WQX Web: A Tool for Sharing Your Water
Quality Data
Water Quality Exchange (WQX) Web is a newly-developed internet tool that allows
organizations to share their data nationally with others
Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working to improve the ease with which organizations large and
small can store their water quality monitoring data in a national warehouse of water information. Once data are stored in this
National STORET Data Warehouse, they are accessible to scientists, government policy makers, and the public.
The National STORET Data
Warehouse is a repository for water
quality monitoring data collected by
federal agencies, states and territories,
tribes, volunteer monitoring
organizations, and universities. It
contains over 70 million records of
water quality data from across
jurisdictional boundaries. Data in the
Warehouse are used by many agencies
and scientists in water quality
reporting, research, and decision
making through tools such as mapping
applications, water quality models or
statistical software, and automated
services. Overall, sharing data
nationally opens up opportunities for
data access, reuse of data, and
improved data quality.
WQX Web is a newly-developed internet tool that allows any organization with
a connection to the web to share its data nationally with others. It works with
EPA's Water Quality Exchange (WQX) framework (the successor to the
STORET data system) to handle a complete suite of water quality monitoring
data (physical, chemical, biological and habitat) that are used to determine the
condition of waters.
Many groups across the country manage their water quality monitoring data
using software tools such as Microsoft Excel or Access. WQX Web is designed
to accept output from these types of applications for submittal to the National
STORET Data Warehouse.
Benefits of Using WQX Web
There are a number of reasons why smaller organizations should consider using
WQX Web. WQX Web allows you to share your organization's data with other
groups, policy makers, scientists, and the public. It makes it possible for your
data to be visible, accessible, and usable in the National STORET Data
Warehouse alongside data from state, interstate, and federal agencies, tribes,
universities, and volunteer water monitoring organizations. WQX Web relieves
you of the need to build special tools to create and submit your files - it translates and submits your files for you.
Having your data in the National STORET Data Warehouse offers an additional bonus: your data will remain publicly
available even if your data managers leave your organization or data management technology evolves in new directions.
WQX Web also provides a standard template that helps you organize your data using a software tool of your choice, such as
Microsoft Excel.
Using WQX Web
System Requirements
WQX Web is free to use and has only a few basic system requirements:
• Internet access and a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (IE7 or higher) or Firefox
• Pop-up blockers turned off for this site
• A WQX Web account and a Central Data Exchange (CDX) Web account. CDX is EPA's portal through which all
environmental data is expected to flow
-------
WQX Web Functionality
The main functions of WQX Web are to:
Create WQX-compatible XML files from simple text files that
are created from a group's local data management system, such
as Microsoft Excel or Access
• Allow you, as the data submitter, to define import
configurations to specify the format of your data, assign default
values, and translate data to match WQX domain values
• Submit data via WQX to the National STORET Data Warehouse
Error Handling
WQX Web validates all submissions against a defined set of data rules
within WQX. It provides access to validation and processing reports so
you can troubleshoot errors. If errors are present, users either manually
fix the original data and re-import it, or, in certain cases, use WQX Web
functionality to individually address errors. For example, upon import,
WQX Web allows you to easily add a translation to your data.
WQX Web Template
EPA has developed a WQX Web template in Microsoft Excel to help
you put your data in a WQX Web-compatible format. The template has
one spreadsheet for entering data and another that describes what fields
are mandatory or optional. The template also includes the "allowable
values" lists for the types of information you must include in order for
the data to be successfully submitted to the STORET Data Warehouse.
The WQX Web template is available at
htto://www.epa.gov/storet/wqxweb downloads.html.
Some Definitions...
XML is an internet standard for sharing and
viewing data on the internet. When a file is in
XML format, it can be sent over the internet
for placement in a database, or it can be used
for vie wing.
Text files are simple files containing data in
plain text format separated by tabs or other
delimiting characters. Text files can usually be
opened in tools such as Notepad or Wordpad,
and can be created from any spreadsheet or
database software.
Import configurations are definitions of what
data looks like in a file that a user is going to
submit. Import configurations tell WQX Web
what your data looks like so that it can import
it in and submit it via WQX.
Domain values are standardized names that
must be used for certain elements that are
reported in the National STORET Data
Warehouse. For example, the list of chemical
names that WQX uses is part of a domain
value list. STORET Data Warehouse and
WQX domain values are the same. Sometimes
domain values are also referred to as
"allowable values".
Create text file of your data using
the WQX Web template, or other
spreadsheet or database tools
JL
Teach WQX Web to read and
translate the text file by creating ar
import qoofjauration
n
Import Data into WQX Web,
correct validation errors
i — i
n
=xport Data through CDX, correct
any other errors
Jl
Data gets updated to the
STORET Warehouse weekly
i
At left: Steps for Submitting Data Using
WQX Web: A set of steps bridges the gap
from your internal database to the National
STORET Data Warehouse
Web Resources and Additional Information
More information about using WQX Web is located at
http://www.epa.gov/storet/wqx.html . There you will find information on
setting up and using the WQX Web tool, including a WQX Web tutorial.
For additional assistance, you can also contact the WQX/STORET team at
storetigiepa.gov or 1-800-424-9067.
USEPA Office of Water
EPA 841-F-07-002
------- |