EPA
Vol. 1
September, 1978
No. 7
NADPI PLANS FOR THE
NEW FISCAL YEAR
Vic Cohen, Computer Specialist
After only a short time, NADPI has
brought to EPA high-quality
courses on topics both timely and
practical. In its pilot program,
NADPI's first three courses
appealed to a wide range of educa-
tional backgrounds and profes-
sional experience. As the end of
the fiscal year nears, planning
must begin for next year's
courses.
We expect North Carolina State
University (NCSU) to extend its
contract with Integrated Services,
Incorporated and EPA. Assuming
satisfactory negotiations with the
NCSU Computer Science Department,
we will add Management, Public
Administration, and Statistics
faculty members to the pool of
instructors who will develop and
present at least half of the NADPI
curriculum for next year.
NADPI will develop and offer
courses in distributive proces-
sing, telecommunications, data
base design, statistics, data
analysis, and ADP procurement
documentation and policies.
A new project management course
using computer simulation will be
evaluated this winter. This
course, if applicable to EPA,
would become an appropriate sequel
to the Data Architects (Gilbert-
son) Project Management Course.
Also of interest is a user course
in systems analysis and design.
In this offering, users with
little or no ADP experience would
learn firsthand how systems are
planned by actually planning one
as a class project.
Adequate planning for next year
cannot be based solely on the whim
of NCC/MIDSD personnel . NADPI
urges suggestions and comments
from its user community. Tele-
phone calls from interested EPAers
are already responsible for one-
third of next year's curriculum
development plans. Please call
Vic Cohen (FTS 629-2124) to dis-
cuss the curriculum. d
NCC REORGANIZATION
Bill Allen, Conpoter Specialist
As Willis Greenstreet, the MIDSD
Director, announced several months
ago in EPA Data Talk, MIDSD has
undergone a reorganization. The
placement of specific responsibil-
ities within MIDSD has recently
been of interest to the EPA com-
munity. Therefore, this month the
organization of the NCC will be
discussed. Later the organization
of Headquarters MIDSD will be
explained.
As before the reorganization, NCC
is comprised of two branches, but
they are now called the Data Cen-
ter Branch and the Planning, Anal-
ysis, and Research Branch. The
Planning, Analysis, and Research
Branch will also be discussed at a
later time.
(Consumed on page. 3, column 1}
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DIRECTOR'S
CORNER
ment delays, better defined work
products, and more effective use
of ADP-related technology in sup-
port of program missions.
Willis Grecnstrcci
It seems that information systems
are increasingly crossing program
and Agency lines. And the plan-
ning, development, and implemen-
tation processes have become more
complex due to the increasing num-
ber of systems and their growing
level of sophistication. Now,
more than ever, the success of
systems development and implemen-
tation is largely dependent on
close coordination in the early
planning stages and beyond.
The people at MIDSD can guide and
assist you in all phases of sys-
tems development and implemen-
tation. They are available to
work with your staffs and contrac-
tors in the development of state-
ments of work, provide ADP techni-
cal and administrative direction,
review contractor work products,
and track contractor performance.
And they can draw on and take ad-
vantage of the special expertise
available in the Agency when
needed. More routinely, the
people at MIDSD can assist in sup-
plying the day-to-day needs of
contractors, such as providing
access to reference documents,
arranging contacts with other pro-
gram offices, and answering gen-
eral ADP policy questions. In
addition, they have information on
the status and relationship of
other ADP studies within the
Agency.
Program offices which have re-
ceived MIDSD's assistance in these
areas have generally found it
helpful. The major benefits of
this assistance have been the
elimination of review and procure-
two MIDSD people
and ask them to
relationship
provide more
when needed.
I plan to assign
to each program,
develop a long-term
with that program to
effective assistance
The assignment of two people per
program will ensure continuity and
backup over the long-run.
This plan is one of a series which
we feel will markedly improve ADP
services Agency-wide. As our
plans become more firm, I will
announce them in EPA Data Talk.
Meanwhile, any written comments or
suggestions will be welcome.
