c/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research and
Development
(8101)
EPA/600/R-97/086
August 1997
Strategic Plan for the
Office of Research and
Development
Information Management
Component
Printed on paper that contains at least 20% postconsumer fiber.
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Contents
Glossary/List of Acronyms v
Summary vii
Section 1: Introduction 1
ORD Success Factors 1
ORD Information Management Strategy Group 2
External Review 2
Coordination of This Strategic Plan 2
The Information Technology Management Reform Act 3
Next Steps 3
Section 2: ORD's Vision, Mission, and Goals for
Information Management 5
Introduction 5
Vision Statement 5
Mission Statement 6
Goals 6
Section 3: ORD Information Management Needs,
Opportunities, and Benefits 9
Needs 9
ORD User Council 9
ORD Stakeholders 10
ORD Senior Executives 11
ORD Program Managers and Administrative Personnel 12
ORD Scientists and Engineers 13
Opportunities and Benefits 14
Section 4: Strategy for Managing ORD's Information 17
Intoduction 17
Strategic vs. Implementation Plans 17
Planning: Strategy Component 1 19
ORD's Strategic Planning Process 19
Planning for Information Management 19
Integrating IM Planning Into ORD Research Planning Documents 20
QA Program Interface 20
Centralized Coordination of Data Management 22
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT iii
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Awareness: Strategy Component 2 22
Access: Strategy Component 3 23
ORD ScienceNet 23
ORD Intranets 23
LAN/WAN 24
Status of Access Components 26
Incentives for Sharing Data 26
Usability: Strategy Component 4 26
Security and Access Control 27
Training 28
Standards 28
User Support Services 28
Navigational Aids 28
Policies 29
Specialized Tools 29
Specialized Information Resources 31
ORD Science Information Management Coordination Board 31
Timing 31
External Coordination 32
Appendix A: The Information Technology Management Reform Act
of 1996 (ITMRA) 35
Appendix B: ORD's Strategic Research Planning Process 37
Appendix C: Inventory of ORD-Related Databases 41
Appendix D: The Office of Research and Development Organization 51
iv INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Glossary/List of Acronyms
architecture In the context of an information management system, architecture means the overall logical and
physical definition of the system.
browser An electronic tool for reviewing information in a database. Also referred to as a "database
browser."
catalog A set of detailed documentation about a number of data sets that helps users determine which
data sets may be useful for a particular application. A catalog provides much more detailed
information than a directory.
CBEP EPAs Community-Based Environmental Protection initiative.
CD-ROM Literally, Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory. A type of compact disc that is used to store
software, databases, and reusable information.
CENR The White House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
CIO Chief Information Officer; the person who has been officially designated as having the overall
responsibility and authority for information management activities, policies, and direction in an
organization.
client/server Use of distributed "client" computer systems linked to a central "server" in order to share
common software tools/applications and capability.
data set A logical meaningful grouping or collection of similar or related data.
DCD directory/catalog/dictionary.
dictionary A set of basic information about individual components of a single data set. For example, a
dictionary for a scientific data set would include format information and a short scientific
description of the parameters or variables in the data set.
directory A set of information about a large number of data and information products that informs users
which products are available and generally what they contain.
GIS Geographic Information System; a collection of computer hardware, software, and geographic
data designed to capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display geographically
referenced data.
GPRA The Government Performance and Results Act.
hypertext A form of electronic document that contains links to other electronic documents. Typically, users
activate the links by clicking on highlighted portions of their screen. This instantly displays the
screen for the linked document.
IM Information management.
Internet International Communications Network.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Glossary/List of Acronyms
Intranet
ITMRA
Java
LAN
LIPs
metadata
model
NASA
NOAA
object
OIRM
OMIS
QAPPs
ScienceNet
server
STAR
USGS
WAN
WWW
A limited access network that uses the Internet to link computers together. Access is limited to
those individuals whose computers are on the Intranet network.
Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996.
A computer language for general purpose programming. Primarily used to write interactive
Internet applications.
Local Area Network; a set of computers within a particular location (typically a building or part
of a building) that have been physically connected together to enable shared communication
and resources, such as printing, files, and dial-out capabilities.
Laboratory Implementation Plans; detailed planning documents prepared by ORD Laboratories
for all research to be conducted in-house or under a contract or cooperative agreement. Each
LIP provides detailed information on the tasks to be conducted under a specific research
project, the resources needed, and the research products that will be generated.
Data or information that describe a set of data or information. For example, scientific metadata
describe how, when, and where the scientific data were collected.
Mathematical or physical representation of data or a system that accounts for all or some of its
known properties.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A data or information product. For example, objects in ORD's ScienceNet may include data sets,
databases, projects, analytical products, and documents.
EPAs Office of Information Resources Management.
ORD Management Information System; an ORD-wide integrated computerized management
information system containing several modules for planning, financial management, project
tracking, and human resources management.
Quality Assurance Project Plans; research planning documents, developed to ensure that data
of the appropriate type and quality will be generated.
The name ORD has selected for its Internet-based network of publicly available ORD science
and engineering data and information. The ORD ScienceNet will be ORD's home page and
front door on the Internet. It will contain printed documents, reports, and journal articles, as
well as databases, data sets, models, and software applications. ORD hopes that the ORD
ScienceNet will catalyze the creation of two larger scientific information networks: an EPA-wide
ScienceNet and a broader U.S. ScienceNet developed collaboratively by EPA and other federal
research agencies.
See "client/server."
Science To Achieve Results; ORD's external research grants program.
U.S. Geological Survey.
Wide Area Network; a group of Local Area Networks that have been connected together
independently of the Internet to enable shared communication and resources, such as printing,
files, and dial-out capabilities.
World Wide Web; a hypertext system for finding and accessing Internet resources.
VI
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Summary
This document, the Information Manage-
ment Component of the Office of Research
and Development's (ORD's) Strategic Plan,
describes a consistent, organizationwide
approach for efficiently planning for, collecting,
documenting, manipulating, exchanging, archiving,
and communicating ORD's research data and science
information products.
As the science arm of the Agency, the results of ORD
research provide the scientific foundation for envi-
ronmental decision-making at EPA. With increas-
ingly complex and multidisciplinary environmental
research problems and programs, a new level of
interaction and collaboration is required between
different fields, specialties, scientists, and organiza-
tions that formerly may have operated indepen-
dently. ORD's success as a federal-level R&D
organization within this changing environment is
defined by two factors:
• The scientific quality of our R&D.
• The degree to which our many EPA and external
stakeholders and research partners have open
access to and can use the information and data
we generate.
ORD's IM Strategic Plan is structured around four
themes that provide a robust framework for trans-
forming ORD into a state-of-the-art information
provider:
• Planning for information management.
• Making potential users aware that information
exists.
• Making the information accessible.
• Making the information usable.
The strategic approach is comprehensive, offering a
solution to ORD's wide range of information man-
agement needs, and addresses both paper and
electronic information; interoperability and data
management issues; policies and standards; data
users and user needs; and electronic information
technologies.
Central to this information management framework
is the creation of an Internet-based ORD ScienceNet,
the "front door" to ORD's scientific information.
Through ScienceNet, a wide range of users—includ-
ing researchers and data managers at other federal
agencies, extramural scientists at all kinds of non-
government laboratories, and the public at large—
will be able to search for, access, and download data
and information, as well as aggregate, manipulate,
and analyze downloaded data sets using a variety of
tools available via the World Wide Web. The ability
to aggregate data may particularly aid environmental
decision-makers, who often must synthesize large
amounts of information during the decision-making
process. For scientific data, users will be able to
access metadata that describe the context and
assumptions under which the data were collected.
Also, users will be able to link from the ScienceNet
website to other information or scientific databases
(such as STORET and Envirofacts) via hypertext
links.
The newly formed ORD Science Information
Management Coordination Board will begin devel-
oping implementation plans for this strategy in
August 1997. The Board will also be recommending
an appropriate FY1998 and 1999 budget to support
high-priority ORD science information systems
infrastructure.
Successful implementation of this strategy will move
ORD from an organization that uses information
technology for administration to one that uses it to
further its scientific mission.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
VII
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ection J:
The Power of Information: Quality information is
central to all aspects of environmental decision-
making. Government, businesses, and citizens
need information about prevailing and projected
environmental conditions and trends; about the
effects of pollution; about the success of mitigation
strategies; and about the costs and benefits of these
strategies. Businesses need quality information to
identify opportunities to prevent pollution and
save money. Citizens need access to information
to participate in decision-making in a meaningful
and informed manner. Alternative performance-
based systems of environmental protection—such
as facility-, sector-, and community-based
approaches—can only succeed if high-quality
information is available and can be easily accessed.
President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al
Gore, Reinventing Environmental Regula-
tion, March 16,1995.
The Office of Research and Development
(ORD) of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is unique among scientific
institutions in this country in combining
research, analysis, and integration of scientific and
engineering information across the full spectrum of
health and ecological issues and across both risk
assessment and risk management. ORD is respon-
sible for leadership in science at EPA and for the bulk
of EPA's R&D work. The results of ORD research
provide the scientific foundation for environmental
decision-making at EPA. They also are used by other
government agencies, academia, nongovernment
organizations, and the private sector for environ-
mental science and management purposes at local,
state, regional, national, and international levels.
ORD Success Factors
ORD's success as a federal-level R&D organization is
defined by two factors:
• The scientific quality of our R&D.
• The degree to which our many EPA and external
stakeholders have open access to and can use the
information and data we generate.1
The recent explosion of tools and systems for infor-
mation management and dissemination—relational
databases, client/server computing, the Internet and
World Wide Web, and compact disks, for example—
offer extraordinary opportunities to enhance both
the quality and application of ORD science. As never
before, effective information management has the
potential to:
• Increase ORD's R&D efficiency, quality, and
accountability, sharpen the focus and value of our
research, and catalyze rich collaborations with
leading environmental researchers around the
world.
• Vastly enlarge the constituency and potential
applications for the data and information gener-
ated by ORD research. Recent technological
advances make it possible for ORD to provide
more usable information and data of documented
quality, to more customers in more compelling
formats, in a more timely manner, and at a lower
cost than ever before.
'Throughout this strategy document, the term "ORD information" is
used to signify the entire spectrum of ORD's science and administrative
data and information.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Introduction
ORD Information Management Strategy
Group
In 1995, ORD instituted dramatic changes to trans-
form itself into a world-class research institution to
support risk-based decision-making. Specifically, we
restructured our organization and instituted a new
research planning process based on the widely
utilized risk assessment/risk management paradigm.
Our new risk-based planning process is described in
our Strategic Plan for the Office of Research and Develop-
ment, published for the first time in May 1996, and
updated in April 1997.
To further enhance the quality and value of our
work, we now have charted a course for ORD to take
strategic advantage of the powerful information
management opportunities enabled by recent
technological developments. In February 1996, at the
request of ORD's Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Science, ORD created an Information Management
Strategy Group consisting of representatives from all
of ORD's Laboratories and Centers, the EPA
Administrator's Office, and the EPA Office of Infor-
mation Resources Management (see inside back
cover). This group was charged with developing an
innovative and coherent strategic plan for informa-
tion management in ORD. This document, which is
a formal addendum to ORD's Strategic Plan, sets
forth that strategy.
Written for ORD staff and our EPA and external
stakeholders, this plan provides a clear and practical
blueprint for transforming ORD into a state-of-the-
art information provider. This strategy is firmly
grounded on a set of fundamental economic, techno-
logical, and strategic principles to ensure that ORD's
approach to information management will be
realistic, successful, and take maximum advantage of
available resources and opportunities.
The plan begins by defining a vision, mission, and
goals for ORD information management (Section 2)
and examining the needs of ORD staff and stake-
holders (Section 3). Based on these needs, the plan
sets forth a four-part strategy for managing informa-
tion and defines a number of specific actions ORD
will take to implement the strategy (Section 4).
Finally, this document will guide detailed implemen-
tation planning, which will begin in late summer,
1997. A newly formed ORD Science Information
Management Coordination Board, composed of
senior information officers from each ORD Labora-
tory and Center and chaired by a member of ORD's
Executive Council, will initially focus on:
Development of plans for implementation of this
strategy; and
Recommendations for appropriate allocation of
resources to be set aside in FY1998 and 1999 to
support high-priority ORD science information
systems infrastructure.
Strategic Principles for ORD
Information Management
Build on and coordinate ORD's existing informa-
tion management capabilities.
Be ORD-wide and flexible (rather than mono-
lithic or centralized).
Minimize the cost and disruption to ORD's
current operations.
Be integrated with Agency-wide information
management planning.
Take advantage of rapidly evolving information
management tools.
Leverage resources from other agencies.
External Review
On March 20,1997, an outside team of experienced
information systems managers (drawn from NASA,
NOAA, USGS, CENR, and EPA's OIRM) conducted a
one-day review of this strategy. The review commit-
tee stated that they were very impressed with the
quality and commitment within ORD to this effort,
and made a number of insightful comments and
suggestions for refining our information manage-
ment planning and implementation. Their recom-
mendations have been incorporated into this strat-
egy-
Coordination of This Strategic Plan2
Both ORD and the Agency as a whole already have
made significant investments in information man-
agement systems. This strategy builds on those
efforts by proposing an approach based on organiz-
ing and enhancing existing ORD and EPA systems
and resources.
The proposed approach is also comprehensive,
serving as a unifying plan of action for managing all
levels and types of ORD information—from the
2It will be important for the new ORD Science Information Management
Coordination Board to continue these efforts, by coordinating
implementation planning with relevant activities and organizations
outside of ORD (Section 3).
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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scientific data and information resulting from ORD's
in-house or extramural research (e.g., raw data
collected at field sites, health or ecological risk
assessments, aggregated data sets, research plans) to
the administrative information needed to manage
ORD's research (e.g., resource data, grant award
information, Laboratory Implementation Plans).
In addition, this strategy has been coordinated and is
consistent with relevant organizations and related
activities, such as the Agency Information Resources
Management Strategic Plan and the new Office of
Planning, Analysis, and Accountability. It is also
responsive to the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA) and the Information Technology
Management Reform Act, which was signed into law
in February 1996 and requires a fundamental change
in the way government agencies perform informa-
tion management.
The Information Technology Management
Reform Act
The Information Technology Management Reform
Act (ITMRA) of 1996 establishes a set of information
technology acquisition and management require-
ments for government agencies.
These requirements, summarized in Appendix A, are
designed to maximize the value of government
investments in information technology while mini-
mizing the risk.
One ITMRA requirement is that EPA establish a
Chief Information Officer for the Agency (currently
the Acting Assistant Administrator for Administra-
tion and Resources Management), responsible for
ensuring Agency-wide compliance with ITMRA.
Concomitantly, ORD must ensure that its IM activi-
ties and systems conform with the ITMRA require-
ments. Essentially, this means approaching each
potential information technology investment as a
business case and apply rigorous cost-benefit analy-
ses to it.
In response to ITMRA, EPA already has:
• Initiated an Agency-wide Strategic Information
Technology Architecture Plan process.
• Established a Capital Planning and Investment
Control Strategic Project Committee to define
EPAs process for capital planning and investment
control, determine best practices, and implement
a new method of evaluating information technol-
ogy investments, as required by ITMRA.
Introduction
To keep pace with and help shape these develop-
ments, ORD must proceed without delay to partici-
pate in these efforts.
Next Steps
The time to act is now. Other EPA programs and
offices are currently exploring new information
management concepts, such as electronic permitting,
reporting and pesticide registration, and "virtual
government" pilot projects are being discussed with
other federal agencies to develop better interagency
connections. At this critical juncture, ORD has the
opportunity to lead the Agency in the development
of a coordinated information network for science—
an "ORD ScienceNet" (described in Section 4)—at a
time when the need for defensible and credible
environmental research information has never been
greater. Given that so much is now possible in
electronic networking and publishing, this is an
exciting time for ORD to make dramatic progress by
"leapfrogging" over obsolete technologies and
approaches for information management and into
cutting edge systems that hold dramatic promise for
enhancing both ORD's and the Agency's stature as a
world-class environmental institution.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Many of EPAs scientific data sets are either
incomplete, obsolete, or missing altogether, a
problem that extends across all media areas.
