Water Quality Exchange What Is Water Quality Exchange (WQX)? • The next evolution of the STORET system and a new way of sharing ambient water quality data with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). • A system that facilitates the submission of water quality and related environmental monitoring data between EPA and its partners over the Internet. • The WQX schema is a standard set of data formats that specify the data elements and data structure required for submission of data to EPA. The WQX schema is an implementation of the Environmental Sampling, Analysis, and Results (ESAR) data standard, developed by states and EPA. How Does the WQX Data Flow Work? WQX Exchange Network Data Submitter XML Sent via Internet Mapping Applications [EM, WME] Central Data Exchange (CDX) Processing Software WQX Database •• National STORET Data Warehouse Data are submitted to the WQX system using XML in the format of the WQX schema. Alternatively, users may submit data using a Web submission tool that generates XML. WQX data come in to EPA through the Central Data Exchange (CDX). CDX is EPA's presence on the Exchange Network, and all data submitted to EPA must come through CDX for user authentication and data validation. The WQX database receives the data after they are processed to fit into the database format. | The data are then put into the Water Quality Monitoring Data Warehouse, where they can be accessed for data retrieval through: the updated STORET homepage, mapping applications such as EnviroMapper and Window to My Environment, Web services, and other tools for data analysis. ------- The WQX Schema Organization ORG Description ORG Electronic Address ORG Phone ORG Address Project Project Description Project Binary Object Monitoring Location Monitoring Location Identity Monitoring Location Geospatial Monitoring Location Binary Object Activity Group Activity Group Name Activity Group Type Activity IDs Monitoring Activity Activity Description Activity Location Sample Description Sample Prep Subsample Description Activity Binary Object I I I Result Result Description Result Binary Object Result Analytical Method Result Lab Info Result Detection Quantitation Level Lab Sample Prep ••*••-• The WQX schema represents a more streamlined set of data elements than STORET yet still provides for complete reporting of water quality monitoring, from field measurements and observations to samples and subsamples. The major components of the WQX schema follow the ESAR data standard closely, and many of the data elements in WQX share the same names and definitions as the data elements in ESAR. The WQX schema accommodates the sharing of physical, chemical, and fish tissue results data. In the future, WQX will also accommodate the sharing of biological and habitat data. WQX Milestones WQX System ready to receive chemical, February 2007 physical and fish tissue data Begin Bio/Habitat WQX Pilot March 2007 Finalize WQX Bio/Habitat Schema January 2008 WQX System ready to receive biological and habitat data June 2008 Final WQX web tool (including bio/habitat) available September 2008 What About STORET? STORET is the currently distributed suite of data management tools that facilitate water quality monitoring data submittal to EPA for placement in the STORET Central Warehouse. Over the next 3 to 4 years, WQX will become the primary means of submitting water quality monitoring data to EPA as support for STORET- distributed tools will be discontinued in September 2009. The STORET Central Warehouse will be enhanced to accommodate WQX data and will still serve as the national repository of water quality data. Web Resources and Additional Information For additional information about WQX, visit www.epa .gov/storet/wqx or contact Kristen Gunthardt gunthardt.kristen@epa.gov Dwane Young young.dwane@epa.gov For additional information about the Exchange Network, visit www.exchangenetwork.net For additional information about CDX, visit www.epa.gov/cdx ------- |