DRINKING WATER ACADEMY ELECTRONIC SANITARY SURVEY PROJECT BULLETIN OCTOBER 2005 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: ELECTRONIC SANITARY SURVEY SOFTWARE CONTINUES TO ADVANCE The latest version of the ESS STAT E-BY-S1A Electronic Sanitary Survey STATUS (ESS) software, released in spring 2005, has taken a major step forward in user capabil- ity— on the desktop and on the PDA and Tablet PC. Many of the revisions to the software were made in response to user feedback and requests for specific enhancements. These changes have helped the Drinking Water Academy (DWA) meet its long-standing goal of providing software that collects sanitary survey data in the field and moves it easily into a state database. The ESS software, along with bridges JOIN THE DWA FOR ESS TRAINING! Learn how using the Electronic Sanitary Software can benefit your sanitary survey program. Join us for an introduction to the software and a demonstration of its use. This DWA Webcast will be presented on November 16, 2005, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. No registra- tion is necessary. At the time of the event, simply go to the URL below, enter your name, and click on the "Join Now" button, which will take you to the meeting page. Dial the phone number displayed for your toll-free audio connection. Don't miss this important event! Log-in to the ESS Webcast at http://egenda.e2c.com/enc/ join?meetingid=gf2547. to SDWIS/State and non- SDWIS state databases, meets this goal of being able to download SDWIS data into the ESS software and then submit data updates back to SDWIS. Following are some of the (Continued on page 2) DWA DEVELOPS NEW TABLET SOFTWARE The Tablet sanitary survey software has been completely redesigned since its initial test release. The Tablet software is designed to work directly with the Desktop ESS, just like the PDA, and should be thought of as an alternative electronic device to use in the field when conducting surveys. A state or other user can choose, for example, to use a Tablet when conducting surveys of large systems and a PDA when conducting a survey at a small system. Data flows back from each of these electronic devices into the same database. As technology changes, the ESS software is designed to allows users the flexibility to choose the technology that works best for them without feeling the need to commit to one technology over another. Tablet functionality highlights include the ability to: f^ULoad and retrieve surveys from Desktop ESS. JO pen. close, and save surveys on the Tablet. Use dynamic tab to retain single page layout of the survey, (~"~Ea sily navigate between sections of questions. r#'JView and modify up to 20 questions of each section without scrolling. [Enable and disable follow- on questions based on the lead-in question. Currently, interested states can request the Beta version by e-mailing Rao Mulpuri, the lead developer for the software, at rmulpuri@ nbenvironmental.com. ------- 1 OCTOBER 2005 PAGE 2 ESS SOFTWARE CONTINUES TO ADVANCE (Continued from page 1) highlights of the new ESS software. Enhancements to PDA Software Increase Functionality (~~creation of multiple question sets so states can start the development of their own question sets using question sets more closely aligned to their needs. Comprehensive, small, and transient non- community are three examples of question set types available for download. (~~Elimination of multi-use questions by consolidating them into single questions. (~~Flexible question set management enables users to edit column headings, reorganize where questions are located or grouped, and more easily map questions to SDWIS data elements. (~~Seamless download of SDWIS state data (cur- rently Oracle only, SQL Server in-process) to populate water system information in the elec- tronic survey question set and allow inspectors to validate this information. (~ Flexibility to select a question set and water system when creating a survey. (~~Ability to easily sort and filter the list of surveys to quickly locate a particular survey. (~~Ability to attach and view sanitary survey-related documents. (~~Ability to attach pictures from a survey to individual sanitary survey questions and deficiency report. (~~creation of additional reports to display defi- ciency information and changes in SDWIS data and water system inventory. (~~Development of state- specific sanitary survey report cover letters. (~~creation of an automated checklist for preparing the survey for SDWIS state updates. (~~Ability to generate text files with survey updates for SDWIS state migration (Oracle only). (~"~Li mited state-by-state capability to support development of a bridge to non-SDWIS state data- bases, such as Massa- chusetts'. (~~Enhanced help and