These problems have made it difficult for the
Agency to conduct scientifically based risk
assessments and to measure the results of
environmental programs. The Agency's
problems in obtaining quality data are
exacerbated by difficulties in managing the
data that are available. In particular, EPA's
data management systems have been
designed to track or manage information
about environmental conditions and results
f_m for each environmental medium, thus
making scientific assessments of risk across
media cumbersome and costly.
A^^^^^^^tf^^y
Peter F. Guerrero, GAO, May 12,1995,
testimony before the Senate Subcommit-
tee on VA, HUD, and Independent
Agencies.
&#•
Introduction
The evolution of environmental science in
general and ORD's program in particular, is
distinguished by several trends that have
important implications for information
management. First, research problems and programs
are becoming increasingly multidisciplinary, requir-
ing collaborations and interaction between different
fields and specialties that formerly may have pro-
gressed independently. Second, environmental
science in the U.S. is benefiting from growing
coordination and partnering among multiple federal
agencies, each of which is bringing its own resources
and research communities to contribute to more
integrated federal efforts. Third, ORD's develop-
ment of a broader extramural component to its
research efforts, e.g., through the Science To Achieve
Results (STAR) program of research grants, means
that the community of scientists who are playing key
roles in many research programs now are located at
many different institutions in addition to ORD's own
laboratories. And finally, there is a growing interest
on the part of researchers who are not directly
involved in the research programs for which data are
initially produced, and on the part of the general
public, to have access to EPA data sets. The conse-
quence of all these trends is that ORD's approach to
IM must place a priority on making data openly
available to a wide range of users, including re-
searchers and data managers at other federal agen-
cies, extramural scientists at all kinds of non-govern-
ment laboratories, and the public at large.
In its 1996 Strategic Plan, ORD set forth a new
organizational vision, mission, and goals to provide
the framework for risk-based research planning.
Similarly, ORD has developed a vision, mission, and
goals for information management. This framework
is designed to ensure that ORD manages information
in the way that will best support risk-based research
planning and the new trends in environmental
decision-making. As described below, the IM frame-
work directly parallels and supports ORD's broader
organizational vision and mission.
Vision Statement
ORD's vision for information management is based
on the key role that ORD science plays within EPA,
and within the broader context of our nation's
environmental research agenda. Building upon
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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ORD's Vision, Mission, and Goals for Information Management
ORD's organizational vision statement—"ORD will
provide the scientific foundation to support EPA's mission"
—ORD will likewise support the Agency's mission
by conforming to its vision for information manage-
ment:
ORD's
Information Management Vision
ORD will provide timely and reliable scientific
data to support EPA's mission, and will ex-
change environmental information with the
public and other stakeholders.
The ORD information management vision statement
provides a standard against which the future ORD
information management environment can be
judged. By living up to this standard, ORD will
support the Agency's mission and will also serve as a
public resource for reliable scientific, engineering,
and risk assessment/risk management information.
At the same time, ORD will increase its capacity to
exchange environmental information with and
integrate the work of ORD's scientific partners,
including EPA's Program and Regional Offices,
academia, the private sector, and other government
agencies.
Mission Statement
As EPA's science arm, ORD has a clear role to identify
and provide defensible and credible data and
information. Such information is critical to achieving
the Agency's mission of protecting human health
and the environment. Effective environmental
decisions depend on scientific and engineering data
that are accurate, reliable, and adequate for their
intended use (see "QA Program Interface"). And
defensible environmental decisions are backed up by
documentation of both the science data and the risk
assessment procedures and analytical methods that
were used to develop them. ORD plays a leadership
role in developing these tools and information and in
providing, coordinating, and exchanging information
with decision-makers inside and outside the Agency.
ORD also supports Agency-wide internal informa-
tion and data needs for strategic planning, budget-
ing, and accountability.
The ORD IM mission statement parallels the four-
component structure of ORD's overall mission
statement, set forth in the Strategic Plan for ORD:
ORD's mission is to perform research and develop-
ment—
• ORD's IM mission is to make internal and
external stakeholders aware of and able to access
and use the data and information generated by
ORD's research and development.
ORD's mission is to provide technical support—
• ORD's IM mission is to provide research informa-
tion and supporting electronic communications
to customers in a manner that meets world-class
standards for quality of content and delivery.
ORD's mission is to integrate scientific research—
• ORD's IM mission is to foster interactive commu-
nication, collaboration, and information sharing
with scientific partners.
ORD's mission is to provide scientific leadership—
• ORD's IM mission is to provide leadership in the
Agency's use of information technology for
science.
The parallel structure clearly indicates how ORD will
use information management to support its organi-
zational mission and reflects ORD's critical role as an
information provider.
Goals
This strategy is structured around four themes that
provide a robust framework for effective ORD
information management:
• Planning—IM planning must be an integral
component of ORD research planning to ensure that
the information generated by all of ORD's
research projects can be made available to
potential users.
• Awareness—Once information is available,
stakeholders need to be aware that it exists.
• Accessibility—Then, they need access to the
information.
• Usability—Finally, the information must be
usable.
These four themes form the basis for a set of broad,
customer-oriented IM goals (Table 2-1) to fulfill
ORD's IM mission. Section 4 describes a strategy to
achieve these goals.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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ORD's Vision, Mission, and Goals for Information Management
Table 2-1.
Planning
ORD's Long-Term Goals for Information Management
ORD will integrate IM
planning into its research
planning process to
ensure that all of ORD's
research information can
be made available to
potential users in a
timely, effective, and
efficient manner.
Awareness
ORD will provide the
awareness tools and
services needed to make
its internal and external
stakeholders aware of
ORD's information.
Access
ORD will provide the
communication paths
and equipment that allow
internal and external
stakeholders access to
ORD's information.
Usability
ORD will provide the
policies and standards,
training, user tools, and
planning needed to make
ORD's information usable
to internal and external
stakeholders.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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f 4
ORD In
Managi
Needs, -
Opportunities,
Benefits
:-.
Scientists can now perform environ-
mental research that increases our
understanding of the Earth system at
•. J2s nil spatial scales, enhances resource
management and environmental
decision-making, and improves our
. capabilities for predicting changes in
^e environment. Over the past
decade, in particular, the observa-
tional, computational, and communi-
cations technologies have enabled the
scientific community to understand a
broad range of interdisciplinary
environmental research and assess-
ment programs.
The National Research Council,
Finding the Forest in the Trees.
Needs
ORD currently employs almost 1,900
scientists, engineers, and professional
and support staff. These individuals
perform or support research in human
and ecological health, methods and model develop-
ment, and risk management. ORD staff also provide
technical support to EPA's Program and Regional
Office staff as well as external stakeholders.
These activities generate four categories of informa-
tion, each used primarily by different audiences
(Table 3-1):
• Scientific information (risk assessments, research
products, the Integrated Risk Information
System, and so on)—primarily used by ORD
stakeholders.
• Integrated scientific, management, and adminis-
trative information (e.g., planning, budgeting,
and accountability information)—primarily used
for making strategic, policy-level decisions by
ORD senior executives.
• Science management information (i.e., informa-
tion related to managing and administering ORD
research including planning and resource
information)—primarily used on a more tactical
level by ORD project managers and administra-
tive personnel.
• Science data (e.g., monitoring data, analytical
data, epidemiological data, and so on)—primarily
used in the development of research products by
ORD scientists and engineers.
As described below, each of these user groups has
specific information management needs that, when
fulfilled by the strategy presented in Section 4, will
greatly enhance their ability to access and utilize
information that directly or indirectly contributes to
ORD's ability to be a world-class environmental
research institution.
ORD User Council
The degree to which our many EPA and external
stakeholders use the information and data we
generate is listed in Section 1 as one of two ORD
success factors. It is critical, therefore, for ORD to
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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ORD Information Management Needs, Opportunities, and Benefits
Table 3-1. The Need for ORD Information*
Who needs ORD
information?
What information
is needed?
Examples:
ORD
Stakeholders
Science Informa-
tion Products
• Risk
assessments
• Research
publications
• Integrated Risk
Information
System (IRIS)
ORD Sr. Executives
Integrated Scientific,
Management &
Administrative
Information
• Planning
information
• Budgeting
information
• Accounting
information
ORD Project
Managers &
Administrative
Personnel
Science Management
Information
• Planning
information
• Resource
information
• Laboratory
Implementation
Plans
• Grant award infor-
mation
ORD Scientists &
Engineers
Science Data
• Human health &
ecological effects
data
• Human health &
ecological exposure
(i 3"h?i
Lid Ld
• Risk management
data
• Methods & models
data
• Monitoring &
analytical data
Examples are given only to illustrate that there are several broad categories of ORD information that, for the most part, are needed by
different user groups. Some overlap between categories does occur.
have external user communities actively involved
with our information management program. These
stakeholders must be involved from the outset in
ORD's planning, so that they buy into the process
and their needs for information are met.
Because of their key role, ORD will establish a "User
Council" to ensure that we adequately coordinate
with and provide for the information needs of our
external user community. The appropriate member-
ship of the User Council and other specifics will be
addressed by the ORD Science Information Manage-
ment Coordination Board during implementation
planning.
ORD Stakeholders
EPA Program, PAA, and Regional Offices
ORD is the primary provider of scientific and
technical information, as well as technical assistance,
to EPAs Program and Regional Offices. ORD staff
need ready access to the information and data
necessary to meet the information and assistance
needs of the Program and Regional Offices. The
needs and activities of the Agency's Planning,
Analysis, and Accountability Office also will need to
be met. In addition, as appropriate, the Program and
Regional Offices should have direct access to rel-
evant information and data generated by ORD.
Federal Entities (Agencies, Tribes, Institutions, and
Committees)
Federal entities, including agencies, institutions,
tribes, and committees, are key ORD partners and
stakeholders in several ways:
• Federal research institutions—such as the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences, the National Science
Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, and the U.S. Department of
Energy—are important research partners of
ORD. Often, these agencies help establish
standards for best uses of information technology
for research purposes.
• ORD represents EPA on federal-level committees,
such as those of the National Science and Tech-
nology Council, which coordinates the research
activities of the federal government.
• ORD also participates in major interagency
research initiatives—such as the work of the
Federal Geographic Data Committee to build the
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INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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ORD Information Management Needs, Opportunities, and Benefits
National Spatial Data Infrastructure, and the
National Biological Services effort to build the
National Biological Information Infrastructure.
• Environmental research information forms an
important pillar of the National Information
Infrastructure and the Global Information
Infrastructure.
• Finally, ORD and tribes have collaborated on
research.
Current trends in government policy and technology
are driving ORD toward greater networking with its
federal research partners and customers. This
networking is essential to exchange information and
coordinate activities so that ORD and other federal
institutions can most effectively leverage their
increasingly scarce resources. ORD needs to learn
from the experiences and efforts of the other research
agencies and make its information management
program synergistic with theirs.
States and Communities
Increasingly, the Agency is moving toward facilitat-
ing regional, state, and local action to identify and
solve environmental problems where appropriate
and feasible. For example:
• Facilitating and supporting stakeholder partner-
ships for environmental improvement is one of
the key strategic directions cited in EPA's Five-
Year Strategic Plan, published in 1994.
• The National Advisory Council for Environmen-
tal Policy and Technology (NACEPT), a federal
advisory committee, has been providing recom-
mendations to the EPA Administrator on how the
Agency can most effectively catalyze community-
based environmental protection efforts.
NACEPT's 1996 Community-Based Environmen-
tal Protection Committee has identified informa-
tion as one of the primary ways that EPA can
catalyze community-based environmental
protection (CBEP) efforts.
As ORD works to meet information management
needs, it should consider what types of ORD infor-
mation may be valuable for state and community-led
environmental protection efforts and find ways to
make this information readily accessible to these
stakeholders. Remote sensing and GIS data may be
of particular value to these stakeholders.
ORD Senior Executives
ORD's executive leadership provides strategic,
policy-level decision-making for ORD. The senior
executives define ORD's vision, goals, and objectives,
determine how best to ensure the success of ORD's
efforts, and define priorities for the content and
direction of ORD's research program. They also
identify critical gaps in ORD's management or
science agenda and take steps to address those gaps.
ORD senior executives need a variety of science,
management, and administrative information to
support effective decision-making. ORD has a finite
set of resources that can be allocated in different
ways to support activities critical to EPA's mission.
The management challenge for senior executives is to
focus ORD research activities on those areas where
the greatest benefit can be achieved most efficiently
and cost-effectively. With the right kinds of informa-
tion, this type of decision-making is facilitated and
defensible.
To move up to the next generation of strategic
research planning and directing, ORD senior execu-
tives need not only ready access to administrative
information, but will need the ability to integrate it
with ORD's science information. Examples of im-
proved research planning facilitated by using
integrated administrative and science information as
a strategic resource include:
• Allocation of resources to specific geographic
initiatives.
• Knowing what data are available and what
projects are ongoing in a specific geographic
region may allow improved decisions on where
research can be most efficiently conducted.
• Choosing an area already rich in relevant, well-
documented data may reduce the resource needs
for data collection efforts and significantly
shorten the time needed to produce project
results.
• Knowledge of ongoing projects within EPA and
other organizations.
• Access to information describing projects will
significantly reduce the potential for redundant
research efforts on the part of ORD. This type of
information can be extracted from administrative
data describing internal projects, grants, con-
tracts, and interagency and cooperative agree-
ments. Similar information for external entities
can be found at their Internet sites.
• Knowledge of existing capability and capacity of
EPA and external organizations.
• Access to information about expertise in EPA and
other organizations can lead to the development
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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ORD Information Management Needs, Opportunities, and Benefits
of strategic partnerships that will allow ORD to
more efficiently accomplish its mission.
• Ability to access and evaluate research results in
order to direct further activity.
• Access to information on research results will
allow ORD to be more effective and timely in
responding to Congressional and other inquiries.
ORD Program Managers and
Administrative Personnel
As described below, ORD program managers and
administrative personnel need tools and services that
allow them to effectively:
• Plan and manage ORD research programs.
• Manage the financial and human resources that
support the research programs.
Program Planning and Management Needs
To effectively plan and manage ORD research
programs, ORD program managers and administra-
tive personnel need:
• Information about ongoing research.
• Information about the needs and operation of the
Agency's Planning, Analysis, and Accountability
function.
• Reliable and easily obtainable resource informa-
tion about intramural and extramural research
projects.
• Information about publications and other end
products of ORD research.
• In some cases, desktop access to scientific and
administrative data on the Internet and other
sources for use in risk assessment and risk
management decision-making.
For example, when proposing or designing an
ecological research project, an ORD program man-
ager could access the RaDiUs (Research and Devel-
opment in the U.S.) dedicated server to determine
what research U.S. government agencies are con-
ducting on that particular ecological issue. This
information will allow the program manager to
determine what funds have been allocated to this
area of research and will facilitate networking with
other researchers. The ready availability of this type
of information will be invaluable for reducing
overlap and duplication of effort and will enable
ORD laboratories to target their research based on a
comprehensive understanding of other similar
research efforts.
Resource Management Needs
To effectively manage the financial and human
resources that support ORD research programs,
ORD program managers and administrative person-
nel need to:
• Develop effective Laboratory Implementation
Plans.
• Link task-based tracking of operating budgets
and products.
• Maintain an audit trail of how resources were
reallocated.
• Plan and track travel and miscellaneous expendi-
tures.
• Support the research planning process from
planning, through budget execution, to results
tracking.
• Provide complete records of intramural and
extramural research plans, activities, and accom-
plishments.
• Help ORD keep "in sync" with the Agency's
Integrated Financial Management System and
the needs and activities of the Planning, Analysis,
and Accountability Office.
In 1996, ORD launched the ORD Management
Information System (OMIS), which has been de-
signed to meet these needs. OMIS is an ORD-wide
integrated computerized system containing several
modules for planning, financial management, project
tracking, and human resources management. The
component modules are:
• The Integrated Resources Management System.
• The in-house accounting module.
• The human resources module.
• The Laboratory Implementation Plan module
and other tracking system modules under
development.