Please contact Morris Yaguda (FTS
755-09B8) or me (FTS 755-0984) for
additional information. o
MONTHLY NEW USER ORIENTATION SCHEDULED
John Staley, ISI Training
As recently announced, a one-day
orientation seminar is now avail-
able to new users of the two major
EPA data processing centers, the
National Computer Center (NCC) and
the Washington Computer Center
(WCC). Representatives from NCC
User Services and WCC User Support
will present the seminar monthly.
Beginning in September, the ses-
sions are scheduled for the second
Tuesday of each month at Research
Triangle Park, N.C., and the third
Tuesday of each month at EPA Head-
quarters in Washington. This
seminar can be presented to five
or more people at any EPA site
where user interest is shown.
For more information about the
presentations and registration,
contact Sherry Mix, NCC User Ser-
vices, at (919) 541-3648 (FTS
62P-364P), or Pam Stephens, WCC
User Support, at (202) 488-5900. d
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NCC Re.oJigaYu.zcuti.on (£tom page. 1)
The Data Center Branch, with
authority over both the RTP/Univac
and the COMNET/IBM machines, is
managed by Don Fulford, the Branch
Chief. Don gained his experience
in data center management as Data
Center Branch Chief for the RTF
facility. With the additional re-
sponsibility of COMNET management,
he is assisted by the Center Pro-
ject Officers, Tom Rogers at the
NCC and Curt Lackey at the WCC.
Curt works from the Waterside Mall
in Washington with Jim Flatten and
Neil McNamara who help with the
on-site management of the COMNET
facility.
Tom Rogers at RTF, provides direct
control over the NCC for Don.
Working for Don with respon-
sibilities at both centers are
Maureen Johnson and Ernie Watson
with user services/support, Fred
Kastner in telecommunications and
the national network, Dave Fields
in operating systems and machine
stability, Jim Obenschain in pro-
cessors and libraries, and Bill
Allen in technical support and
planning. £
AWARD OF LABORATORY AUTOMATION
FEASIBILITY STUDY CONTRACT
Theodore Harris, MIDSD
As the scope and importance of EPA
monitoring, research, and analysis
activities continue to grow, the
need for data management proce-
dures and tools that offer greater
speed, more flexibility, and opti-
mum cost efficiency becomes more
acute. Many EPA laboratories
already rely heavily on computer
support, but many of their com-
puter systems were developed
several years ago. Some have been
enhanced by incremental hard-
ware/software add-ons to satisfy
the immediate operational needs of
a particular laboratory. Such
systems often do not allow exploi-
tation of current, less expen-
s,ive, state-of-the-art automation
techniques.
In many instances, these systems
are no longer adequately supported
by the vendor, and are not easily
modified to satisfy new laboratory
requirements. Therefore, labora-
tories often wind up using systems
that are not adequate for their
needs, cannot accommodate new ap-
plications, or are just not cost-
effective.
In order to help EPA laboratories
build and maintain the computer
systems they need, the Management
Information and Data System Divi-
sion has arranged to provide high
quality, professional systems
support to help them get the best
performance from their current
automated system, identify the
most efficient methods for up-
grading hardware and software,
conform to the standards required
for EPA ADP feasibility studies,
design the best possible system
for their need; and objectively
evaluate the strengths and weak-
nesses of their current systems.
Based on a competitive procure-
ment, MIDSD has selected Auerbach
Associates, Inc. to provide EPA
laboratories with timely, com-
prehensive support covering all
aspects of system feasibility,
conceptualization, design, devel-
opment, and evaluation. This
service will be provided on an
individual task order basis to
assure maximum flexibility in
tailoring each support activity to
the specific needs of each
laboratory.
This support is now available on
an "as needed" basis, when you
want it, for as long as you need
it, and to the extent you deem
necessary. For more information
on this contract, please contact
Ted Harris at FTS 755-4937. &
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WCG
Cirt Lackey, ICC Project Officer
After several weeks in this new
position, I am beginning to under-
stand what's involved in managing
a large data- center project.