user guides. (~ Improved technical and data architecture. PDA Enhancements (~ Protection of the survey list while the user has a survey open and in progress, to help ensure surveys are saved properly before they are closed. (~ Removal of the system components tab, which provided only limited functionality. (~ Elimination of technical issues related to the drop- down boxes and saving answers. (~ Improved edit checking of allowable data entry. (~ Improved XML file han- dling. The Electronic Sanitary Survey (ESS) software is available for downloading at http:// 12.170.50.10/Downloads/ SanitarySurvey. Please follow the instructions on the site as the download steps have changed since the earlier versions. ESS STATE-BY-STATE STATUS The DWA extends special thanks to sanitary survey inspectors in Massachusetts, Maine, Hawaii, and other states for their help in working through issues in the early versions of the ESS software. Below is a summary of the experiences and status of state ESS activities. Alaska is in the processing creating comprehensive and transient non-community question sets based on the ESS question sets. As a SDWIS SQL Server state, Alaska is looking forward to having the capability to download and upload data from SDWIS/State. Alaska is currently testing the Desktop and Tablet software by conducting surveys for some typical water systems. Alaska is planning ESS training for state inspectors in the near future. Arizona has installed the latest version of the Desktop ESS and PDA software. As a SDWIS Oracle state, Arizona is testing the download and migration of data with SDWIS/ State. Arizona is currently testing the Desktop and PDA software by conducting some sample surveys. California has installed the latest version of the Desktop and PDA software. California is currently not a SDWIS state, (Continued on page 3) ------- 1 OCTOBER 2005 PAGE 3 ESS STATUS (Continued from page 2) therefore, the state will bridge from its database to download the water system data from the state system. California is interested in using a mix of Tablets and PDAs to conduct surveys, depending on the need. Connecticut has installed the latest version of the Desktop software. As a SDWIS Oracle user, Connecticut is in the process of configuring the system to do the upload, download, and migration of data with SDWIS/State. Connecticut is interested in testing the Tablet software. Hawaii has installed the latest version of the Desktop and PDA software. Hawaii configured a question set based on the ESS question sets. The state is currently testing the Desktop and PDA software by conducting some sample surveys. Maine has installed the latest version of the Desktop and PDA software. Maine created several question sets to fit its needs. As a SDWIS Oracle state, Maine has used the download and migration of data from SDWIS/State to conduct 30 surveys, update SDWIS data, and produce reports back to the systems. Massachusetts has installed the latest version of the Desktop and PDA software. As a non-SDWIS state, Massa- chusetts has been using the bridge database to download water system data to conduct surveys. Massachusetts is currently enhancing the bridge database to more completely populate water system information on the surveys. The state is interested in testing the Tablet software. New Mexico has installed the latest version of the Desktop and PDA software. As a SDWIS Oracle state, New Mexico is configuring the system to do the download and migration of data with SDWIS/State. Rhode Island is looking forward, as a SDWIS SQL Server state, to having the capability to download and upload data with SDWIS/State when the SQL bridge is completed. Rhode Island is interested in testing the Tablet software. Utah has conducted 70 surveys using PDAs. The state's question set is being converted to the new version of ESS, which will enhance its data collection in the field. A specific enhancement for Utah is the ability of remote users to conduct surveys using the full version of the software. Utah has a training session planned for October 2005. EPA Regions 4 and 10 have installed the latest version of the Desktop and PDA soft- ware. Being SDWIS Oracle users, they are testing the download and migration of data with SDWIS/State. Region 10 is providing feedback on some enhancements in several of the reports that they would like to see. The Drinking Water Academy is a long-term training initiative whose primary goal is to expand EPA, State, and Tribal capabilities to implement the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more information on the DWA or on the electronic sanitary survey project, visit the Web site at www.epa. gov/safewater/dwa.html or contact Jamie Bourne at Bourne.James@epa.gov or at (202) 564-4095. ------- |