By the end of FY97, OMIS will hold complete and
organizationally consistent information on ORD
research projects and tasks; commitments, obliga-
tions, and expenditures; grants and contracts; and
training plans. OMIS is expected to meet ORD's
administrative information management needs and
is designed to be consistent with all the Agency's
budgeting and accounting requirements.
Concurrently, the Agency's administrative informa-
tion management systems are being reformed. The
12
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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ORD Information Management Needs, Opportunities, and Benefits
new or updated systems will provide useful tools for
meeting ORD resource management needs. For
example, under the ARI, or Administrative Reduction
Initiative, EPA is adding a variety of new systems
capable of electronic routing. These systems will
allow ORD managers to electronically receive,
review, approve, and act on repetitive processes—
such as leave slips, executive correspondence,
purchase requests, travel authorizations and travel
vouchers, and time and attendance information.
Finally, ORD is piloting "groupware" computer
software that will allow ORD program managers and
administrative personnel to participate in the many
initiatives that will become the standard for EPA
administrative processes within the next 18 months
to 2 years.
ORD Scientists and Engineers
To play a leadership role in environmental R&D,
ORD scientists and engineers need information
management capabilities that allow them to:
• Plan and discuss projects.
• Locate and understand data, information, and
documents.
• Access data, information, and documents.
• Collect, store, manipulate, and analyze data and
information.
• Publish research data and results.
The need for these capabilities is discussed below.
Need To Plan and Discuss Projects
Increasingly, cross-disciplinary teamwork is needed
to conceive and conduct research that addresses
complex and emerging environmental concerns,
which often are multimedia in nature. To work
effectively in teams, researchers need the capability
to develop plans using an iterative process that
incorporates input from multiple sources and
encompasses both the strategic and tactical levels.
There are three basic stages of IM needs during
planning:
• ORD researchers located at different geographic
locations need to be able to communicate and
interact electronically when developing project
concepts.
• Once project concepts are formulated, ORD
researchers in different locations need an efficient
mechanism to develop, discuss, and review
Laboratory Implementation Plans containing
milestones, deliverables, and task descriptions.
• Finally, when the research project is underway,
ORD scientists and engineers need to consolidate
updates from multiple sources to assess impacts
and progress toward achieving project objectives
on an ongoing basis.
ORD's local and wide area information management
environment must support and facilitate planning
activities at all three stages.
Need To Locate and Understand Data, Information,
and Documents
ORD scientists and engineers need to work with
their own data and with secondary data (i.e., data
generated by others). To effectively use secondary
data, ORD users must be able to locate the data and
readily determine whether it is appropriate for their
needs.
Increasingly, government agencies, nongovernment
organizations, and academia are providing data and
information on the Internet that is well-documented
and potentially useful to ORD staff. Emerging
metadata (information that describes data) standards
like those adopted by the Government Information
Locator Service (GILS) and the Federal Geographic
Data Committee standard for spatial data documen-
tation help ensure that these data and information
are appropriately documented and can be readily
located.
To stay abreast of the latest scientific developments,
ORD scientists and engineers need the capability to:
• Search the Internet for relevant data.
• Perform more traditional literature searches via
commercial or government services (such as
those supplied by the National Institutes of
Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture).
Need To Access Data, Information, and Documents
Once ORD users have located appropriate data, they
must be able to access the data, as well as metadata
and documentation, using an appropriate tool set.
Examples of access scenarios include:
• Selecting a particular geographic coverage on an
Internet server, using an Internet client that
supports file transfer protocol to download the
selected coverage, and then displaying it using a
geographic information system (GIS).
• Using a database browser tool, statistical package,
or GIS to examine the content of data in a data-
base management system.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
13
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ORD Information Management Needs, Opportunities, and Benefits
• Using the wide variety of valuable scientific data,
information, and documents available on CD-
ROM.
Need To Collect, Store, Manipulate, and Analyze
Data and Information
Much of ORD's data is originally generated by field
and laboratory work that is either conducted or
sponsored by ORD. These data need to be managed
from their origin in the field or laboratory through
the analytical process. To do this effectively, ORD
users need access to a wide variety of computer tools,
including laboratory information systems, field data
recording equipment, and analytical tools. General
categories of tools include modeling, scientific
visualization, geographic information systems,
statistical, spreadsheets, Internet and Intranet servers
and browsers, and scientific database management
tools.
Need To Publish Research Data and Results
ORD's success at meeting its mission will be largely
judged on what it publishes. Forms of "publication"
include journal articles, databases, data sets,
metadata that describe the databases and data sets,
models and software applications developed by
ORD, and documents. ORD's Science To Achieve
Results (STAR) program is currently generating a
large body of research data and scientific results that
will become part of ORD's information collection in
the future.
Electronic publishing is important for internal and
external review of draft materials and public access
to final materials. To publish electronically for
internal purposes, ORD staff need a robust capability
that allows them to work in groups to develop,
review, and track documents internally. To publish
electronically for external purposes, ORD personnel
must be able to work on the Internet.
Opportunities and Benefits
Until a few years ago, limitations of information
technologies made it difficult, if not often impossible,
to set up comprehensive, integrated, and effective IM
systems across large organizations such as ORD.
During the 1990s, however, information technology
and management approaches have made revolution-
ary progress:
• Key technologies include the Internet and its
associated software tools (especially the World
Wide Web and Java).
• Emerging management approaches include the
concept of creating a Chief Information Officer to
oversee information management, as well as a
number of other strategic IM approaches that
government agencies are now required to imple-
ment under the Information Technology Manage-
ment Reform Act of 1996 (see Appendix A).
These new technologies and approaches provide
ORD with important opportunities to achieve the six
long-term goals set forth in ORD's 1996 Strategic
Plan (Table 3-2) and to meet the information manage-
ment needs described in this section. In particular,
they enable ORD to:
• Integrate its many discrete databases.
• Integrate its information activities with the rest of
EPA.
• More readily communicate with and provide
information to external partners and stakehold-
ers.
These new opportunities have the potential to bring
many benefits both to ORD staff members and to
ORD as a whole. For example:
• ORD researchers will be better able to collaborate
with research partners, conduct multidisciplinary
research, and use GIS and other emerging
software tools to readily visualize and make sense
of large quantities of data. Sharing of data sets
with others will help to correct errors and to clear
up misunderstandings in the metadata.
• ORD researchers will have increased awareness
of ORD data, and better quality data sets and
metadata will lead to better research.
• Better long-term archiving and documentation
will protect data sets for future use by ORD and
other researchers.
• ORD scientists and engineers will gain substan-
tially increased visibility for and recognition of
their work.
• Improved information management has substan-
tial potential to enhance ORD's stature, improve
decision-making and accountability, and enhance
efficiency and employee satisfaction.
In short, enhanced information management is
imperative if ORD is to serve as a world-class pro-
vider of environmental data and information in the
next century. Section 4 of this document sets forth an
ORD IM strategy to effectively meet the many needs
of ORD staff and stakeholders described above.
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INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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ORD Information Management Needs, Opportunities, and Benefits
Table 3-2. ORD's Long-Term Goals
To develop scientifically sound approaches to assessing and characterizing risks to human health and the
environment.
To integrate human health and ecological assessment methods into a comprehensive multimedia assess-
ment methodology.
To provide common sense and cost-effective approaches for preventing and managing risks.
To provide credible, state-of-the-art risk assessments, methods, models, and guidance.
To exchange reliable scientific, engineering, and risk assessment/risk management information among
private and public stakeholders.
To provide leadership and encourage others to participate in identifying emerging environmental issues,
characterizing the risks associated with these issues, and developing ways of preventing or reducing these
risks.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
15
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ORD Information Management Needs, Opportunities, and Benefits
Benefits to ORD of Enhanced Information Management
Improved research. The potential benefits to ORD research of enhanced IM are exponential:
• ORD researchers will be able to stay abreast of important scientific developments in a timely and efficient manner.
• ORD research will be enriched by new opportunities for data exchange and collaboration with internal and
external researchers.
• Enhanced sharing of data sets will stress the importance of adequate metadata and ultimately lead to metadata
improvements.
• Better long-term archiving and documentation will protect data sets for future use.
• Use of ORD data sets will increase substantially due to improved accessibility, preservation, and metadata quality.
Increased stakeholder appreciation of ORD's work. Using new IM technologies, ORD can now make its
products available to stakeholders in the U.S. and around the world more efficiently and effectively than ever before.
Both ORD and stakeholders benefit:
Many more stakeholders will be able to readily identify, access, and use ORD tools and information for environ-
mental research, decision-making, and improvement.
Taxpayers get a better return on their investment through enhanced application of ORD's work.
External accessibility to ORD products brings positive recognition and increased support for ORD's work. NASA
gained tremendous public visibility and appreciation for its work by placing Hubble telescope images of Jupiter on
the Internet and by providing a forum for public interaction on the event. ORD could use the Internet for similar
purposes.
Greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Improved access to key information will enhance decision-making at all
levels of ORD. It also will facilitate effective planning that provides maximum leverage of ORD's resources. This will
help ORD conserve resources and become more cost-effective.
Enhanced accountability. Enhanced management of ORD scientific, management, and financial information will
provide an essential foundation for transparency and accountability to stakeholders. Also, better documentation of
ORD's data holdings will improve the defensibility of ORD and EPA decisions.
Enhanced employee understanding and satisfactions. By publishing the ORD employee handbook and other
key resources on-line, ORD can better guide employees through its processes and organization. Also enhanced IM
will provide ORD employees with tools and information that offer important opportunities for improving perfor-
mance and efficiency.
16
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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EPA must have the ability to
collect, process, and analyze
the information needed to
ensure that it is managing for
and achieving real environ-
mental results.
EPA s Five-Year Strategic
Plan: The New Generation
of Environmental Protec-
tion, U.S. EPA, July 1994.
Intoduction
T
his section describes ORD's four-part
strategy for managing its information that
is based on several fundamental tenets of
successful information management (Figure
4-1):
• Planning for information management.
• Making potential users aware that information
exists.
• Making the information accessible to users.
• Making the information usable.
Described in this section is an approach for informa-
tion management that:
• Will meet ORD's information management needs
(described in Section 3) using a comprehensive
approach that addresses: both paper and elec-
tronic information; research planning; science
data management; policies and standards; user
needs and support services; and electronic
information technologies.
• Takes advantage of the unprecedented informa-
tion technology opportunities now available.
• Provides a consistent, organizationwide approach
to enable ORD to efficiently plan for, collect,
document, archive, manipulate, and distribute
scientific and management information—includ-
ing the information generated by both intramural
and extramural research.
• Builds on and integrates ORD's existing informa-
tion capabilities—including tools, services, com-
munication paths, communication equipment,
and standards.
Strategic vs. Implementation Plans
ORD's plan for information management is pre-
sented in this document at a strategic level, focusing
on the direction ORD intends to take, not specifically
how it will be accomplished. Specifics will be left, for
the most part, for implementation plans that will be
developed and coordinated across the organization
by the ORD Science Information Management
Coordination Board (Section 1). These implementa-
tion plans will spell out exactly how ORD will
execute this strategy.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
17
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
Figure 4-1. Strategic Approach. *
PLANNING
Build IM planning into
ORD's research
planning process
AWARENESS
Provide tools &
services to promote
awareness of ORD's
information products,
data sets, databases,
etc.
ACCESS
Develop
communication paths
& equipment to allow
access to ORD data &
information
USABILITY
Provide the
infrastructure to
develop and maintain
ORD's IM system and
ensure productive use
ORD Strategic Plan
Research Plans
LI Ps
QAPPs
RFAs
Outreach activities
Search capabilities
Comprehensive index
Pointers to the location of
information, electronic as well
as paper
Printed publications
ORD ScienceNet
ORD Science Intranets
LANs/WANs
Link to OMIS, other
information products, etc.
Database integration
Policies, guidance & standards
Training & help desks
User tools (GIS, models)
Management, staff & budget
*ORD's information management strategy is not an "Internet plan"—it is a comprehensive approach that
addresses "paper-based" and electronically stored information; research planning processes; science data
management; administrative information systems; policies and standards; and user needs and support
services—as well as information technologies.
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INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
However, a few specific implementation items are
included in this Strategic Plan, either to provide
concrete examples so that the reader has a better
understanding of the issue being discussed, or
because noteworthy progress has already been made
in a certain area.
Planning: Strategy Component 1
As mentioned in Section 1, ORD currently has in
place a strategic planning process that determines
the highest priorities for intramural and extramural
research based on risk assessment and risk manage-
ment principles. This process was finalized in 1996
and published in the Strategic Plan for the Office of
Research and Development. The 1997 edition of the
Strategic Plan was issued in the spring of this year,
and now includes information management consid-
erations.
The vast majority of the data and information that
ORD will make available under this IM strategy
stems directly from the process and products of ORD
research. Therefore, as described below, planning for
information management must become an integral
part of ORD's research planning process.
ORD's Strategic Planning Process
ORD's risk-based planning process is described in
Appendix B. The process involves soliciting stake-
holder input, identifying potential research topics,
evaluating these topics to select the most appropriate
ones for ORD's research agenda, and then defining
specific research needs for the selected topics.
Once ORD has identified specific research needs,
ORD staff develop a series of planning documents,
including Research Plans, Laboratory Implementa-
tion Plans, Quality Assurance Project Plans, and
Requests for Applications (see the section after next
for more detail). Research then is conducted based
on these plans. The research products are delivered
to stakeholders and provide input into the next
strategic planning cycle.
Planning for Information Management
Three considerations are paramount if ORD is to
successfully integrate IM planning into the research
planning process:
• Begin IM Planning Upfront—Information
management planning should commence as soon
as ORD has identified its specific research needs. This
is the optimal point for ORD to begin planning for
the data and information that will be generated by
the specific research projects.
• Include a Budget for IM—ORD management and
budget decisions must be made considering the
entire research project, from data collection through
long-term archiving of data sets.
• Consider All Research Types—Information
management planning must, to differing degrees,
encompass all ORD research projects, including
in-house research and extramural research that
ORD funds with contracts, cooperative agree-
ments, and grants.
Information included in Appendix B describes the
portions of the overall ORD research planning
process that should involve planning for information
management.
Examples of IM Planning Questions to Consider
at All Stages of ORD Research Planning
What is the purpose or use for which the data
were collected?
What data quality indicators were met supporting
the data quality objectives?
How much data will the program/project
generate?
Who and where are the data users?
What are the possible long-term archival uses?
Is there an archive ready to accept and handle the
data?
Who will set standards, delivery requirements,
milestones, etc.?
Who will deliver, document, manage, and
distribute the data?
Are data sets part of deliverables or products for
ORD partners or clients?
What are the requirements for added-value
processing? What computing, data management,
distribution capabilities are needed? Where do
these capabilities reside?
Who will budget for IM and who will allocate
resources among participants?
How will evolutions in IM technology be
accommodated over the life of the project (this
question is particularly relevant for long-term
projects that extend over many years)?
Who will set the policy on data access?
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
19
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
When planning for information management, ORD
should be guided by the awareness, access, and
usability principles (described below) of this IM
strategy. In other words, ORD research planners
should consider not only what information the
research will generate, but also how best to:
• Make potential information users (including
clients and stakeholders) aware that the informa-
tion exists.
• Describe, organize, and display the information so
that it will have maximum accessibility and utility
to users.
This involves considering who will use the data and
how, defining a schedule and resources for IM
activities, finding the appropriate "home" for the
information, and establishing standards and access
policies. The text box on page 19 provides examples
of the types of questions ORD managers should
address when planning research.
Integrating IM Planning Into ORD Research
Planning Documents
During research planning, ORD develops several
types of documents that set forth the scientific
questions to be addressed and specify schedules,
milestones, resources, quality assurance, peer review
requirements, and so on. These include:
• QRD Research Plans, which provide a broad,
overall context and strategic direction for ORD
research projects/programs.
• Laboratory/Center Research Plans, which are pre-
pared by ORD's National Laboratories and
Centers as planning tools to identify, prioritize,
and justify their overall research programs.