Thankfully, several people around
MIDSD have offered valuable ad-
vice. I would especially like to
thank Maureen Johnson for her ex-
cellent work as the Interim Pro-
ject Officer. Luckily for me, she
will be assisting on the project,
especially in the user support
area. The one thing I do bring to
this job is a user's perspective.
Having been in a field office will
help me in responding to the prob-
lems. I can be reached at FTS
755-4933., but please, don't every-
one call at once.
improvements made in the next few
months will result from this
study.
A second COMTEK has been
ordered as a backup for WCC. This
will reduce the mean time to
repair should the primary COMTEN
become unavailable.
y
^ COMNET is making progress in
developing the WCC Security Plan.
Evidence of this is the develop-
ment of detailed task plans for
policy and procedures documenta-
tion, facility protection, data
and information protection,
contingency planning, and train-
ing. The main focus of the pro-
gram at present is resolving the
issue raised in a security audit
by a consulting firm. 6
^f COMNET is preparing a policy
and management handbook to clarify
roles and responsibilities, com-
municate major policies and
revisions, clarify contractual re-
lationships, and resolve other
management issues.
\ A less complex Job Stream
Manager (JSM) is being planned
with implementation expected on
October 2, 1978. The new JSM will
provide more control over response
time and remove bias jobs requir-
ing mounts. This will require
several changes in the billing and
chargeback system. Users will
have ample opportunity to critique
these changes before implemen-
tation.
The Performance Measurement
Study conducted by Morino Associ-
ates, Inc. has been completed.
Improvements seem needed in the
applications workload, hardware
performance, operations, operating
systems, DAS space management, and
tape management. Many of the
EPA Data Talk is published
monthly by the National Com-
puter Center, Management Infor-
mation and Data Systems Divi-
sion, for EPA personnel and
contractors interested in gen-
eral ADP topics.
Comments and suggestions are
solicited and should be ad-
dressed to:
William G. Allen
Editor, EPA Data Talk
National Computer Center
Research Triangle Park,
North Carolina 27711
To ensure that our distribution
list is up-to-date, please in-
dicate any required changes on
the mailing label attached to
this issue and mail it to the
above address.
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IRL6 COMMON CODES PROJECT
Cathleen Brooks, Environnental Protection Specialist
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the Food and
Drug Administration, and the Occu-
pational Safety and Health Ad-
ministration have agreed to work
together as the Interagency Regu-
latory Liaison Group (IRLG), whose
purpose is to improve the public
health through the sharing of
information.
To implement this agreement, the
IRLG has established eight work
groups to develop common, con-
sistent, or compatible practices
in the activities common to the
four agencies.
The Information Exchange Group
(IEG) is one of these eight
groups. The IEG has suggested
that systematic use of common
identifiers would enable the IRLG
agencies to carry out many of
their programs more effectively.
Today it is difficult, if not
impossible, to locate related
information in their information
systems due to the lack of common
identifying names, or coding
schemes. Not only is this an IRLG
problem, it is also a problem
within EPA itself. *
The IEG has sponsored a Common
Codes Project and engaged Arthur
Young & Company to determine the
project's feasibility and develop
a work plan for the project's
implementation. The project goals
are to develop consistent defini-
tions, names, and codes in IRLG
agency information systems for
data on chemicals, sites, pro-
ducts, uses, and exposure.
Within EPA, the Administrator has
asked that a Steering Group be
developed, composed of senior
management representatives from
Headquarters and the regional
offices. They are to be respon-
sible for program operations
related to information systems.
The functions of this Steering
Group will be to guide the direc-
tion of the project, review and
evaluate the intermediate and
final reports by Arthur Young &
Company, and support and take part
in implementing the recommen-
dations. &
THE ATHENS MINI
David Cline, Conpnter System Analyst
In mid-1976, the staff of the
Athens Environmental Research
Laboratory (ERL) identified and
assessed their data processing
needs. As a result of their
study, a PDP-11/70 minicomputer
with communications capability was
installed in February, 1977. Its
phenomenal 99.9 percent avail-
ability and overall reliability
have been key factors in the
success of this minicomputer
project.
