service.   I am ex-
pecting, in the near future, to put  in-
creased emphases and  resources into the
application  software management area of
our business.   I welcome  your thoughts
on where and  how this can  be done most
profitably."^
        NATIONAL NETWORK STATUS

                 Fred Kastner,
                 Computer Specialist
COMNET has made considerable progress in
network  stability and reliability  this
quarter.   They obtained the services of
an AT&T network manager who will coordi-
nate and supervise  the circuit  perfor-
mance and aid in problem-solving.   AT&T
has also  announced that  the Denver-NCC
and WCC-NCC wideband circuits are avail-
able.  A maintenance contract negotiated
by COMNET with Timeplex, Inc.,  actively
involves  Timeplex  in multiplexer main-
tenance  and performance.   COMNET  con-
tinues to test the software which allows
1004-type RJE terminals access to NCC.

Users  experiencing  network   stability
problems  are  urged  to  report them to
COMNET  (800-424-8647 or 202-537-2611) or
to Fred Kastner at NCC  (FTS 629-2931).&

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            THE TRANSITION TO
      1200 BAUD TELECOMMUNICATIONS

                Fred Kastner
The popularity  of 1200 baud data trans-
mission for  the purpose  of interactive
processing  has grown  considerably over
the  last several years.   The major ad-
vantage of  this  type  of processing is
that it is obviously faster than the al-
ternative, i.e.,  300 baud transmission.
While 300 baud support is normally  suf-
ficient for  input  operations,  the in-
creased data transmission  speed offered
by 1200 baud support is particularly ad-
vantageous while in output mode, listing
output data lines  or, more importantly,
while  utilizing  interactive   graphics
packages.

For some time now  numerous factors have
prevented  the development of a standard
regarding  NCC  and  WCC support of 1200
baud data transmission; however, the ma-
jor contributing  factor, rapid  techno-
logical  changes  in the modem industry,
seems to have reached a point whereby we
can now standardize support of 1200 baud
transmission requirements.

Data transmission at  1200 baud  (120 cps)
is available in  either half-duplex mode
(Bell 202 or compatible  equipment  such
as  the  Anderson-Jacobson   ADAC   1200
acoustic  coupler)  or full-duplex  mode
(VADIC 3400 or  the new Bell 212 modem).
At NCC,   1200 baud support has been lim-
ited by  modem  interfaces  to the half-
duplex mode,  causing  problems  for NCC
users in  that the host system cannot de-
tect when a user session terminates pre-
maturely  (since  an incoming signal does
not exist  and  cannot be monitored) and
that the user receiving output data can-
not break or interrupt the output.

Full-duplex  1200 baud  support,  on the
other hand, has neither of these limita-
tions and is becoming more  popular  and
available  due to technological advance-
ments in  the modem industry.   The   new
Bell 212 offering,  along with  the VADIC
3400, has  made the full-duplex capabil-
ity very accessible and desirable. Users
are now able  to  select either the Bell
offering,  available through local tele-
phone  companies,   or  the  VADIC  3400
modem.   Availability and maintenance of
the  full-duplex  modems,  formerly only
provided by  VADIC,  can now be provided
by local  telephone companies due to the
Bell offering and associated tariffs.

Because  of  this,  NCC and WCC  plan to
eliminate  half-duplex 1200 baud support
in  the  near  future.   This will allow
COMNET to reduce the number of different
telephone numbers currently used to sup-
port 1200 baud applications. COMNET cur-
rently  provides  two  VADIC 3400 access
numbers  and seven  access  numbers  for
Bell 212 modems.   While  1200 baud port
capacity  at WCC  is limited only by the
number of modems,  NCC is currently lim-
ited  to  four  simultaneous  1200  baud
users.   WCC and NCC  port capacity will
be increased as the need arises.   Users
who have  not already done so should re-
place their half-duplex modems or acous-
tic couplers with  either the VADIC 3400
or the Bell 212 modem.(Anderson-Jacobson
has indicated  that  they  are currently
designing a full-duplex  1200 baud acous-
tic coupler.)   Questions regarding this
information should be directed  to  Fred
Kastner  at NCC  (FTS 629-2931).
  EPA. Data Talk is published monthly by
  the National Computer Center, Manage-
  ment  Information  and  Data  Systems
  Division, for EPA personnel  and con-
  tractors  interested  in general  ADP
  topics.

