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.
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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
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