• Division and Cross-Division Research Plans, which
define, prioritize, and justify the research program
to be conducted by a single division within an
ORD Laboratory or Center or by multiple divi-
sions collaborating within or across ORD Labora-
tories and Centers.
• Laboratory Implementation Plans, which provide
detailed information on discrete tasks for use by
ORD in planning and managing research con-
ducted in-house or under a contract or coopera-
tive agreement.
• Quality Management and Quality Assurance Project
Plans (QMPs & QAPPs), which include sections on
assuring the appropriate type and quality of
scientific and engineering data.
• Requests for Applications (RFAs), which invite
research grant applications from the external
scientific community in areas of special interest to
EPA's mission.
Figure 4-2 shows the relationship of these ORD
planning documents.
To ensure coordinated information management
within ORD, each of these documents should
explicitly specify how the data and information to be
generated by the research will be managed. Upfront
information planning will help ensure that the
results of ORD research are captured and dissemi-
nated efficiently, rapidly, and as broadly as is appro-
priate in a way that will be most useful to science
data users. Appendix B describes specific recommen-
dations for each type of ORD research planning
document.
QA Program Interface
Attention to quality cannot be overstated, particu-
larly in the context of IM planning. The existing EPA
Quality System provides a framework and structure
by which environmental programs produce results,
including environmental data, that are of the type
and quality needed and expected for their intended
use. This is an Agency-wide, mandatory quality
assurance program that includes all EPA intramural
and extramural environmental data collection
activities.1
Under Delegation of Authority-I-41, "Mandatory
Quality Assurance Program," ORD is the focal point
in the Agency for quality management system policy.
The Assistant Administrator for Research and
Development (AA/ORD) is designated as the Agency
Senior Management Official for Quality Manage-
ment. The Quality Assurance Division within
ORD's NCERQA effects these responsibilities by
developing quality assurance (QA) and quality
control (QC) requirements and by overseeing
Agency-wide implementation of the EPA Quality
System.
Utilizing this Agency-wide system, ORD organiza-
tions implement approved quality management
plans (QMPs) documenting their quality policy and
quality system for applicable environmental pro-
grams. Quality systems include roles and responsi-
bilities and processes for handling of documents and
records and computer hardware and software.
'Environmental data include any information collected or produced
from measurements, analyses, or models of environmental processes or
conditions, or from experimental systems representing such processes
and conditions, including results from laboratory analyses.
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INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
Figure 4-2. ORD Research Planning Documents
ORD Research
Plans
Lab/Center
Research Plans
As needed:
• Division Research Plans
• Cross-Division Research
Plans
In-house or externally
under a contract or
cooperative agreement
Externally
under a grant
Laboratory
Implementation
Plans
Requests for
Applications
Quality Assurance
Project Plans
Quality
Assurance
Project Plans
*Each organization has its own quality assurance system, with its policies, procedures and structure described
in its Quality Management Plan.
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
Approved Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPPs),
or equivalent documents defined by the
organization's QMP, are implemented for all appli-
cable projects and tasks involving the collection or
use of environmental data. QAPPs define and
document the type and quality of data needed for
the project and how specific QA and QC activities
will be implemented and assessed during a particular
project. Data management and handling of docu-
mentation and records are also elements defined in a
QAPP EPA QA/R-5, "EPA Requirements for Quality
Assurance Project Plans for Environmental Data
Operations," specify the QAPP data management
requirements, which include:
• Describe the project data management scheme,
tracing the path of the data from their generation
in the field or laboratory to their final use or
storage.
• Describe or reference the standard record-keeping
procedures, document control system, and the
approach used for data storage and retrieval on
electronic media.
• Discuss the control mechanism for detecting and
correcting errors and for preventing loss of data
during data reduction (i.e., calculations), data
reporting, and data entry to forms, reports, and
databases.
• Identify and describe all data handling equipment
and procedures to process, compile, and analyze
data. This includes procedures for addressing
data generated as part of the project as well as
data from other sources.
• Include any required computer hardware and
software and address any specific performance
requirements for the hardware/software configu-
ration used. Describe the procedures that will be
followed to demonstrate acceptability of the
hardware/software configuration required.
The guidance document "Technical Guidance G-5
Data Management Appendix" (EPA QA/G-5) pro-
vides additional guidance on the range of scientific
and technical operations that involve generating,
collecting, manipulating, and archiving environmen-
tal data.
Centralized Coordination of Data
Management
The new ORD Science Information Management
Coordination Board will give more detailed consider-
ation to data collection, quality checking, and archi-
val issues, including the possible role of a centralized
data management function for ORD, such as that
performed by NASA's National Space Science Data
Center and NOAA's National Geophysical Data
Center.
Awareness: Strategy Component 2
ORD has long utilized traditional outreach mecha-
nisms (announcements, newsletters, publication lists,
etc.) to make potential users aware of its publications.
Under the awareness component of this IM strategy,
ORD will add to its outreach portfolio electronic
outreach via the Internet. Internet outreach will
enable ORD to greatly expand:
• The number of people within and outside the
Agency who are aware of ORD information
resources.
• The information resources they are aware of—
since the Internet offers the opportunity to readily
create and update comprehensive, searchable
directories of available information resources.2
Specific electronic outreach activities will include:
• Registering "ScienceNet"—ORD's home page and
"front door" on the Internet—with search services
that then will direct interested users to ORD's
home page. (The "Access" section provides more
information on ScienceNet.)
• Listing ScienceNet's Internet address in all printed
ORD publications.
• Establishing links from ScienceNet to other appro-
priate Internet sites and working to establish links
to ScienceNet from these sites.
• Establishing effective search capabilities and links
within ScienceNet so that users who access ORD's
home page will clearly know what types of ORD
information resources they can access and how.
As described in the "Access" section, some informa-
tion, such as draft reports and peer review docu-
ments, will be made available to selected EPA
personnel and external partners under the ORD-
wide Intranet or a special-purpose Intranet. For
these items, ORD will conduct more targeted elec-
tronic outreach, via such mechanisms as electronic
mail and brochures, to notify the appropriate audi-
ences when the material becomes available.
2 "Available information resources" can include a wide range of
information, such as electronic and hardcopy information, ORD and
external information, and data sets, databases and information products.
22
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
ORD also will take steps to increase awareness
among ORD staff of how to use the Internet as a
powerful research tool. Finally, ORD will conduct
outreach to publicize to ORD clients and stake-
holders the fact that ORD will be strategically
managing its information and making it available to
them.
Access: Strategy Component 3
ORD will continue to utilize some of the traditional
mechanisms for providing access to information—for
example, the Air and Radiation Docket, which
enables individuals to inspect and make copies of
documents—many of which have been in place for
some time. Now, the Internet and other state-of-the-
art information management technologies make it
possible for ORD to:
• Greatly expand who has access to ORD informa-
tion, how rapidly they can access it, and how
much information they have access to.
• Tailor access to specific users or groups as appro-
priate for certain types of information. This
tailoring is achieved by establishing limited access
networks, called Intranets, that can be used to
facilitate electronic information exchange among
targeted groups or individuals both within and
outside ORD.
Under this IM strategy, ORD will take full advantage
of these possibilities by using the Internet (and
specifically the World Wide Web) as the primary
vehicle for enabling access to ORD data and informa-
tion. Specifically, ORD will develop a coordinated
information network that provides electronic access
to its data and information through three mecha-
nisms:
• An ORD ScienceNet (i.e., ORD's home page) that
will be accessible by all EPA employees and the public
via the Internet.
• A series of Science Intranets that restrict access to
specific users who may include selected EPA staff,
ORD staff, and authorized partners.
• Local and Wide Area Networks (LAN/WANs),
which will be established for specific ORD user
groups.
These components of the ORD information network
are illustrated in Table 4-1 and described below.
ORD ScienceNet
As the "front door" to ORD's public scientific infor-
mation, the ORD ScienceNet will be designed to
provide a lively, exciting view of ORD's research.
Through ScienceNet, users will have access to the
published results of ORD research, which include
printed documents, reports, and journal articles, as
well as databases, data sets, models, and software
applications (Figure 4-3).
Using a variety of tools (see the "Specialized Tools"
section) available via the World Wide Web, users will
be able to access, search, and download this informa-
tion, as well as aggregate, manipulate, and analyze
downloaded data. The ability to aggregate data may
particularly aid environmental decision-makers, who
often must synthesize large amounts of information
during the decision-making process. For scientific
data, users will be able to access metadata that
describe the context and assumptions under which
the data were collected (see the "Specialized Tools"
section). Also, users will be able to link from the
ScienceNet website to other information or scientific
databases (such as STORET and Envirofacts) via
hypertext links.
ScienceNet will supplement and, where appropriate,
replace some of the more traditional delivery mecha-
nisms (such as mailing hard copy) that ORD has
historically used to disseminate information to the
scientific community and the public. This will
increase the effectiveness of ORD information
dissemination, while lowering the cost.
One goal for ScienceNet is that it serve as a model
and catalyst for creating two larger scientific informa-
tion networks:
• An EPA-wide ScienceNet that would include the
ORD ScienceNet.
• A broader U.S. ScienceNet developed
collaboratively by EPA and other federal research
agencies that would include EPA/ORD ScienceNet
as one of many components.
ORD Intranets
ORD will develop a series of Intranets to share its
internal scientific, management, and administrative
information among EPA and ORD personnel.
Intranets use the Internet to network computers
together. Access is limited to those individuals
whose computers are on the Intranet network. By
using the Internet, Intranets circumvent the user
incompatibility problems that may occur with
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
23
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
Table 4-1. ORD's Information Management Network
Network Component
What Information Will Be Available?
Who Will Have Access?
ORD ScienceNet
ORD information appropriate for release to
the public. For example, users will be able
to access published reports, data
sets/databases, and grant & fellowship
information.
All EPA employees and the
public
ORD Intranets
EPA-Wide Intranet
ORD-Wide Intranet
Special-Purpose Intranets
ORD information appropriate for use
within the Agency. For example, EPA
programs will have ready access to draft
research plans and can comment
electronically.
ORD information appropriate for
distribution within ORD. ORD currently
has an Intranet established for use by ORD
employees.
ORD information relating to specific
research projects or groups within ORD.
All EPA personnel
ORD staff and authorized EPA
and external partners
Specific groups within ORD
ORD LAN/WAN Access
ORD electronic mail and specific
administrative functions, such as OMIS.
All ORD staff
LANs—such as incompatibility between PCs and
LAN software. The ORD Intranets will have two
important purposes:
• First, they will provide access to materials that are
either not relevant or appropriate for broader
public access. These include:
• Draft documents not yet cleared for public
access.
• Internal databases.
• Administrative information in ORD's Manage-
ment Information System needed for account-
ability, performance, and results tracking.
• Second, the ORD Intranets will provide a valuable
mechanism for facilitating internal ORD processes
that require a high degree of coordination—such
as developing risk assessments, peer review,
project collaboration, and coauthoring or review-
ing draft documents. Temporary and permanent
ORD Intranets can be established to accommodate
these needs.
To fulfill these two purposes, ORD will establish two
types of Intranets:
• A permanent ORD-Wide Intranet restricted to
ORD staff and authorized EPA and external
partners. This Intranet has already been estab-
lished.
• Special-purpose Intranets to serve the particular
communication and coordination needs of specific
ORD groups, including established groups (such
as a particular ORD Laboratory or Center) and ad
hoc groups that exist for limited periods to con-
duct specific projects. Special-purpose Intranets
will be created on an as-needed basis. They may
be permanent or temporary.
The Intranets essentially will replace some of the
current uses of ORD's LAN/WAN systems. To make
the transition to Intranets as efficient, effective, and
user-friendly as possible, the Intranet capabilities will
build on and integrate the current LAN/WAN
systems.
LAN/WAN
In recent years, ORD's LAN/WAN systems have
served as the primary venue for internal ORD
communication. LAN/WAN information transfer is
primarily accomplished by a gateway server that
transmits information via dedicated lines to servers
24
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
Figure 4-3. The ORD ScienceNet
ORD
ScienceNet
How do I find
information on
the risk of
specific
chemicals?
How do I obtain
benthic
monitoring data?
How do I locate
documents
related to the
proposed Cancer
Guidelines?
How do I find out
what research
ORD is
conducting?
How do I apply
for a fellowship?
Integrated Risk
Information System
(IRIS) Home Page
Environmental
Monitoring and
Assessment Program
(EMAP) Home Page
Located in the Air &
Radiation Docket
(address for public
inspection and copying
and mailing addresses)
Index
to ORD Research
Information
NCERQA
Home Page
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
at various ORD laboratories and/or via the Internet
to targeted recipients.
As mentioned above, ORD will shift certain LAN/
WAN uses to the Intranet where the latter approach
offers important advantages. However, where it
does not, ORD will continue to use, and will enhance
as appropriate, its existing Local and Wide Area
Networks. Future uses envisioned for the LAN/WAN
systems include:
• Electronic mail and groupware such as Lotus
Notes.
• Various scientific and administrative software
applications such as GIS, visualization, and
statistical tools that are not yet Internet enabled.
• Certain administrative and management func-
tions, such as OMIS.
Status of Access Components
Internet Operating Plan
Development of ORD's electronic information
network is well underway. ORD's National Risk
Management Research Laboratory in Cincinnati,
Ohio, is finalizing an Internet Operating Plan that
defines the resources, policy oversight, and services
ORD will need to achieve its electronic information
access goals—including development of the ORD
ScienceNet and the ORD Intranets. The Internet
Operating Plan will form the basis for ensuring that
the ORD ScienceNet and Intranets are state-of-the-
art information management systems supported by
up-to-date telecommunication and other transmis-
sion equipment.
Development of ScienceNet
In addition to the operating plan discussed above,
ORD will inventory current electronic products
already created by ORD staff and determine which
should reside on or be linked to on the ORD
ScienceNet. Candidates for ScienceNet include
ORD-relevant databases (an inventory of these
databases is provided as Appendix C) and the home
pages that already have been created by many ORD
groups.
Status of OMIS Implementation
This action also is well underway. By the end of
FY97, OMIS will hold complete and organizationally
consistent information on ORD research projects and
tasks, commitments, obligations, and expenditures;
grants and contracts; and training plans. This
information will be updated on an annual basis.
Currently, ORD staff access OMIS via the ORD's
LAN/WAN system. One action item for OMIS is to
decide whether to shift OMIS access to the ORD
Intranet. This decision will be made after evaluating
the potential benefits of such a change.
LAN/WAN Maintenance
LAN/WAN systems already are well established at
ORD. ORD will continue and, where appropriate,
enhance their use to support electronic mail, some
administrative and management functions (e.g.,
OMIS), and limited file sharing (O-drive) capabilities.
Incentives for Sharing Data
In addition to expanding access to information
through better use of information technologies, ORD
will promote an organizational culture of sharing
data. Examples of how ORD will more strongly
encourage this include:
• Establishing an internal reward system for re-
searchers who publish data sets.
• Developing a policy that affords researchers a
certain time period for data collection, analysis,
and publication, after which the data will be
generally available to others.
• Requiring that milestones for data delivery be
included in ORD Research Plans.
• Requiring that an external grant-holder submit
data collected during the research project, along
with appropriate documentation, for subsequent
use by other researchers.
As part of its implementation planning, the ORD
Science Information Management Coordination
Board will expand on these four examples and fully
address how ORD should establish mandates and
incentives for individual researchers and programs
to make their data and information generally avail-
able.
Usability: Strategy Component 4
Usability—making sure that the access system as
well as the data and information provided by the
system are usable to internal and external users—is
vital to the success of this IM strategy. This is true for
ORD's traditional access mechanisms as well as the
more recent electronic ones. To optimize usability
ORD must:
• Design the information access mechanism/network
to meet users needs (described in Section 3) in as
complete and efficient as manner as possible.
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INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
• Provide the infrastructure and support to enable
ORD staff to place important information on the
system in a timely manner, manage the informa-
tion, and effectively utilize the hardware and
software components of the system.
• Ensure that adequate documentation can be
obtained so that ORD data and information that is
located and retrieved is also usable.
Though a robust infrastructure will require invest-
ment, the potential returns are substantial. As
discussed in Section 3, a well-functioning informa-
tion management system will greatly enhance ORD's
internal functions and external profile.