  Comments  and suggestions  are solic-
  ited and should be addressed to:

     Editor, EPA Data Talk
     National Computer Center
     Research Triangle Park,
     North Carolina  27711

  To ensure  that our distribution list
  is up-to-date,  please  indicate  any
  required changes on the mailing label
  attached to this issue and mail it to
  the above address.

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         NEWS FROM THE REGIONS

              Ted Standish.
              Region III ADP Branch Chief
Based on   recent  experiences  with  trans-
mitting the  proposed  regional management
guidance   and  with   coordinating  status
reports   on  the Model  State  Information
System  (MSIS),   I urge  all  regions  and
headquarters offices   to  route data sets
among themselves.  Based  on the informa-
tion contained in the FY1979-FY1980 Zero
Based Budgeting  (ZBB)  Manual,  the  Office
of Planning  and Management already plans
to disseminate  time-critical  materials
to regions using  this method.

I am  using  this back-door   approach to
improve coordination  between  regions  and
between the  regions and the headquarters
on  matters  of   mutual  interest.     We
should  all  benefit   from  each other's
comments   on proposed systems,  technical
problems,  management  issues,  etc.   The
comments  from other regions on  proposed
systems   for Region III  have brought in
new ideas  and have identified additional
concerns.  As reported in the last issue
of Data Talk, the regions have agreed to
divide the responsibilities   for respon-
ding to feasibility studies.  Additional-
ly,  the  draft management guidance   for
FY1979-FY1980 calls for  increased coor-
dination  and communication among the  re-
gions.  The  use of data set distribution
is a relatively painless  way  to maintain
a minimum level of coordination.

As described in  the  information we pro-
vided on  the MSIS status,  the Office of
Drinking Water  has   set  up   a data  set
specifying all known  bugs and the  status
of the corrective  efforts.   I  urge   all
regions   to  coordinate with   the  states
who  have  installed   MSIS  to  send them
copies of  the data set periodically.  Al-
so,  in addition  to  reporting  suspected
bugs in   the WCC  version  of  MSIS  to  the
Office of  Drinking Water  and   SWORCC, I
hope that  the regions will  inform each
other of  these  bugs  so all can speedily
affect necessary  avoidance actions.
On another front,   Region III  was  the
first region to  undertake a formal word
processing study and Region IV  has also
been reviewed.  As a result of the study
recommendations,  Philadelphia  examined
several  shared-logic  word   processing
systems and went through a fairly elabo-
rate evaluation  process.  We  chose  to
install  a Wang System 30  and it should
arrive by  the time  you read this arti-
cle.  We are preparing  a summary of our
study  and will  be  most happy to share
our findings with interested persons.

Region III  has also  received Office of
Enforcement  approval to continue a data
flow study  of the Region's permit  pro-
gram.   The permit program will describe
the handling of all permit documents and
will  be  an  integral  part  of the En-
forcement Management System.  The study,
being conducted by Arthur Young and Com-
pany, will  be available to all regions.
If you  are interested in a copy, please
let us know  so  that we can obtain suf-
ficient numbers.

Items of interest in other regions are:

    •  Region II  has gone  to a facili-
       ties  management  contract  under
       Development ,   Management ,    and
       Operation (DM&O)  for  the opera-
       tion of their center.

    •  Congratulations to Curt Lackey in
       Region IV who, in view  of  posi-
       tion  ceilings,  has   creatively
       augmented his staff  by  adding a
       new daughter to his family.  This
       may be  our  best method of hand-
       ling position crunches in the fu-
       ture. (CongiatA! - Ed.)
    •  Tom Yates,  Management   Division
       Director in Region V, has select-
       ed Jerry Miller as the  new   ADP
       Branch Chief .      Welcome to  the
       crowd. (CongJtatu£a£ionA to JeAAy,
       an WCCeA mo.de good. -Ed.}

    •  Jim Sims  in  Region VI  has  now
       had a few weeks  of experience as
       ADP  Branch Chief.   I feel it is
       only  fitting  that he and  Jerry
       be  given  the  pleasure  of  our
       company  at another  quiet,  non-
       controversial   branch      chief
       meeting.   I will  contact all  of

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       the Regions   and   get  suggestions
       on time, place, and  agenda.
    •  Finally, the  Management   Informa-
       tion  and Data  Systems   Division
       Director's  office  has  undergone
       a change  in  decor.     It   is   a
       "must see"  the next time you are
       at Headquarters.