The PDP-11/70 operating system can
operate in real-time, batch, and
time-sharing modes. The real-time
mode is used for communications
and to capture information from
two other minicomputers in the
Laboratory. And the batch mode is
used for production jobs and
mathematical model simulations.
But the time-sharing mode is the
most prevalent use of the mini at
the Athens Laboratory. In the
interactive mode, staff produc-
tivity has increased because time
normally spent unproductively
waiting for a response from a
large mainframe, like WCC or NCC,
has been eliminated. The pro-
grammer/analyst interacts with the
computer through a 960 characters-
per-second CRT terminal connected
to the mini. These terminals are
(Con£lnu.e.d on page. 6, column 1}
-------
located in the computer room and
at various locations in the
Laboratory. During the develop-
ment stage of a program, the pro-
grammer/analyst can edit, compile,
link, and execute the program many
times in an hour, and the user can
operate the program without leav-
ing his office.
Computer graphics is a well-
defined discipline at our facility
because almost without exception,
our computer-implemented mathe-
matical models use graphs for
illustration, most commonly super-
imposing simulated data on plots
of observed data. The graphics
package FREDLAB was developed here
and provides a means of converting
coordinate pairs into a graph with
a few simple commands that can be
mastered by almost anyone in about
half an hour. The package sup-
ports the Tektronix 4010 family
of terminals and can be used to
smooth data as well as produce
Calcomp-quality graphics. Another
graphics package frequently used
is the Calcomp preview package
obtained from Tektronix. The
package offers the advantage of
previewing a graph destined for
the Calcomp plotter. Thus, one
can develop graphic packages
interactively without having to
spend time and money using the
plotter.
The open-shop environment at the
Laboratory has worked extremely
well and is probably the reason
that all users feel that the
system is "theirs." The few
procedures and policies that have
been established were designed to
provide the best possible service
to all users.
The mini has proven very cost-
effective. The Athens ERL time-
sharing ceiling at WCC was
decreased by $200,000 for FY78 and
FY79. Of course, all of this
decrease is not a direct cost-
saving because the cost of the
mini, the monthly maintenance
costs, and its operating expenses
must be considered. But it will
likely reach its break-even point
in less than two years. Equally
as important as cost effective-
ness, however, is user satis-
faction. The reliable and versa-
tile interactive capabilities
of the system significantly
increase computer use and user
satisfaction.
The effectiveness of the Labora-
tory's data processing activities
has markedly increased since
acquiring the mini and many bene-
fits have been derived from being
a part of the minicomputer pro-
ject. We look forward to greater
advances in the future as the
system capabilities improve. *
PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE
Jim Obenschain, Computer Specialist
Proprietary software is owned
exclusively by a private indi-
vidual or corporation. Such
software can be leased, sold, or
given free with the purchase of
computer systems. MRI Systems
Corporation's S2K, Informatics*
Score IV, and Univac's ASCII
COBOL, ASCII FORTRAN, ASCII PL/1,
Data Management System, and Pro-
cessor Common Input/Output System
are all examples of proprietary
software.
The 1300 or so programs that have
been copyrighted are somewhat
protected by the spirit of the
patent and copyright laws, but
computer software is not directly
addressed in these laws. Congress
has established the National Com-
mission on New Technological Uses
of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) to
make recommendations on future
copyright laws applying to com-
puter programs.
Most software vendors use a
license agreement to protect their
-------
software. A typical license
agreement reads like this:
"The Customer agrees that this
Program Product is the prop-
erty of Vendor XYZ and the
Customer hereby acknowledges
that the Product is proprie-
tary to Vendor XYZ. Further-
more, the Customer agrees to
keep confidential the contents
of the Program Product and all
related materials and to pre-
vent the disclosure of the
contents thereof by the
agents, employees or repre-
sentatives of the Customer's
organization. Any Program
Product materials initially
transmitted to the Customer,
shall remain the property of
Vendor XYZ and shall be re-
turned by the Customer in the
event of termination of this
agreement."
