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USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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CAUTION #1: Be sure you have backed up the data file "APL2005.TPS" to a floppy disk, CD-ROM, or your hard disk outside the PSS2005 folder before you uninstall PSS2005 to help ensure against data loss. |
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CAUTION #2: PSS2005 uses a proprietary database format. This cannot be read by other software. Therefore, only use PSS2005 to view, edit, or print your Project Submissions. DO NOT try to open the data file APL2005.TPS in any other software, such as Word or WordPerfect, because your data may become corrupted and all of your work will be lost! |
This file consists of the following sections:
NOTE: These instructions supplement those in the USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office FY2005-2006 Funding Guidance which can be found on the GLNPO Web Site at: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2005guid/index.html. Please refer to those instructions for additional information on the overall Project Submission process, funding categories, etc.
Software for submittals is available on the GLNPO Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2005guid/pss2005/index.html.
Technical Support is also available by Email at: glnpo.funding@epa.gov or by calling Tony Kizlauskas (312-353-8773).
Deadline: Project Submissions must be received by 8 a.m. (CST) on Tuesday, May 31, 2005.
Quick Summary of Submitting Completed Project Submissions
Please see Submitting Completed Project Submissions for detailed instructions for submitting your Project Submissions.
Project Submission Format: Project Submissions submitted using PSS2005 automatically comply with the application format.
This disk help file is for the Project Submission System (PSS2005) for paperless submission of GLNPO Project Submissions. The most recent version of PSS2005 can be downloaded from http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2005guid/pss2005/index.html.
PSS2005 is intended to be used with the criteria and other information contained in this Great Lakes Funding Guidance.
PSS2005 requires Windows 95 or better and a screen display of at least 800x600x16 colors (256 colors or better is preferred). Windows supplies a number of different display driver options that are accessed from the Start->Settings->Control Panel->Display->Settings panel. See your Windows manual or call Tony Kizlauskas (312-353-8773) or Pranas Pranckevicius (312-353-3437) if you need help with the display settings or any other technical question about the PSS2005 software.
UPGRADE Instructions:
If you had previously installed an earlier version of
PSS2005, DO NOT UNINSTALL IT before updating to the current version, merely
install the current version OVER the previous one. Allow the installation
program to overwrite the previous files when it asks you for permission. This
will ensure that any data you entered with the previous version will not be
lost. Of course, it's always good practice to make a backup copy of the data
file, apl2005.tps, before installing or uninstalling the software.
After downloading the self-extracting archive file SETUP.EXE, receiving it as an Email attachment, or receiving it on disk, to install PSS2005, you can do either of the following:
Obtaining Help:
The Help File is accessible from within the PSS2005
program by selecting "Help ->Read Help File", or from the Start Menu, select "Start ->
Programs -> PSS2005 -> Help File".
If you are upgrading from a previous version of PSS2005, you DO NOT have to uninstall the previous version, but can install the upgrade over the existing version. Any information you entered will be retained when you upgrade. Your existing data file, apl2005.tps, will not be over-written, so no data will be lost. However, good practice is to make periodic backups of critical data, so you may want to backup apl2005.tps before performing the upgrade, just in case.
Entering Data
Most data are entered by simply clicking your Windows
cursor in the appropriate field and typing in the information.
Data for some fields, such as "Title" or "Type of Organization," are entered by selecting the appropriate value from the drop-down list which one accesses by clicking on the down arrow to the right of these fields.
Some fields, such as "Abstract," will contain more lines of text than will initially be displayed on the data entry screen. Use the vertical scroll controls on the right side of these data fields to view the other lines or use the usual Windows navigation controls (arrows, PageUp, PageDown, etc.) once you have clicked within the field to place your cursor within the field.
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NOTE: In order to limit the Project Submissions to a reasonable size, there are size limits on the narrative fields, like Abstract, Problem Statement, Proposed Work/Results, etc. If you find that you cannot add any more text to one of these fields it is because you are attempting to exceed those limits. |
You can use the Windows clipboard to cut, copy and paste information between a Windows text document you have already created and PSS2005, or within PSS2005 itself. To copy from your document, select the text you wish to copy and choose "Edit->Copy" from the main window menu of your program. Now switch to PSS2005, place your cursor (click) in the field you wish to paste the information, and choose "Edit->Paste" from the main PSS2005 window menu.
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NOTE: Some Windows software embeds non-printing formatting codes that you can't see on the screen, but which might get included in the text you are trying to copy to PSS2005. This may cause PSS2005 to crash. To be safe, copy and paste information only from a simple ASCII text editor such as Notepad (which comes with Windows). If you already have the information in another program, such as a word-processor, you can save the text as an ASCII text file, then open it in Notepad and copy it from there into the appropriate fields in PSS2005. |
Data for some fields, such as the Lakes, States, and Geographic Initiatives on TAB3 Geographic Applicability, are selected by clicking on the appropriate selection box to toggle the selection on or off.
Moving Between Fields/Panels
To move between the fields within a particular data entry
panel, use the Tab key or move the cursor to the field and click on or in it. Do
not use the "Enter" key to move between fields, use it only at the end
when done entering or changing information.