Any items of interest sent  to me for in-
clusion in  Data Talk  would be  appreci-
ated.   If you care  to write an article
for  Data Talk,  please let me know.  No
response  on either  option will  force an
arbitrary and capricious  decision   as to
the next author.^T
        DEVELOPMENT,  MAINTENANCE,
        AND OPERATIONS CONTRACT

             Frank Bullock, MIDSD

Computer  Science  Corporation  (CSC) is
currently providing task assignment ser-
vices on 23 active tasks  at  a  cost in
excess of  one million dollars.   During
January,  CSC began work to complete the
balance  of the  system-level documenta-
tion of  STORET;   the   Project Officer
rated  CSC's performance  of the initial
documentation task as excellent.   Addi-
tionally,  CSC  started a quick-reaction
task  to  report  all    federally-owned
plants in the  AEROS  system file and to
convert  a Penalty Calculation   program
for  processing  at the NCC via the COM-
NET network.   A quick-reaction task for
the implementation  plan for storage and
retrieval  of infrared  spectra was com-
pleted.

CSC representatives attended the ORD ADP
coordinator's conference  in Cincinnati,
Ohio, to  present  the provisions of the
DM&O Contract.   DM&O staff members sup-
porting Region V  in Chicago completed a
course in INFORM, a data base management
system implemented on PDP 11/70.

All readers  are  reminded that the DM&O
contract is  available to the entire EPA
ADP user community.  Users needing addi-
tional information  about  the  contract
should contact the DM&O project officer,
Frank Bullock  (PM-218)  on  (202)  755-
4936.   Also contact the CSC project di-
rector,  Sid Stein, for informal liaison
on (703) 533-8877.•&
                                              <} A view of  the  rear  of  the  EPA
                                              Environmental Research Center
                                              located in RTF.
                                                             "OOPS"
                                                The
                                                error
       March issue of Data Talk
         where it
   was in
that  the
                 indicated
third ORD ADP Workshop  would be held
in March.   The Workshop is scheduled
for  May 10, 11, and 12  at the Envi-
ronmental  Research  Laboratory    in
Athens, Georgia.

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         HIGHLIGHTS FROM  THE  WCC

               Ken Byran,
               Technical Operations  Branch
Here is  a rundown  of activities at the
WCC  which  might  be of interest to the
wider ADP community:
    System  reliability  climbed to 95.6
percent, remaining  above 95 percent for
the second consecutive month.
    Circuit and telecommunication equip-
ment  testing  over  the last two months
has resulted in substantial improvements
in network reliability.

V  Trouble  reporting  procedures  have
been streamlined  and should be more re-
sponsive to user  calls.

V  Archiver runs in  February and March
removed  2,800  data sets   from  on-line
packs.   Since the  Archiver began oper-
ation in  November,  space  equivalent  to
six 3330  Mod II  packs  has  been  made
available.
    The   COMNET  systems    programming
group, working  with the EPA Systems Re-
view  Council,  announced  a  number  of
software enhancements  which will be im-
plemented before the end of June.
    USER/SUPR, a  system  for  reporting
problems  and  enhancement  requests, is
currently  tracking  over   100   items.
Status information  is available  to all
users in an on-line data set.
    A pilot  project  on benefits avail-
able through production Job Stream Opti-
mization using the GIGS system was  com-
pleted.  The  results  were  impressive:
for example,  an  average  reduction  in
computer utilization units of 23 percent
for  the  four  major  update  programs.
Along  with  the  optimization,  several
changes will  make the update more regu-
larly successful  on  the  nights  it is
scheduled.   The  update  was  made more
tolerant of system  failures and restart
procedures  were  documented  so  COMNET
personnel  on-site could restart the run
should it be interrupted.
    Binders  for  the  WCC   newsletter,
SIGNON, were distributed with the Febru-
ary issue,  allowing  users  to maintain
their own file of past issues.