There are some advantages for EPA
in using proprietary software. In
most cases, it costs less to buy
or lease software products than to
develop them in-house. The soft-
ware product EPA buys or leases
has already been tested and is
guaranteed to work. Documen-
tation, training, and technical
assistance are or can be provided
as part of the product. And most
vendors will customize their pro-
duct to meet EPA needs.
The main drawback to proprietary
software is having to abide by the
License Agreement, and ensure that
no one gets a copy of materials
protected by the Agreement.
At present, almost all Univac pro-
prietary software products are
free of charge. As hardware
becomes less expensive and soft-
ware becomes more expensive, more
software products may be made pro-
prietary. IBM unbundled their
software several years ago offer-
ing most of it as separate charge-
able items. Univac has stated
that all future releases of soft-
ware products will be proprietary.
This could be the prelude to
Univac's unbundling also. As we
are seeing, corporations are not
willing to pay the high cost of
software development without a way
to regain that cost. Proprietary
software charges could be their
answer. o
THE EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL STROCTURES
ON ADP SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
John Hart, OA-CSSD
Within EPA, ADP systems are con-
ceived, planned, and developed
with varying degrees of structure
and formality. Throughout the
system development cycle, key
factors such as communications,
system complexity, required
technology, available resources,
user involvement, project dura-
tion, and project manager skills,
influence the quality and integ-
rity of the end product and the
nature of related events and
circumstances.
The "contingency theory of manage-
ment" advocates that these factors
be evaluated in terms of their
relative significance within the
environment in which the ADP sys-
tem will be developed. A major
decision is how to organize the
resources and methods for plan-
ning, controlling, and developing
an ADP system.
Four organizational alternatives
are available: functional, pro-
ject, applications, and matrix.
The tendency in most organizations
is to follow the traditional
approach and concentrate resources
and the development effort along
functional lines. Each function
represents a center of specializa-
tion. The tasks within the pro-
ject are executed independently by
each functional area. The top
manager controls and coordinates
the functions and the project
-------
within the organization. However,
accountability for the end results
are distributed throughout the
functional departments which pro-
vide their specialized efforts to-
ward the project goals.
An alternative approach is to
organize the system development
around the achievement of speci-
fied goals without regard to
specialization. This organization
alternative can be of either the
project or the application type.
Structurally, the application and
project organizations can be iden-
tical. The project organization
is usually used on projects of
finite duration, and usually in-
volves a unity of purpose. The
application organization usually
centers on a specific type of ADP
application, such as accounting,
compliance monitoring, or water
supply inventory. Of major im-
portance to the management is the
establishment of central authority
for planning and control of the
resources and activities related
to the systems development.
The matrix approach to ADP systems
development organizes the project
requirements into discrete inde-
pendent tasks which can be
assigned to independent functional
departments and integrated into
their workload. A project manager
or coordinator is usually
appointed whose responsibilities
are to plan the project require-
ments and tasks, and negotiate
with functional departments on
resources, schedules, and budgets.
The project manager specifies what
has to be done; the functional
department determines how it is to
be done.
Obviously, no single organiza-
tional structure is best for all
ADP systems development projects
or for every ADP environment.
Management must identify all fac-
tors affecting project management
and execution; evaluate them in
terms of current conditions, con-
straints, and resources; and
structure an organization which
will optimize project management
and balance the performance of the
technical support staffs.
For additional information on the
organization of ADP project
management, contact John Hart, FTS
684-7760. £
ANNOUNCING!
3rd Annual EPA ADP Conference
November 7,8 & 9 (2'/2 days]
Sheraton Motor Inn, Raleigh, N.C.
Highlights include Data Center Topics, ADP for EPA in the 80's,
Agency System Development & Standards,
and guest speakers such as Michael Jackson.
Watch for a detailed brochure in your mail!