Usability involves a number of components:
• Security and access control.
• Training.
• Standards.
• User support services.
• Navigational aids.
• Policies.
• Specialized tools.
• Specialized information resources.
These components are discussed below. The follow-
ing text box on "Cars and Information Systems"
provides insight into why they are important.
Security and Access Control
Security measures guard against hackers who seek to
tamper with information and damage information
systems. Access controls ensure that only authorized
users can create, read, modify, and delete informa-
tion. Access control is particularly important for
sensitive information, such as personnel and budget
data.
A well-managed and adequately staffed security and
access control program is essential to safeguard the
integrity of the information and data that will be
housed in ORD's system. Without these safeguards,
ORD would be vulnerable to accidental and deliber-
ate disruptions to its ability to use its information.
Such disruptions can be very expensive.
Using guidance from EPA's Office of Information
Resources Management, ORD will perform an in-
depth security risk assessment that covers all ORD
data centers. Based on the outcome of this assess-
ment, ORD will take the required steps to ensure the
integrity of its data collection. These steps will
include:
Of Cars and Information Systems: Why Usability is Important
Driving a car provides a useful analogy for why usability is vital to a successful information system. Just as drivers need far
more than cars to reach their destinations, information consumers need far more than technology (hardware and soft-
ware) alone to successfully access and use information. In both cases, success depends on a robust infrastructure:
• Security and access control/permission. Automobile drivers need "permissions" to drive—insurance, registration,
driver's licenses, etc. Computer users need analogous permissions, such as valid software licenses and authorizations
to create, read, modify, and delete appropriate categories of information.
• Training. Computer users need their own version of "driver's ed": a well-conceived training program that teaches
them how to use their information technology efficiently and take advantage of new software applications.
• Standards and policies. Standards establishing rules of conduct are crucial for safe and pleasant driving. Likewise,
baseline standards and policies for information technology are important to make users' experiences predictable,
productive, and even pleasant. For example, ORD users would benefit from clear and concise policies about sharing
data and information, security practices, and training.
• User support services. Drivers need support services, including service stations and other facilities, to help them
when they require assistance. Similarly, computer users need user support services to help them when their computer
"breaks down" or when they get "lost" in cyberspace.
• Navigational aids. Drivers need navigational systems, including signs, signals, and maps, to help them reach their
destination efficiently and safely. Information users need equivalent aids to help them navigate around information
resources. These may include, for example, metadata that explain how information was developed and aid under-
standing of how it can be used and standard mechanisms to help users understand where they are and how to "go
home."
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
27
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
• Developing security policies, procedures, and
standards that leverage security documentation
and tools already used by the Agency.
• Investigating tools that can aid ORD in meeting its
security objectives in a client/server and Internet
environment.
Training
ORD traditionally has relied on Agency-sponsored
training on discrete topics. Training sessions have
tended to use conventional formats, such as topic
experts training relatively small groups. This ap-
proach has limitations. In particular, it tends to
create a situation where the educational needs of
ORD staff are met sporadically and inconsistently.
For information management, ORD needs a compre-
hensive, coordinated, and strategic approach to
training to ensure that:
• All staff receive training in basic skill areas neces-
sary for information use.
• More specialized training in a timely manner is
available to those who need it.
To achieve these goals, ORD will expand its portfolio
of training approaches to include computer-based
training, video conferencing, and outsourcing
training. Also, ORD will develop and deliver to ORD
staff:
• An ongoing training and certification program for
core competencies in the basic ORD information
environment.
• As-needed training for higher levels of expertise in
key areas such as GIS and risk assessment.
Standards
ORD will search out and adopt appropriate informa-
tion management standards at the highest level
applicable, for example, those developed and pro-
mulgated by ISO, ANSI, and NIST When appropri-
ate standards do not exist, ORD will develop them to
ensure that its information is usable. For scientific
data, standards will include descriptive information
about the data (metadata). For example, ORD staff
will be better able to utilize archived scientific data
for future research if they have access to metadata
they can use to evaluate the quality, relevance, and
practical utility of the archived data (see also the
"Specialized Tools" section).
Currently, descriptive elements and quality assur-
ance codes established in 1987 under the EPA Stan-
dards for the Electronic Transmission of Laboratory
Measurement Results (EPA Order 2180.2) are the only
scientific metadata requirements available. These
requirements will be updated, expanded to cover
field data, and made consistent with ORD record
retention schedules.
The Agency has a number of other standards that
address various aspects of information management:
• Uniform Rulemaking Docket Manual.
• Facility Identification Standard.
• EPA Hardware and Software Standards.
• Security Audit Standards for LANs and PCs (i.e.,
Enterprise Security Manager).
These standards will be updated as needed to
respond to the additional needs of ORD's new
information management approach.
User Support Services
ORD users will need support services to help them
when they have questions or encounter difficulties.
Since user needs will vary considerably, ORD will
develop a broad spectrum of service response
mechanisms as it implements this strategic plan.
Examples of the types of support services ORD may
provide to its users include:
• An electronic "HELP" menu to assist users by topic
area—much like the help menu in a software
package. The help menu will be included as an
integral component of directories, catalogs, and
dictionaries (see the "Specialized Tools" section).
• An electronic mail and/or telephone hotline, staffed by
IM specialists to aid users in locating, accessing,
collecting, and analyzing data. When developing
the hotline, ORD will research current EPA
hotlines to identify appropriate models for the IM
hotline.
• A published (electronic) inventory of ORD IM special-
ists and their respective areas of expertise, as well
as extramural data processing and analysis
mechanisms available to Agency users.
Navigational Aids
ORD information usability will benefit from a
navigational framework that includes standard
mechanisms to help users understand where they
are in information space, how to "go home," how to
get "help," and so on. For key information areas,
28
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
such as risk assessment, the equivalent of "tour
guides" may prove very useful for helping ORD
researchers understand how they can apply these
information resources in their work.
ORD will integrate into ORD ScienceNet a naviga-
tional framework that includes standard web search
engines and the ability to easily browse ORD's
information (Figure 4-3). The ScienceNet also will
contain a "highlights" section that will focus on novel
applications of IM technologies in environmental
research, many of which will come from ORD's own
research programs.
In addition, ORD will develop topic search agents
that ORD staff can use to automatically search the
Internet and locate information pertinent to their
research.
Policies
Appropriate policies are crucial for fostering informa-
tion use. ORD may want to establish a policy
encouraging the sharing and publication of informa-
tion, based on a reward system for researchers who
publish data sets. Another simple example involves
"credit and control." Information suppliers want
credit for the information they supply, typically in
the form of appropriate citations and acknowledg-
ments comparable to the norm in scientific publica-
tions. Similarly, they want to feel they have some
control over how the information they supply is
used. These issues can be addressed by simple
policies that promote adequate documentation of:
• Data sources and contacts.
• The purpose for which the data were collected.
• The documented quality of the data.
• The fact that the data were validated as appropri-
ate for the intended use.
The federal government, EPA and ORD currently
have a number of policy and guidance materials for
using ORD information systems, including:
• IRM Policy Manual (2100).
• IRM Privacy Act Manual (2190).
• System Design and Development Guidance.
• EPA Operation and Maintenance Manual.
• Records Management Manual.
• Enterprise Technology Services Division (OIRM/
ETSD) Operational Directives.
While these policies are largely sufficient in their
current form, not everyone in ORD is familiar with
them, and overlap and conflict among all of these
policies undoubtedly exists. ORD will first reconcile
differences and fill gaps in the policy and guidance
materials and then widely disseminate them among
its staff through training programs. It will provide
regular oversight and support to ensure that these
policies are implemented.
Specialized Tools
Some ORD information users will need specialized
tools that synthesize, analyze, and display data and
information to generate new information and
knowledge. Key tool categories include:
• Geographic Information Systems.
• Statistical tools.
• Computer models of all sorts (including those
needed for risk assessment and risk management).
• Visualization systems that help users visualize
what data mean.
ORD will identify priority needs for these tools and
make sure they are available to ORD and external
users who need them.
One particularly noteworthy tool that ORD will
provide to make its science data more usable is a
searchable "directory/catalog/dictionary" database
system that will be available on the ORD ScienceNet.
From the ScienceNet, this database tool will enable
any user to rapidly search ORD's science data
collections, identify data relevant to the user's
particular need, understand its constraints, and
determine whether it is useful for the user's purpose.
The directory, catalog, and dictionary components of
this system are illustrated in Figure 4-4 and described
below.
Directory
The ORD directory will consist of a database contain-
ing information about the scientific information
products produced by or relevant to the ORD
mission. Types of information products include data
sets, databases, models, projects, analytical products,
and documents.
The ORD data directory will provide sufficient
information to enable ScienceNet users to determine
which of the available ORD science data products (or
objects) may be relevant to their needs. For each
product (or object), the directory will provide
information on:
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
29
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
Figure 4-4. Components of a Searchable Database (the DCD System) that Will Describe the Information
Available on ORD ScienceNet
A DIRECTORY contains initial
information about ORD data and
information products
Directory
A CATALOG contains more
detailed information on ORD
data and information products
Catalog
A DICTIONARY contains
information about individual
components of data sets
Dictionary
• Why the data were collected.
• Who collected the data.
• Where the data were collected.
• How they were collected.
• When they were collected.
• The format of the data set.
• What fields the data set includes.
• Other information as appropriate.
Catalog
The ORD catalog provides an evaluation mechanism
to assist consumers in deciding if a product, such as a
model or data set, will be useful in meeting their
needs. The ORD catalog will provide detailed
information on:
• The general purpose for which the data were
collected.
• The originator of the data.
• Sampling and laboratory methods.
• Descriptions of the data and any manipulations or
transformations of the data.
• Related quality control/quality assurance measure-
ments.
• Procedures necessary for data access.
• References to publications that use the data set.
The level of detail provided in the ORD catalog will
allow most data users to decide whether the data are
adequate for the intended use.
Dictionary
A dictionary provides a further level of detail for
science data users: descriptive information about
individual fields or attributes in data sets and databases.
This is in contrast to the directory and catalog that
relate information to entire data sets (as well as other
types of information products).
Status of DCD System Implementation
ORD's National Center for Environmental Assess-
ment currently is assisting EPA Region 10, the Office
of Water Surf Your Watershed program, OIRM's
Envirofacts, and ORD NERL in developing and
implementing a directory, catalog, and dictionary
(DCD) system called the Environmental Information
Management System (EIMS) to manage environmen-
tal data relevant to assessment activities. These
systems are currently operational.
The EIMS is being evaluated for use as an Agency-
wide metadata management system. The ORD EIMS
will be available to users through the World Wide
Web and will have the following capabilities:
• The directory and catalog have both update and
browse capability.
• The catalog will provide detailed information on
the quality of data sets, the methods employed to
create the data sets, and other information con-
sumers can use to determine the appropriateness
of the data for their purposes.
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Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
• The dictionary will provide information for all
fields within the ORD data set and database
collection. It will be fully integrated and
nonredundant with the directory and catalog.
To be successful, ORD's DCD system must be
supported by a strong data administration program
that establishes:
• What documentation ORD staff should provide to
the system.
• How they should provide it.
• Where to provide it.
• When to provide it.
• Who is responsible for providing it.
• Why it should be provided.
ORD will develop data administration policies,
standards, and procedures that address these
questions and establish consistent ground rules for
both contributors and consumers of ORD metadata
to follow when populating and using the DCD
system.
Specialized Information Resources
Some ORD users will need specialized information
resources that come from suppliers outside of ORD
and, often, outside of EPA. A good example is remote
sensing data. For research themes like ecosystem
protection, remote sensing data can provide tremen-
dously improved insights and synergy with other
data.
ORD will survey its staff to determine which special-
ized data resources are needed. Then ORD will
work with the providers of these data (such as the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration and
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion) and use interagency mechanisms (such as the
Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
and its subcommittees and task forces) to make its
needs known. Finally, ORD will prepare a compen-
dium of specialized data resources with information
about what they contain and how to access them and
distribute the compendium to ORD staff.
ORD Science Information Management
Coordination Board
The newly formed ORD Science Information Man-
agement Coordination Board, as described in Section
1, will be responsible for developing implementation
plans for this strategy and for recommending an
appropriate FY1998 and 1999 budget to support
high-priority ORD science information systems
infrastructure.
Timing
The need for IM capabilities within ORD is so great
that many IM activities or systems already are being
implemented by individuals or groups within ORD.
This is inherently inefficient because the time and
resources to establish these systems independently is
far greater than a coordinated effort. Also, the end
results often are incompatible with other ORD
systems or, at the very least, far less accessible and
useful to others than they could be. For example,
several large ORD initiatives, such as the Environ-
mental Monitoring and Assessment Program
(EMAP), have an urgent need for a coordinated data
management system. If ORD does not implement a
Range of IM Needs Among ORD Laboratories and Centers
The primary mission of ORD's three Laboratories is to conduct research. This generally involves collecting and analyz-
ing large amounts of data. The initial users of these data are the ORD and cooperating scientists conducting the
research.
By contrast, the mission of ORD's National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) is to provide support for ORD
and stakeholder use of risk assessment and conduct risk assessments as a secondary data user. NCEA typically
synthesizes data generated by ORD Laboratory research, conducts secondary analysis of this data (e.g., uses it to
perform a risk assessment), and disseminates the results to its customers and stakeholders.
With its grants and fellowship program management, quality assurance, and peer review responsibilities, ORD's
National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance (NCERQA) has yet another distinct set of information
management needs to be able to provide adequate management for ORD's extramural grant and fellowship programs
and ensure that the best approaches to environmental data quality and documentation are incorporated throughout
ORD.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
31
-------
Strategy for Managing ORD's Information
coordinated IM strategy in the very near future, this
program and others likely will be forced to act on
their own to stay on schedule with the project goals
and milestones.
In general, the more time that passes before an ORD-
wide IM system can be created, the greater will be
the inefficiencies and the greater will be the cost to
integrate existing IM components into a unified
system.
External Coordination
Many organizations within and outside EPA are
planning for and implementing information manage-
ment systems for a variety of purposes. The Board
will need to be proactive in contacting and communi-
cating with other groups in EPA, with ORD's stake-
holders, and with our partners to obtain feedback on
this plan before and during implementation and to
stay abreast of and coordinate with initiatives, plans,
and programs related to our IM efforts. This coordi-
nation will be accomplished in part by the outreach
activities discussed earlier in this section, which will
serve to make ORD's stakeholders and partners
within and outside the Agency aware of ORD's IM
activities. For example, in the near term, the Board
will need to coordinate with EPA's efforts to imple-
ment a consolidated planning, budgeting, and
accountability system. Also, as described in Section
1, the Board should coordinate with EPA in its efforts
to comply with the Information Technology Manage-
ment Reform Act.
Successful implementation of ORD's IM Strategic
Plan will also require substantive input and involve-
ment by all ORD Laboratories, Centers, and Offices.
Therefore, during the execution of this plan over the
coming years, an effective staffing structure with
sufficient management support and resources to
operate effectively and responsively will be crucial to
ensuring ORD-wide coordination and participation.
This is particularly important because ORD is a large
organization distributed across the United States
(Appendix D), which heightens both the need for
and challenges of ORD-wide IM management and
coordination.
Each of ORD's five Laboratories and Centers and
three Offices currently has its own IM staff (see Table
4-2) responsible for meeting the internal IM needs of
its own researchers, managers, and administrative
personnel in a way that aligns with its mission. What
is currently lacking is a unifying mechanism provid-
ing cohesion and overarching coordination among
these staff on an organizational level. It is, therefore,
recommended that the Board initially look not only
at resource needs, but at a staffing structure that will
enable ORD's IM staff to more effectively coordinate
IM activities across ORD. The challenge for ORD
will be to increase coordination, training opportuni-
ties, and other support to our scientists and engi-
neers, while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.
32
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
-------
O
Z
n
o
*a
O
1
liable 4-2.