                                                               This  Remote Job Entry
                                                               (RJE)  facility, located
                                                               at  the Michaux Building
                                                               just  outside RTP,
                                                               contains  a card reader,
                                                               line  printer, and
                                                               keypunch.   Such RJE
                                                               facilities may be
                                                               located many miles from
                                                               the NCC,  yet users can
                                                               process batch runs and
                                                               receive printer output
                                                               as  though the computer
                                                               were  in the next room.

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          WHY  TRAINING IN ADP?

               Maureen Johnson,
               Computer Specialist
Much time and effort  over the past sev-
eral years  has been devoted  to  talking,
reading,  and  writing  about the   ADP
training needs of the  Agency.   Why all
this concern  about  ADP  training?  The
Agency is certainly  very  committed   to
ADP  and dependent  on its ADP capabili-
ties.   Agency  requirements  range from
research to implementation  plans to en-
forcement.   And  ADP  dependency is re-
flected in the Agency's  annual  expendi-
tures for ADP equipment,  software,  and
contracts.  Considering this  commitment,
dependency,  and  continuing  expansion,
perhaps  the most  important  impetus be-
hind ADP  training  is  the rapid change
and development of  new  ADP  technology
which results in  knowledge obsolescence
in less than three years.

What   is   achieved  by  improving  ADP
training programs?  Improved, up-to-date
training could  improve  the  quality  of
software,  reflecting  better design and
maintenance features.   Contract manage-
ment would  become  more  consistent and
effective  if managers  were  exposed  to
new ADP planning  techniques  and  develop-
ment procedures.  Data quality would  im-
prove through   instruction   of new  vali-
dation methodologies.   The  "end users"
would become  more involved in  software
development planning  if they understood
what to expect  from new software.   In-
creased awareness  of  the impact of ADP
on the Agency's missions would result in
effective  planning  and  allocation  of
personnel,  finances,  and  physical ADP
resources.

To accomplish these and other ends, fif-
teen training areas have been identified
as follows:
    •  ADP Project Management

    •  Executive Management Seminar

    •  EPA ADP Timesharing Utilization
       and Cost Reports
    •  System Development Cycle and
       Feasibility Studies

    •  Facilities and Services
    •  ADP Procurement
    •  Structured Design and Programming

    •  Distributive Processing

    •  Managing ADP Contracts
    •  Data Base Management

    •  Data Security/Privacy

    •  ADP Concepts
    •  Data Analysis

    •  Data Validation

    •  Human Engineering Approach
       to Design
 These  areas will  be addressed beginning
 with plans   for   a   two-week Structured
 Design and Programming   course   (Micheal
 Jackson  Methodology)  in early May.   This
 will be  followed  by  Executive Management
 Seminars,  Project   Management   and  the
 System  Development   Cycle,  and  ADP Con-
 cepts  courses  which  will be  presented at
 multiple locations  throughout   the  sum-
 mer ,-^t
                                               A technician,  sitting at an inter-
                                               active  printing  terminal,  studies
                                               the  computer's response to her
                                               input.

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                                                              Barring unexpected,
                                                              unavoidable system
                                                              failures,  the U-1110 at
                                                              the National Computer
                                                              Center  is  up and active
                                                              24  hours a day, every
                                                              work day,  and often runs
                                                              well into  the weekend to
                                                              process backlogged work.
                                                              The system can handle
                                                              60-70 interactive ter-
                                                              minals  simultaneously,
                                                              yet each user at each
                                                              terminal can operate as
                                                              though  he  were the sole
                                                              user of the system.
       UNITED STATES
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

National  Computer Center
 Research Triangle Park
  North Carolina 27711
     OFFICIAL BUSINESS
PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, S3OO
 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
 POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
   U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL
   PROTECTION AGENCY
       EPA-335
THIRD CLASS
  BLK RT.

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