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CIS DOCUMENTATION
Charles Sullivan,
Coupler System Developnent ft Evaluation Branch
The NIH/EPA Chemical Information
System (CIS) is a collection of
data bases and software dealing
with chemical and toxicologica1
information such as the Mass
Spectra Search System (MSSS) , the
Structure and Nomenclature Search
System (SANSS), the Carbon-13 NMR
(CNMR), and the X-ray Crystal Data
File (CRYST).
The users of CIS have shown an in-
terest in many areas of the system
and their ideas and concerns may
influence future CIS development
and operation. These user con-
cerns and ideas dealt mainly with
the lack of reference materials
and system status reports. The
CIS managers have considered these
and have come up with several so-
lutions, such as developing quick
reference pocket cards containing
sign-on procedures, a list and
description of commands, and a
person to contact for further in-
formation and help.
The User's Manual associated with
each component is updated when
reasonable. Announcements of im-
mediate concern are put on the CIS
computer system's news, and a
status report, written biannually,
exists for the CIS in general.
The system status report #7 is now
available. When time permits, a
notice of a system change is
mailed to users as well as being
announced over the system's news.
A newsletter exists for the SANSS
(formerly SSS) and a newsletter
for the MSSS is being developed.
A users group has also been formed
for the MSSS.
The CIS moved July 1, 1978, to the
facilities of Interactive Science
Corporation (ISC). ISC has all
CIS components up and running.
For information about EPA accounts
for the CIS please contact Ms.
Mary Lou Melley, EPA, PM-218, 401
M St., S.W., Washington, D.C.
20460, (FTS 755-4935). Anyone with
general questions or suggestions
concerning CIS status or opera-
tions should write to Charles
Sullivan at the above address or
call him at FTS 755-0811. A
NATIONAL NETWORK UPDATE
Fred Kastner
COMNET is presently installing new
circuits to improve low-speed net-
work reliability and stability for
Boston, Wethersfield, Grosse lie,
New Orleans, Dallas, and San Fran-
cisco. This reconfiguration will
eliminate problems previously
caused by inter-city dependency
and inter-city links.
Testing continues for dedicated
RJE access to NCC as COMNET feels
that they are close to offering
support for remote 1004 terminals
on dedicated lines. Regarding
dial-up RJE access to NCC, COMNET
has ordered the necessary modems
and telephone numbers with an
expected installation date of
September 15.
COMNET has recently made available
WATS lines to support users of
Bell 212 modems for 1300 bps
full-duplex access to both NCC and
WCC. Users are reminded end en-
couraged to report all telecommu-
nications or suspected telecom-
munications problems to the COMNET
technicians. o
LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME IN PRINT?
If you have an article that you
think might be of interest to
the ADP community, or if you
have photographs of interest,
please submit them t-.o the EPA
Data Talk office. You will
receive full acknowledgement
for any items used.
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GRAPHICS SUPPORT
Geu Lovrinore
In the past, graphics applications
have been handled outside the two
data centers through various sup-
port contracts and with the help
of interested users. However,
computing at EPA will be better
served if graphics are handled the
same as support for other applica-
tions. Future graphic support,
therefore, will be provided as
follows.
Installation, maintenance, and
documentation of graphics packages
is the responsibility of the data
centers. Day-to-day problem
solving and user assistance will
be provided by the WCC and' NCC
users support groups. If WCC and
NCC users support need assistance
in solving any particular problem
they will have direct access to
COMP-AID, Inc. However, requests
for graphics
made through
support group
training should be
the appropriate user
Application systems which require
graphics are best developed
through the DM&O contract with
Computer Sciences Corporation.
Users interested in obtaining
those services should contact the
appropriate DM&O Project Officer.
Limited applications programming
support is also available through
users support services.
COMP-AID, Inc. is under contract
to EPA and can be used for consul-
tation about requirements for
graphics applications, training,
etc. As Project Officer on that
contract, you may contact me at
FTS 629-26*1 if you need these
services. A
UNITED STATES
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
National Computer Center
Research Triangle Park
North Carolina 27711
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE. S3OO
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYE*
POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
U S ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA-339
THIRD CLASS
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