Current ORD Information Management Staff* 1
Computer Information Technical Computer
Specialist/ Management Information Graphic/Visual
Engineer/ Specialist/ Specialist/ Information Management/
Organization Site Assistant Assistant Assistant Specialist Program Analyst
HQ
NCEA
NCERQA
NERL
NHEERL
NRMRL
Washington, DC
RTRNC
Washington, DC
Cincinnati, OH
RTRNC
Washington, DC
RTRNC
Cincinnati, OH
Las Vegas, NV
Athens, GA
RTRNC
Narragansett, RI
Corvallis, OR
Duluth, MN
Gulf Breeze, FL
Cincinnati, OH
Ada, OK
RTRNC
4 3
I
6 1
1 1
1
1
6
1
2 1 1
1 1
10 2 11
111
1 1
1 1
7 1
1
1
Scientist, Engineer,
or Mathematician
1
1
2
s?
2
ORGANIZATIONAL ABBREVIATIONS:
HQ - Headquarters
NCEA - National Center for Environmental Assessment
NCERQA - National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance
NERL - National Exposure Research Laboratory
NHEERL - National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
NRMRL - National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Many of these individuals perform duties outside the strict definition of information management, such as responding to Freedom of Information Act requests, producing risk assessments and other
documents, managing contracts, and handling review and clearance of products.
31
?
3
00
O
79
q
V?
I
§
-------
Appendix A:
The Information Technology
Management Reform Act of 1 996
(ITMRA)
A fundamental change in the way government
agencies perform the work of information manage-
ment was signed into law in February 1996. The
ITMRA repeals large portions of the Brooks Act and
establishes a new statutory scheme for information
technology management and acquisition. The
ITMRA formally establishes the position of Chief
Information Officer (CIO). The CIO must put in
place a process to meet new requirements for Infor-
mation Technology Capital Planning and Investment
Control.
The CIO will consider mission accomplishment first
in approving major systems, overarching policies,
agency acquisition strategies and budget. Policy
issues will be resolved before major system automat-
ing efforts begin.
These new requirements raise several challenges for
the Agency to meet the goal of the Act, namely to
maximize the value of our investments in informa-
tion technology while minimizing risks:
• Work Process Reengineering as a prerequisite
before investing in automation, along with
determining whether processes should even be
automated or should be performed by entities
other than EPA. If we are going to continue to do
the work, we must insure that we automate the
best approach to the work.
• Return on Investment, including explicit measures
of cost and benefits to be realized, as well as cost
avoidance, and least costing option. In many
cases, the risk on investment will not necessarily
be all quantitative but qualitative as well. Invest-
ments will be ranked and prioritized that meet
Agency thresholds ($25 million/life cycle, $5
million /year). Questions of aggregation of
technology and the application of granularity
must be answered.
• Risk Management, including explicit criteria for
evaluating risk, leading to relative rankings of the
associated risks across IT projects considered for
investment.
• Performance Measurement, leading to tracking of
systems as being on time and on budget plus
meeting requirements objectives. The legislation
specifies that the Agency must achieve a 5%
reduction in costs due to automation.
• Portfolio Management, including dealing with
systems in several stages of life cycle, risk, and
cost. Major investments must come before an
investment board (i.e., EPAs Executive Steering
Committee) with an accompanying Business Case
Analysis that will summarize the mission benefit
as well as the newly introduced Return on Invest-
ment and Risk measures.
• We must define investment and thresholds which
includes the ongoing costs of operating systems,
all life cycle investment, and at the appropriate
level of management, rank and prioritize these
systems based upon mission accomplishment.
EPA must merge the existing and new processes to
the greatest extent possible to create the necessary
Capital Planning and Investment Control process.
Action
ORD must approach each information technology
investment as a business case and apply rigorous cost
benefit analyses. An Agency-wide architectural
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
35
-------
Appendix A
process has begun that will drive home the need for
a cultural change. The fundamental change required
is that no added costs or time delays to systems may
be incurred. We must begin now to:
\. Invest human resources in the Strategic Informa-
tion Technology Architecture Plan (SITAP) process.
2. Participate in the ITMRA Capital Planning and
Investment Control Strategic Project Committee to
define the Agency process for capital planning
and investment control, determine best practices,
and implement the new method of determining
information technology investments.
36 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
-------
Appendix B:
ORD's Strategic Research Planning
Process
As described in Section 1, ORD has instituted a
strategic planning process to determine research
priorities based on risk assessment and risk manage-
ment principles. This process was finalized in 1996
and published in the Strategic Plan for the Office of
Research and Development. This strategic plan estab-
lished the framework by which ORD determines the
highest priority research to which intramural and
extramural research efforts are directed.
The risk-based research planning process involves
soliciting stakeholder input, identifying potential
research topics, evaluating these topics to select the
most appropriate ones for ORD's research agenda,
and then defining specific research needs for the
selected topics. Once ORD has identified specific
research needs, plans are developed that define long-
term directions as well as the immediate research
that will be carried out during the next few years.
The ORD laboratories then prepare plans that
describe how they will implement the intramural
component of the research, and complementary
solicitations are prepared for extramural research
that will be carried out by universities and other
research institutions. Research is conducted based
on these plans; the research products are delivered to
stakeholders and provide input into the next strate-
gic planning cycle. Steps in the research planning
process include:
Obtaining EPA and Stakeholder Input. The first
step in ORD's research planning process involves
seeking input from all parts of EPA (including
ORD and the EPA Program and Regional Offices),
as well as external stakeholders, to identify the
most important and relevant areas for our re-
search efforts. At this stage, we also consider the
status and results of our recent research activities.
Based on this information, we identify potential
research topics.
Selecting Research Topics. We narrow the pool of
potential research topics by retaining only those
that are either within ORD's mission or clearly
mandated. To the mission-related topics, we
apply a series of human health, ecological health,
methods/models, and risk management criteria to
compare the topics according to their potential to
support effective risk reduction and/or produce
broadly applicable results. We then further
narrow the pool of topics by retaining only those
where ORD can make a significant contribution to
environmental science. Based on this analysis, we
prioritize the research topics.
Determining Specific Research Needs. For each
selected topic, we then determine what the
specific research needs are within each compo-
nent of the risk paradigm (effects, exposure, risk
assessment, risk management). As appropriate,
we may develop strategic plans for broad,
overarching topic areas to guide more detailed
planning.
Detailed Planning. The next step involves
translating these needs into a research program.
At this stage, we develop detailed research plans
for each project. We also develop operating and
laboratory implementation plans for each project
to be conducted intramurally or under a contract
or cooperative agreement. We develop Requests
for Applications for projects to be conducted
under grants.
Conducting the Research. Once planning is
completed, the research is conducted intramurally
or extramurally. The research products and
results provide input into future planning efforts.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
37
-------
oo
Relationship of IM Planning to ORD's Research Planning Process
•a
n
a
ORD Research Planning Process
o
H
n
o
o
ORD Labs
Programs &
Regions
External
Science
Community
Industry
Others
IM planning
takes place
at these stages
ofORD's
planning
process:
Potential
Research
Topics
Examples:
• Particulate
matter in air
• Integrated
ecosystem
protection
• Endocrine
disrupters
• Etc.
Research
Products
Prioritize
Using Risk-
Based
Criteria
Human health
& ecosystem
research
Risk
management
research
Risk
assessment
methods &
models
research
Technical
support
Conduct
Research
Research
Plans & Lab
Implementa-
tion Plans or
RFA's
Initiate
Detailed
Planning
Define
Specific
Research
Needs
Within the
Risk
Paradigm
RISK PARADIGM
Research
Topic
Effects
Exp.
Risk
Assess.
Risk
Mgmt.
-------
Recommendations for Integrating IM Planning Into the Development of ORD Research Planning Documents
Planning Document
Description
Contents
Current Guidance on
IM Planning
Recommendations for
IM Planning
ORD Research Plans Delineate overarching research strategies in the
broad topic areas identified for ORD research
(e.g., ecosystem protection, drinking water).
Used by ORD and its stakeholders, including
peer review panels, EPA Program and Regional
Offices, and external stakeholders.
ORD Research Plans describe:
How and why the topic was selected for ORD research (i.e.,
what criteria were applied, who the research clients are, and
how the research will meet their needs).
Specific research efforts and major products.
ORD Guidelines for Research Plans
(October 13,1995) do not
require that Research Plans
address IM planning.
ORDs Guidelines for Research
Plans should formally
incorporate a requirement that
ORD Research Plans describe
a general approach for
managing the data and
information that will be
generated by the research.
Laboratory, Center Research
Plans
Prepared by ORD's National Laboratories and
Centers as planning tools to identify, prioritize,
and justify their overall programs.
Lab/Center Research Plans:
Broadly define major research areas.
Describe anticipated products or accomplishments and how
the research will contribute to addressing /reolving Agency
problems. Provide information on the current research
program and future directions.
There currently are no formal
guidelines for preparing these
plans.
These research plans should
describe a general approach
for managing the data and
information that will be
generated by the research
project.
Divisional Research Plans
O
Prepared by individual division within an ORD
Laboratory or Center, these research plans
define, prioritize, and justify the research
program to be conducted by the division.
Divisional Research Plans:
Provide detailed information on specific research areas,
disciplines, or themes.
Describe the relationship of the research to specific ORD
research strategies.
Describe the anticipated products/accomplishments and
how they will contribute to addressing/resolving identified
data gaps.
There currently are no formal
guidelines for preparing these
plans.
These research plans should
describe a general approach
for managing the data and
information that will be
generated by the research
project.
n
o
"d
O
Cross-Divisional Research
Plans
Prepared by cross-divisional research teams,
these plans describe research to be conducted
collaboratively across divisions within or across
ORD Laboratories and Centers.
Cross-Divisional Research Plans describe the:
Problem and its importance.
Research approaches.
Anticipated research products/accomplishments.
There currently are no formal
guidelines for preparing these
plans.
These research plans should
describe a general approach
for managing the data and
information that will be
generated by the research
project.
Laboratory Implementation
Plans (LIPS)
Prepared by ORD Laboratories for all research
to be conducted in-house or under a contract or
cooperative agreement. Used by ORD
managers and scientists to track and prioritize
products (reports, data and metadata,
publications) that present the science data and
information gathered by the research. All LIP
information resides in the LIP module of the
ORD Management Information System (OMIS).
Laboratory Implementation Plans:
Provide detailed descriptions of the specific research
projects and tasks to be conducted.
Include data on extramural resources and FTEs (full-time
equivalents), products to be generated, and the acquisition
or assistance mechanism for the research.
Show how the resources will be used to implement the
research programs and objectives.
Divides the research into a set of discrete tasks, each
assigned a unique task number.
Specify what mechanism will be used to conduct the task
(i.e., intramural, contract, cooperative agreement) and what
products (i.e., research plans, reports, etc.) will be generated
under the task.
There currently are no formal
guidelines for preparing these
plans.
LIPs should describe the
specific tasks and resources
needed to effectively manage
the data and information that
will be generated by the
research.
1
a.
S"
08
-------
Planning Document
Recommendations for Integrating IM Planning Into the Development of ORD Research Planning Documents
Description
Contents
Current Guidance on
IM Planning
Recommendations for
IM Planning
•a
n
a
Request for Applications
(RFAs)
Prepared under ORD's Sdence to Achieve
Results (STAR) Program to solicit investigator-
initiated grant applications from universities
and other external research institutions in areas
of special interest to EPA's mission.
RFAs specify the requirements and provisions for the
research grant. As appropriate, RFAs may also:
Require the investigator to summarize in the proposal the
plans for data management.
Make these plans one of the selection criteria.
Require that the investigator submit data collected during
the project, along with appropriate documentation, to an
EPA data archive for subsequent distribution and use by
other investigators.
Require the investigator to describe in the proposal how the
data will be preserved and made available to others for
future research studies.
There currently are no formal
guidelines for preparing RFAs.
When preparing an RFA, ORD
should consider the need for
IM planning and incorporate
requirements for IM planning
into RFAs as appropriate on a
case-by-case basis. IM plans
submitted in the grant
proposal would then be peer-
reviewed along with the rest
of the proposal.
O
H
n
o
o
Quality Assurance Project
Plans (QAPPs)
Prepared for all applicable projects and tasks
involving collection or use of environmental
data, to define QA/QC activities and records.
Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPPs):
Define and document the type and quality of the data
needed to meet the intended use of the project.
Describe how specific quality assurance and quality control
activities will be implemented, assessed and documented
during a particular project.
EPA QA/R-2 and R-5 require
that data management and
handling of documentation and
records be defined in a QAPP
Particular attention should be
focused on documenting
requirements of scientific data
users, involving them in user
acceptance testing and
documenting test results as
well as recordkeeping for
baseline system and software
applications and data and
subsequent change
management.
-------
Appendix C:
Inventory of ORD-Related Databases
[Compiled by Sidney Draggan, February 27, 1996]
Name
(• denotes Multiagency)
Description
[Number of Sites]
Responsible
EPA Organization
Contact/
Telephone
World Wide Web/
Internet/Source
Air and *Clean Air Status and Trends
Radiation Network (CASTNet)
Deposition network quantifying status and trends of air
emissions, depositions and air quality [EPA 51/Total 235].
Office of Research and Rick Linthurst
Development, NERL 919.541.4909
Jay Messer
919.541.1425
EPA/60 O/A-94/194
Deposition of atmospheric trace elements and nutrients in
precipitation to the Great Lakes [EPA 7].
Identify persistent and bioaccumulative toxic pollutants,
estimate their total deposition, and determine sources and
relative loadings to the Great Lakes [5].
o
"IMPROVE
Establish current background visibility levels; identify
chemical species and emissions sources responsible for
existing manmade visibility impairment and document
long-term spatial and temporal trends [53].
*NAMS/SLAMS/SPM
Air quality data for areas with high pollutant
concentrations and high population exposure [507].
n
o
"d
O
*PAMS
Comprehensive and representative data on ozone
pollution non-attainment areas [144].
Aerometric Information
Retrieval System (AIRS)
National repository for airborne pollution in the United
States and various World Health Organization (WHO)
member countries.
Office of Air Quality
Planning and
Standards; Information
Transfer and Program
Integration Division
1-800-333-7909
http ://www. epa. gov/
airs/airs.html
(AQS) Air Quality Subsystem
Contains measurements of air pollutants and
meteorological data from about 10,000 monitoring stations
operated by EPA, state and local agencies, and WHO
member countries.
(AFS) AIRS Facility Contains data for nearly 150,000 air pollution point
Subsystem sources monitored by the U.S. EPA and/or state and local
air regulatory agencies.
(GCS) Geographic, Common,
and Maintenance Subsystem
Contains reference data shared by the AQS, AFS, and AG
subsystems.
(AG) AIRS Graphics Integrates data from multiple AIRS subsystems into maps
and charts that show patterns, trends, and anomalies in
air pollution data.
(AE) AIRS Executive
An IBM PC program that contains a select subset of data
extracted from the AIRS database.
•a
n
I
H'
Support Center for Provides regulatory air quality model computer code, Office of Air Quality
Regulatory Air Models meteorological data, documentation, and modeling Planning and
(SCRAM) guidance. Standards
-------
^i
O
o
n
i
"d
O
.... Name
Medium .„, . .. . . .
(• denotes Multiagency)
Clearinghouse for
Inventories/Emission Factors
(CHIEF)
UV-B Monitoring
Southern Oxidants Study
(SOS)
An Operation System for
Predicting the Population
Health Effects from Disposal
of Radioactive Waste by
Shallow Trenches
(PRESTO -POP)
Indoor Air Quality in Large
Office Buildings
PerFluorocarbon [?] Tracer
Database
Source Ranking Database
Temporal Allocation Factors
File (TAFF)
Solvent Alternatives GuidE
(SAGE)
Coating Alternatives GuidE
(CAGE)
Adhesives Alternatives GuidE
(AAGE)
Description
[Number of Sites]
Contains information on air emission inventories and
emission factors, provides access to tools for estimating
emissions of air pollutants and performing air emission
inventories for both criteria and toxic pollutants.
Information supporting international program for ground-
level measurement of UV-B [7].
Photochemical; oxidants- related ambient and emissions
management data collected in the Southeastern U.S.
Designed to calculate the population health effects
resulting from the disposal of low-level radioactive waste
in shallow trenches; employs simple radionuclide
transport and exposure submodels.
Contains ORD and OAR data; characterizes the temporal
and spatial variability of important physical,
environmental, and comfort parameters influencing
occupant perceptions of indoor air quality. A
standardized investigative protocol was employed to
uniformly collect and report indoor air quality data from
randomly selected office work environments in randomly
selected public and private office buildings.
Data related to indoor air modeling and exposure
assessments; a comprehensive compilation of several
survey studies of residential house volumes, air exchange
rates, and infiltration rates.
Data related to indoor air and exposure assessment.
Contains national level default temporal allocation
factors for use in developing temporally allocated
emissions inventories.
Computer software system using a decision tree format
to identify cleaning options for various surfaces.
Computer-based software program, to assist in reducing
VOC and air toxic emissions from metal parts and
product coating operations.
Computer-based package on selection and use of
adhesives and low-and-no-VOC substitutes for solvent-
based adhesives.
Responsible
EPA Organization
Office of Air Quality
Planning and
Standards
Office of Research and
Development (ORD),
NERL-Atmospheric
Sciences Modelling
Division
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Air and
Radiation
Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics
Office of Air and
Radiation
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/APPCD/ECPB
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/APPCD/ECPB
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/APPCD/ECPB
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/APPCD/ECPB
Contact/
Telephone
Basil Dimitriades
919.541.2706
Hung, Cheng-Yeng
202.233.9204
Susan Womble
ORIA/OAR
202.233.9057
Ross Highsmith
NERL/ORD
919.541.7828
Pat Kennedy
(OPPT)
202.260.3916
Christine Cinelli
(OAR)
202.260.3913
Charles Mann
919.541.4593
mann. chuck®
epamail.epa.gov.
Charles H. Darvin
919.541.7633
E-mail: none
Michael Kosusko
919.541.2734
mkosusko@
engineer, aeerl.
epa.gov
Chester Vogel
919.541.2827
cvogel@ engineer.
aeerl.epa.gov
World Wide Web/
. ._ Remarks
Internet/Source
Model
WWW/Internet: Selected data summaries and reports to be
Anticipated placed on WWW. Validated data available
availability date April through OAR, Susan Womble, (202) 233-
15, 1996. 9057.
As yet, undergoing quality assurance
procedures by U.S. EPA contractor.
No Internet; ASCII
text file; Microsoft
Access
ENVIRO$EN$E
HTTP://WASTENOT.
INEL.GOV:80/
ENVIRO$EN$E/
TIN (919)541-5742
No Internet
No Internet
•a
n
a
-------
O
n
I
"d
O
.... Name
Medium .„, . .. . . .
(• denotes Multiagency)
Biogenic Emissions
Inventory System (BEIS-II)
Land Use Database
Global Technology (GloTech)
Water Ocean Data Evaluation
System (ODES)
(NFTDR) National Fish
Tissue Data Repository
Biological Data Management
System (BIOS)
Exposure Analysis Modeling
System (EXAMS-II)
National Compendium of
Freshwater Fish and Water
Temperature Data
(FISHTEMP)
Aquatic Toxicity Information
Retrieval (AQUIRE)
Assessment Tools for the
Evaluation of Risk (ASTER)
Quantitative Structure
Activity Relationships
System (QSAR)
Food and Gill Exchange of
Toxic Substances (FGETS)
Description
[Number of Sites]
Contains county land use data for the contiguous 48
states.
Contains information on cost, environmental releases,
and other technology data which can be compared,
summed and ranked.
Effluent, water quality and biological monitoring data
from all coastal sewage treatment plants that have or may
submit 301(h) reports.
Collection and storage of fish and shellfish contaminants
data, will be part of a larger EPA database and computer
systemOcean Data Evaluation System (ODES).
National biological data management system linked to
STORETresults from data requirements survey of field
biologists.
An interactive modeling system allowing specification and
storage of chemicals properties and ecosystem
characteristics for evaluation of probable aquatic fate of
synthetic organic chemicals.
Historical fish distribution data with accompanying water
temperature data from 1930-present for over 300 species
of freshwater fish from 250,000 locations in the U.S.
Provides a nationwide compendium of freshwater fish
populations in relation to water temperature regimes.
Information on the toxic effects of chemicals to aquatic
organisms and plants; toxicity test results and related
testing information for any individual chemical from
laboratory and field aquatic toxicity tests; acute, sublethal
and bioconcentration effects are recorded for fresh water
and marine organisms.
Assists Regional and State regulators in performing
ecological risk assessments; an integration of the AQUIRE
toxic effects database and the QSAR system, a structure
activity based expert system.
Expert system providing information on physical-
chemical properties, fate and effects of organic chemicals
to the environment.
Databases and model predicting temporal dynamics of a
fish's whole body composition ( g chemical/(g live weight
fish)) of non-ionic, non-metabolized, organic chemicals
that are bioaccumulated from water only, or water and
food.
Responsible
EPA Organization
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/APPCD/ECPB
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/APPCD/APB
Office of Marine and
Estuarine Protection
Office of Water
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development, NERL,
ERD-Athens
Contact/
Telephone
Christopher D.
Geron
919.541.4639
cdg@aesn02.aeerl.
epa.gov.
Lee Beck
919.541.0617
Ibe ck@ engine er.a-
eerl.epa.gov
Model
Coordinator
706.546.3549
John Eaton
218.720.5557
Christine L.
Russom
218.720.5709
Christine L.
Russom
218.720.5709
Christine L.
Russom
218.720.5709
Frank Stancil
706.546.3197
World Wide Web/
. ._ Remarks
Internet/Source
TTN
BBS.RTPNC.EPA.GOV
HTTP:/AVWWEPA.G- Software only. Beta test 96.
OV/DOCS/CRB/BRO-
CHURE/GWCB/GLO-
TECH.HTM.
EPA 503/8 -90-007
EPA/823/B-93/003
Accession Number:
212076
stancil. franlc@epama- Database/Models
il.epa.gov
•a
n
I
S'
-------
^1
o
o
n
i
"d
O
.... Name
Medium .„, . .. . . .
(* denotes Multiagency)
Lake Analysis Management
System (LAMS)
Green Cross Solar
(GCSOLAR)
Stream Quality Model
(QUAL2E)
River Reach Files (RF1, RF2,
RF3)
The Waterbody System
(WBS)
STOrage and RETrieval Sys-
em for Water and Biological
Monitoring Data (STORET)
"'National Estuaries Program
(NEP)
"National Water Quality
Monitoring Program
Discharge Monitoring
Report-Quality Assurance
Studies (DMR-QA)
Water Pollution Laboratory
Performance Evaluation
Description
[Number of Sites]
A system of data bases and models, with GIS capability,
developed for the Great Lakes and watersheds. Data
bases and models, containing Great Lakes data collected
since 1971 and Canadian Great Lakes data collected since
1968, assist in environmental decision- making for the
Great Lakes.
Computes direct photolysis rates and half-lives of
pollutants in the aquatic environment.
Permits simulation of water quality constituents in a
branching stream system using a finite difference solution
to the one -dimensional ad vective -dispersive mass
transport and reaction equation; conceptual
representation is a stream reach divided into a number of
subreaches or computational elements equivalent to finite
difference elements.
A series of hydrologic databases of the surface waters of
the continental United States and Hawaii. The structure
and content of these databases were created to establish
hydrologic ordering, to perform hydrologic navigation for
modeling applications, and to provide a unique identifier
for each surface water feature, i.e., the reach code.
Database provides convenient means for storing
assessment information organized around water quality
resource units called waterbodies. Assessment inform-
ation is entered on beneficial use status or causes and
sources of pollution for each waterbody The program
can generate lists and summary tables for preparation of
Section 305(b) reports.
Utility maintained for storage and retrieval of parametric
data pertaining to the quality of waterways within and
contiguous to the US. Has evolved to a comprehensive
family of systems, performing range of functions,
including data availability summaries; tabular data
reports; statistical data analyses; graphics and maps; and
data preparation for down-load to other systems.
Identifies nationally-significant estuaries to protect and
improve their water quality and to enhance their living
resources [21].
US water quality monitoring and assessment guidelines,
protocols and programs for Clean Water Act 305(b)
reporting.
Annual analysis of inorganic synthetic wastewater
samples by 7,000 to 7,500 major National Pollution
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) dischargers;
provides basis for evaluating quality of routine
monitoring required in NPDES permits.
Semi-annual analyses of synthetic wastewater samples for
up to 80 organic and inorganic analytes by routine
Responsible
EPA Organization
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Water
Office of Water
Office of Water
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Contact/
Telephone
Russell G. Kreis
313.692.7615
Model
Coordinator
706.546.3549
Model
Coordinator
706.546.3180
Karen Klima
klima.karen@
epamail.epa.gov
800.424.9067
Karen Klima
klima.karen@
epamail.epa.gov
Phil Lindenstruth
Paul Britton
513.569.7216
Paul Britton
513.569.7216
Worl Wide Web/
. . _ Remarks
Internet / Source
Database/Models
Model
Model
http://www.epa.gov/
OWOW/gis/reach.
html
http://www.epa.gov/
OWOW/NBSFlash/
NBSFlashhtml
http://www.epa.
gov/OWOW/
STORET/ STORET®
epamail.epa.gov
Database
•a
n
a
Studies (WP)
wastewater analysis laboratories.
-------
Name
('denotes Multiagency)
Description
[Number of Sites]
Responsible
EPA Organization
Contact/
Telephone
World Wide Web/
Internet/Source
Water Supply Laboratory
Performance Evaluation
Studies (WS)
Semi-annual analyses of synthetic drinking water samples Office of Research and
for up to 170 organic and inorganic analytes by Development
laboratories seeking U.S. EPA certification to analyze
drinking waters.
Paul Britton
513.569.7216
Treatability Database Compendium of peer-reviewed treatability data on a
wide range of environmental contaminants, largely in an
aqueous medium but with some information on
hazardous wastes.
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/STD
Jerry Waterman
513.569.7834
North American Wetlands for
Water Quality Treatment
Compilation of information of wetlands used to treat
wastewater.
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/WSWRD/
WQMB
Don Brown
513.569.7630
brown. donald@
epamail.epa.gov
Notifications of oil and hazardous substance releases to
the environment.
*HUC Code Digitization
Details USGS HUCs (watershed boundaries) to sub-
watershed delineations.
O
n
i
"d
O
PCS Data on National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
permit-holding facilities.
Soil Dougherty Plain Database Four-year database on leaching of aldicarb, metolachlor
and bromide in a 3.9 ha peanut field. Data includes
application rates, pesticide/bromide concentration
profiles, plant uptake, soil water retention, hydraulic
conductivity and daily weather.
Watkinsville Database Four-year database on runoff of atrazine, cyanazine,
diphenamid, propazine, trofluralin, 2,4-D and fertilizer
from four small agricultural watersheds (1 .32.7 ha) for use
in development and testing of runoff transport models.
Data include pesticide and fertilizer runoff by rainfall
event, application rates, soil characteristics, pesticide
and fertilizer concentration profiles, and daily weather
records.
Unsaturated Soil Hydraulic Database provides field and laboratory measured soil
Database (UNSODA) hydraulic and physical properties for use in unsaturated
zone models. The database includes the Retention Curve
(RETC) code for the estimation of hydraulic parameters
for use in these models.
Soil and Model Annotation and Database of subsurface computer models containing
Ground Retrieval System (MARS) information on over 500 models for the unsaturated and
Water saturated zone. System allows the user to search for
models by specific model application needs.
Office of Research and
Development (ORD),
NERL, ERD -Athens
Office of Research and
Development (ORD),
NERL, ERD -Athens
Office of Research and
Development ,
NRMRL/SPRD Center
for Subsurface
Modeling Support
(CSMoS).
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/SPRD Center
for Subsurface
Modeling Support
(CSMoS).
Charllie Smith
706.546.2247
smith. charllie@
epamail.epa.gov
Charllie Smith
706.546.2247
smith. charlie@
epamail.epa.gov
Joe. R. Williams
405.436.8608
Joe. R. Williams
405.436.8608
http://www.epa.gov/ Database was developed in cooperation
ada/kerrlab.html with the USDA Soil Salinity Laboratory in
Riverside, California. The database is
currently being made ready for distribution
via the CSMoS WWW Site listed.
Currently not This database was developed under
available on the cooperative agreement with the
WWW site. International Ground Water Modeling Center
(IGWMC) and is being maintained and
marketed by IGWMC. The updated version
can be obtained by contacting IGWMC at
(303) 273-3103.
•a
n
I
-------
o\
^i
o
o
n
i
"d
O
.... Name
Medium .„, . .. . . .
(• denotes Multiagency)
Multi- *Environmental Monitoring
Media and Assessment Program
(EMAP)
Agricultural Lands
Estuaries
Forests
Great Lakes
Landscape Ecology
Rangelands
Surface Waters
Interagency Taxonomic
Information System (ITIS)
Methods
Indicators
*Multi-resolution Land
Characteristics Consortium
(MRLC)
Description
[Number of Sites]
Interdisciplinary, multiple US ecological resource
program to monitor status and trends with known
confidence. Embodies a comprehensive information
management system.
Status and trends in the condition of the nation's
agricultural lands which include land used for crops,
pasture, and livestock; adjacent land; and the associated
atmosphere, underlying soils, ground water, and drainage
networks.
Status and trends in the condition of the nation's
estuaries extending inland to the head of tide. This
includes to coastal embayments, bays, inland waterways,
tidal rivers, coastal wetland areas, and salt-water
marshes.
Status and trends in the condition of the nation's forests,
including areas formerly covered by trees, but not
currently built-up or developed for agricultural use.
Status and trends in the condition of the Great Lakes, the
nation's largest and most unique group of surface waters.
Studies of the structure, function, pattern, and changes
in the nation's heterogenous land areas using remote
sensing and geographic information systems.
Status and trends in the condition of the nation's
deserts, grasslands, and other arid lands.
Status and trends in the condition of the nation's surface
waters including lakes, streams and rivers downstream to
the head of tide, and inland wetland areas.
Provide an electronic, taxonomic reference that
promotes scientific excellence and is fully supported by
the world taxonomic community.
Database on selection and development of appropriate
methods for collecting data. Encourages the use of
standardized methods within resource groups to ensure
comparability of data and helps to develop strategies for
standardizing methods across resource groups.
Database on basic research concerning the development
and selection of biological and other indicators for use in
EMAP.
Interagency program to produce a consistent US land
cover database; integrates data and information across
temporal and spatial scales.
Responsible
EPA Organization
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
Contact/
Telephone
Gilman Veith,
NHEERL
Tom Murphy,
NHEERL
Robert Shepanek,
NCEA
Charles Lee
Campbell
919.515.3311
Kevin Summers
904.934.9244
Sam Alexander
919.549.4020
Beth Eastman
919.549.4059
Stephen Lozano
218.720.5594
Bruce Jones
702.798.2671
Dan Heggem
702.798.2278
Steve Paulsen
503.754.4428
Gary Collins
513.569.7174
Gary Collins
513.569.7174
Kay Austin
Denice Shaw
919.541.2698
World Wide Web/
. ._ Remarks
Internet/Source
http://epawww.epa.
gov/emaphome
http ://w ww. epa . gov/
emap/htm 1/r esrcgr p/
agroland/
http ://w ww. epa . gov/
emap/htm 1/r esrcgr p/
estuary/
http://dolphin.gbr.
epa.gov
http ://w ww. epa . gov/-
emap/htm 1/r esrcgr p/f-
orests/
http ://w ww. epa . gov/-
emap/htm 1/r esrcgr p/-
greatlak/
http ://w ww. epa . gov/-
emap/htm 1/r esrcgr p/1-
andecol/
http ://w ww. epa . gov/-
emap/htm 1/r esrcgr p/r-
angland/
http ://w ww. epa . gov/
emap/htm 1/r esrcgr p/
surfwatr/
http://trident.ftc.nrcs
.us da.gov: 80/itis/dev/
http ://w ww. epa . gov/
docs/em ap/html/
coordgrp/methods/
http ://w ww. epa . gov/
docs/em ap/html/
coordgrp/indicatr/
http ://w ww. epa . gov/
docs/grd/mrlc/
•a
n
a
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O
n
i
"d
O
.... Name
Medium .„, . .. . . .
(• denotes Multiagency)
Exposure Models Library and
Integrated Model Evaluation
System (IMES)
*Developmental and
Reproductive Toxicity
(DART) Database
ORD Bibliography
*Ecotoxicology Database
Retrieval System (ECOTOX)
EMMI
Soil Transport and Fate
Database and Model
Management System (STF)
Pesticide Assessment Tool
for Rating Investigation of
Transport (PATRIOT)
Pesticide and Industrial
Chemical Risk Analysis and
Hazard Assessment
(PIRANHA) Program
National Environmental
Supercomputing Center
(NESC)
Spare Provides Automated
Reasoning in Chemistry
(SPARC)
Environmental Fate
Constants Database (FATE)
Description
[Number of Sites]
Selection of over 70 fate and transport models for
exposure assessments in various environmental media.
Facilitates selection of best fate model for a particular risk
assessment problem as well as information on validation
of the models.
On-line, bibliographic information and data on
developmental and reproductive toxicity.
Searchable, downloadable, electronic database of ORD
publication citations with abstracts (1976-present).
Computer-based system that provides chemical-specific
toxicity values for aquatic life, terrestrial plants, and
wildlife; useful in developing consistent ecosystem
management decisions within the EPA and other federal,
state, local, and international governmental agencies.
Database of — 2,600 EPA regulated substances; includes
regulatory limits, method detection limits and abstracts.
Database providing degradation, transformation, toxicity,
bioaccumulation, and partitioning information on
approximately 400 chemicals (organic and some
inorganic) in the soil environment. Includes the RITZ and
VIP models.
Datasets on daily rainfall (10 years) from 200 NOAA
weather stations, properties and occurrences of 8000
soils, pesticides properties and cropping practices
complement the PATRIOT Model for rapid assessment of
groundwater vulnerability to pesticide contamination in
the contiguous U.S.
Includes a geographical database for locating biological
resources potentially at risk from pesticides; useful in
applying chemical, ecotoxicological and environmental
sciences to ecological risk assessment.
Computational resources necessary to carry out scientific
modeling efforts; provides computer support for many
critical environmental models.
Expert system for estimating chemical and physical
reactivity estimates on a broad scope and inexpensively.
Provides interactive retrieval of kinetics and equilibrium
constants used in modeling and assessing chemical (300
and growing) fate in the environment.
Responsible
EPA Organization
Office of Research and
Development, NCEA-
Washington.
Office of Research and
Development, NCEA-
Washington
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/TTSD
Office of Research and
Development, NHEERL
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL, Center for
Subsurface Modelling
Support (CSMoS)
Office of Research and
Development, NERL,
ERD-Athens
Office of Research and
Development, NERL,
ERD-Athens
Director, National
Environmental
Supercomputing
Center
Office of Research and
Development (ORD),
NERL, ERD-Athens
Office of Research and
Development (ORD),
NERL, ERD-Athens
Contact/
Telephone
Richard
Walentowicz
202.260.8922
Carol Kimmel
202.260.7331
Randy Revetta
513.569.7358
Christine L.
Russom
218.720.5709
Steve Bradbury
218.720.5527
David S. Burden
405.436.8606
Frank Stancil
706.546.3130
stancil.frank@
epamail.epa.gov
Lawrence Burns
706.546.3511
burns. lawrence@
epamail.epa.gov
5 17.894.7600 Fax:
894.7676
Cullati.Art®
epamail.epa.gov
Mac Long
706.546.3349
long.mac@
epamail.epa.gov
Brenda Kitchens
706.546.3198
kitchens, brenda
@epamail.epa.
gov
World Wide Web/
Internet/Source
EPA/600/C-92/200
http://www.epa.gov/
docs/ORD/BBS.html
http://www.epa.gov/
ada/kerr lab. html
http://www.epa.gov/
access epa/chapter8/
s 1-1. html
Remarks
Accessible through ORD Bulletin Board
(ORDBBS). (513) 569-7610 (513) 569-7700
(513) 569-7272 (voice)
Developed by ORD with funding from the
U.S. Department of Defenses Strategic
Environmental Research Defense Program.
Database/Models
Databases/Model
Databases/Model
Expert System
•a
n
I
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^1
o
o
n
i
"d
O
.... Name
Medium .„, . .. . . .
('denotes Multiagency)
Guide to National
Environmental Statistics
Integrated Risk Information
System (IRIS)
Total Human Exposure Risk
database and Advanced
Simulation Environment
(THERdbASE)
Quantitative- Structure
Toxicity Relationships
(QSTR)
Treatability Data Base (TDB)
Government Information
Locator Service (GILS)
ACCESS EPA
Hazardous CERCLIS
Waste and
Superfund
Sediment Toxicity Database
OHMTADS
RODS
RCRIS
PIN
Description
[Number of Sites]
Tool for locating sources of national-level environmental
statistics available from the U.S. Government; a reference
to national-level, time-series environmental statistics; not
intended to be inclusive; data sources from 23 offices in
7 agencies: USDA, DOI, DOC, DOT, DOE, EPA, DHHS.
EPA's primary vehicle for communication of chronic non-
caner and cancer health hazard information for over 500
substances. IRIS contains substance specific hazard
identification and dose-response information.
Data and model management system containing such
total human exposure information as census data, state
activity pattern studies, EPAs National Human Activity
Pattern Study, TEAM and NOPES data, inhalation and
dermal models, or indoor air models.
Enables computation of a probable value of toxicity for a
given chemical structure, for various health endpoints.
Assist users in selecting technologies or estimating the
degree of treatment achievable for specific chemicals in
all types of waters, wastewaters, soils, sediments, and
debris; data extracted from a variety of sources.
Virtual card catalog" of government information. The
EPA's GILS website offers access to records that describe
the agency's information resources.
Directory provides contact information and description
of services for more than 300 of EPA's major information
resources, including databases, models and EPA libraries.
Superfund database with information on all identified
U.S. hazardous waste sites.
Sediment chemistry and toxicity measurements from
saltwater and freshwater sites.
Chemical properties, regulatory information, toxicity and
safety data, and response information on hazardous
substances.
Tracks site cleanups under the Superfund program.
Tracks events and activities related to facilities that
generate, transport, treat, store, or dispose of,
hazardous waste.
Pesticide monitoring inventory, environmental fate, and
effects data.
Responsible
EPA Organization
Office of Policy,
Planning, and
Evaluation
Office of Research
andDevelopment,
NCEA-CIN
Office of Research and
Development (ORD),
NERL CRD
Office of Research
andDevelopment,
NCEA-CIN
Office of Research
andDevelopment
Office of
Administration and
Resources
Management
Office of Research and
Development, NECA-
Washington.
Contact/
Telephone
Brand Niemann
202.260.3726
513.569.7254
Hotline # FAX
513.569.7159
John Quackenbos
702.798.2442
R. Bruce
513.569.7569
Glenn M. Shaul
513.569.7408
Sue Norton
202.260.8922
World Wide Web/
. ._ Remarks
Internet/Source
IRIS Hotline
513.569.7254
http ://eeyore . Iv- hrc .
nevada.edu/
therdbase.html
http ://w ww. epa . gov/
gils/
http ://w ww. epa . gov/
docs/Contact s/Acces
s/chapter5 .txt. html;
EPA 220-B-93-008
a.
S"
O
Facility and substance identification for toxic chemicals
released directly to air, water or land, or that is
transported off-site.
-------
O
n
i
"d
O
.. .. Name
Medium .„, . .. . . .
(• denotes Multiagency)
Bioremediation in the Field
Search System (BFSS)
Treatment Technology
Database
Treatability Study Database
Underground Storage Tank
Database
Oil/Chemical Spill Database
(SPILLS)
Alternative Treatment
Technology Information
Center (ATTIC)
Vendor Information System
for Innovative Treatment
Technologies (VISITT)
Other Research Tracking System
(RTS)
Criteria Reference
Information Bank (CRIB)
Athens Chemical Inventory
System (ACIS)
Technical Assistance
Database (TAD)
NIST/EPA/NIH/Mass Spectral
Database
Description
[Number of Sites]
Information on over 500 sites where bioremediation is
being tested, implemented, or has been completed.
Provides information on biological, chemical, physical,
solidification/stabilization, and thermal treatment
processes.
Compendium of peer-reviewed treatability data on a
wide range of environmental contaminants, largely in an
aqueous medium, but with some information on
hazardous wastes.
Information on underground storage tank corrective
actions, surface spills, and remedial action. Allows
retrieval of information to help select appropriate, cost-
effective solutions.
Information on the treatment and disposal of spilled oil
and chemicals.
Provides information on innovative treatment
technologies. Includes case studies providing
information on such technologies in support of
hazardous waste clean-up.
Current information on availability, performance and cost
of innovative technologies to remediate soil and
groundwater contaminated by hazardous and petroleum
wastes.
Tracks research technical information: projects,
tasksmilestones; publications produced by Mid-
continent Ecology Division scientists.
Contains bibliographic information identifying sources
cited in air quality criteria and other documents
produced by the National Center for Environmental
Assessment - RTF Office (NCEA-RTP Office).
In-house chemical inventory is maintained for the
purpose of chemical hygiene and environmental
compliance.
Internal system used to maintain a database of technical
support provided to the user community, inside and
outside of EPA, by the Center for Exposure Assessment
Modeling (CEAM).
Library of mass spectra used on-line by mass
spectrometers for compound identification.
Responsible
EPA Organization
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/TTSD
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/WSWRD
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/STD
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/WSWRD/
UWMB
Office of Research and
Development,
NRMRL/WSWRD/UW-
MB
Office of Research and
Development (ORD),
NRMRL- Edison.
Office of Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response, Technology
Information Office
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development
Office of Research and
Development, NERL
CRD/ASB/ACR
Contact/
Telephone
Fran Kremer
513.569.7346
Daniel Sullivan
908.321.6677
Jerry Waterman
513.569.7834
Daniel Sullivan
908.321.6677
Daniel Sullivan
908.321.6677
Daniel Sullivan
908.321.6677
Judy L. Stagner
218.720.5605
Douglas B. Fennel
919.541.3789
Frank Stancil
706.546.3197
Robert Ryans
706.546.3306
Ed Heitmar
702.798.2626
World Wide Web/
. ._ Remarks
Internet/Source
Accessible through Alternative Treatment
Technology Information Center (ATTIC);
(703) 908-2137. Also accessible through
ORD Bulletin Board (ORDBBS);(513) 569-
7610; (513)569-7700(513)569-7272
(voice).
Accessible through Alternative Treatment
Technology Information Center
(ATTIC).Hotline (703) 908-2137
Accessible through Alternative Treatment
Technology Information Center
(ATTIC).Hotline (703) 908-2137
Accessible through Alternative Treatment
Technology Information Center
(ATTIC).Hotline (703) 908-2137
Accessible through Alternative Treatment Database/Model
Technology Information Center
(ATTIC) .Hotline
703.908.2137
http://www. epa .gov/
attic/attic, html
Available within
CLU-IN BBS
(301.589.8366;
File=visit3.zip)
N/A Database is copyrighted by other
organizations and licensed to ORD only for
use with specific instruments.
•a
n
I
-------
Ul
o
Name
(• denotes Multiagency)
Report Locator Data Base
Description
[Number of Sites]
Identifies aerial photographic interpretation projects and
reports completed by Environmental Photographic
Interpretation Center (EPIC) over the past 20 years.
Responsible
EPA Organization
Office of Research and
Development, NERL,
CRD
Contact/
Telephone
\Nor\A Wide Web/
Internet/Source
For internal use only. Database currently on
VAX; but needs to be converted for use
under ORACLE software.
a.
S"
O
n
o
"d
O
Pesticide Treatability
Database
Compendium of information specific to pesticides, their
formulation, and treatment options.
Office of Research and Dave Ferguson
Development, 513.569.7518
NRMRL/STD/MTB
Enviro$en$e
Hosts an expert architecture known as the Solvent
Umbrella, allowing users to access solvent alternative
information through a single, easy-to-use command
structure.
EPA/DOD/DOE
Idaho National
Engineering
Laboratory
http://www.epa.gov/I-
daho.html
*-n
o
O
Please send any comments, additions, modifications or corrections to Sidney Draggan via electronic mail.
-------
Appendix D:
The Office of Research and
Development Organization
ORD's organization, depicted below, mirrors the risk
assessment/risk management paradigm. The loca-
tions of ORD's National Laboratories, Centers, and
Offices are shown on the following page; their
functions are described in the ORD Strategic Plan.
ORD's New Risk-Based Organization
Office of Resource
Management and
Administration
National Health and
Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory
Assistant Administrator for Research and
Development
Deputy Assistant
Administrator for
Management
National
Exposure
Research
Laboratory
Management and
Coordination Division
{RTR NC/
Washington, DC)
Research and
Administrative
Support Division
{RTR NC)
Developmental
Toxicology Division
{RTR NC)
Environmental
— Toxicology Division
{RTR NC)
Carcinogenesis
Division {RTR NC)
Neurotoxicology
~~ Division {RTR NC)
Human Studies
~~ Division {RTR NC)
Gulf Ecology Division
- {Gulf Breeze, FL)
Mid-Co
itinent
— Ecology Division
{Duluth
MN)
Western Ecology
Division
{Corvall
s, OR)
Deputy Assistant
Administrator for
Science
Office of Science Policy
National Center
for Environmental
Assessment
Communications and
— Liaison Staff
{Washington, DC)
Program Operations
Staff {RTR NC)
Atmospheric
Processes Research
~~ Division {RTR NC)
National Risk
Management
Research
Laboratory
- NCEA RTR NC
Office
_ NCEA Washington,
DC Office
_ NCEA Cincinnati, OH
Office
A' M
— Research Division
{RTR NC)
Atmospheric
— Modeling Division
{RTR NC)
Air Exposure
{RTR NC)
Human Exposure
{Cincinnati, OH)
Ecological Research
Division
{Cincinnati, OH)
Characterization
Water Supply and
Water Resources
Division
{Cincinnati, OH)
Land Remediation
and Pollution Control
Division {Cincinnati,
OH)
Sustainable
Technology Division
{Cincinnati, OH)
Air Pollution
Prevention and
Control Division
{RTR NC)
National Center
for Environmental
Research and
Quality Assurance
Environmental
Engineering Research
Division {Washington,
DC)
Environmental
— Sciences Research
Division {Washington,
DC)
Quality Assurance
Division {Washington,
DC)
Peer Review Division
L {Washington, DC)
Subsurface Protection
— and Remediation
Division {Ada, OK)
Technology Transfer
and Support Division
~~ {Cincinnati, OH)
Technology
Coordination Staff
{Washington, DC)
— Research Division
{Las Vegas, NV)
Ecosystems Res
— Division
{Athens, GA)
arch
Atlantic Ecology
Division
{Narragansett, Rl)
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
51
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Appendix D
Location of ORD's National Laboratories and Centers
Duluth, MN
Grosse He, MI
Narragansett, RI
Edison, NJ
Washington, DC
Las Vegas, NV
Research
Triangle Park, NC
Athens, GA
Ada, OK
Gulf Breeze, FL
52
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
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This document was developed by the ORD Information Management Strategy Group,
composed of:
Laurie Schuda (Chair), ORD Immediate Office of the Assistant Administrator
Owen Bricker, ORD Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program
Sidney Draggan, EPA Office of the Administrator
Carol Finch, ORD Immediate Office of the Assistant Administrator
Dick Garnas, ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Stephen Hale, ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
John Ireland, ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Linda Kirkland, ORD National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance
Scott Minamyer, ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Bob Shepanek, ORD National Center for Environmental Assessment
Charissa Smith, ORD Office of Resources Management and Administration
Linda Tuxen, ORD National Center for Environmental Assessment
Jeanette Wiltse, ORD National Center for Environmental Assessment
Steve Young, EPA Office of Information Resources Management
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v/EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
(8101)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
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