To move between the different data entry panels click on the tabs at the top of the data entry form.
Saving Information
When you are done entering or editing information for a
Project Submission, either use the "Enter" key, or click on the "Save"
button at the bottom of the data entry form to save your work.
If you wish to stop entering information and not save the information or changes you have been working on, click on the "Cancel" button at the bottom of the data entry form. If you have made any changes or entered any information, you will be given a warning allowing you to either save your work before leaving the data entry screens (the "Yes" button), not save the changes (the "No" button), or resume working on the form without saving (the "Cancel" button).
Mandatory Fields
PSS2005 will not let you save the information you entered
unless you have completed the following: Name of Organization, Contact First and
Last Names, Business Phone Number, and Project Title. If you wish to perform the
data entry over several sessions, you must at least enter this information the
first time you begin entering information for a particular project. If you try
to exit without saving the required information, your cursor will be
automatically placed in the missing field, allowing you to enter the required
information. You may, of course, go back and edit the saved session by
highlighting the appropriate line in the "Browse Project Submissions" window and
clicking on the "Edit" button.
If you submit multiple Project Submissions, see the note, entitled "Multiple Project Submissions" later in this document.
Click on each Tab to move between the data fields referenced below.
APPLICANT INFORMATION (TAB1)
Applicant. This information will be used for notifying
applicants of the results of the Project Submission reviews and should be filled out as a
mailing address. Enter name of the Organization applying for funds; Applicable
Department, Division, or Unit; Business Address; City; State/Province (choose
one from the drop-down list); and Zip Code/Postal Code.
Contact Information. Contact Name, Contact Person's Title (choose one from the drop-down list), Contact Person's Name, Business Phone, Business Fax, and Business E-mail. For Phone and Fax numbers, enter the 10-digit number without any punctuation, spaces, etc.
Type of Organization. Choose one from a drop-down list including: State; Interstate Agency or Commission; Sub-state or Special Purpose District; County; Municipality; Federal Agency; College or University; Tribal Organization; Federally-Funded Research and Development Center; or Other.
DUNS Number. Enter your organization's DUNS Number (or DUNS +4) without spaces, dashes or other punctuation.
Programmatic Capabilities. Write up to a page addressing the Programmatic Capability criteria of Section V of USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office FY2005-2006 Funding Guidance, which is available on the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2005guid/index.html. There is a 4,500 character limit for this field.
PROJECT SUMMARY INFORMATION (TAB 2)
Project Title. There is a 60 character limit for this
field.
Abstract. Summarize the project in a manner understandable to the public. Include environmental KEY TERMS that could be used as search terms (e.g., water quality, toxins, mercury, etc.). Do not use acronyms. Should project be selected and a grant awarded, this description may be posted to the USEPA Web Site. There is a 595 character limit for this field.
Duration. Specify project duration, from 0.5 years up to 2 years (select from the spin-box list); however, New York RAP projects described in (See Section I.F.6 of USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office FY2005-2006 Funding Guidance) may specify up to 5 years.
Topic. Select one topic from the pull-down list. Do not submit the same project to multiple topics.
Priority Within Topic (optional). This field should only be filled in by an Applicant submitting multiple Project Submissions within the same project topic. To only be filled in after priority is assigned by the organization's coordinator.
GEOGRAPHIC APPLICABILITY (TAB 3)
Applicable State. Select Great Lakes State(s) which would
be most impacted by this project by clicking on appropriate selection boxes.
Applicable Lake Basin. Identify Lake Basin(s) which would be most impacted by this project by clicking on appropriate selection boxes. Negative reviewer comments may result from inappropriate choices.
Applicable Geographic Initiative. If applicable, identify USEPA Geographic Initiative Area(s) which would be most impacted by this project by clicking on appropriate selection boxes.
Applicable Areas of Concern. Identify the Areas of Concern affected by the Project: Choose the primary affected Area of Concern from the drop-down list. List any others in the field entitled "Other Affected AOCs". There is a 1,000 character limit for this field.
Project Location. Enter applicable 5 character ZIP Code or 7 character Postal Code. As applicable, enter the City, County, or State(s)/Province(s). There is a 50 character limit for this field.
PROBLEM/WORK/RESULTS (TAB 4)
Problem Statement. Describe the issue that will be
addressed and its relevance to the Great Lakes, particularly to needs and
priorities in Great Lakes Strategy 2002, LaMPs, and RAPs. There is a 4,500
character limit for this field.
Proposed Work. Outline what will be done and how. Describe anticipated environmental results, referencing affected pollutants, industry sectors, economic impacts, habitats, and/or species. There is a 11,000 character limit for this field.
Environmental Results. Describe anticipated environmental results and outcomes, referencing affected pollutants, industry sectors, economic impacts, habitats, and/or species. Estimate chemicals to be "collected or prevented" for Contaminated Sediments and for Pollution Prevention and Toxics Reduction projects. State the number of acres of aquatic, wetland, riverine, and terrestrial Great Lakes habitat to be positively impacted for Habitat projects. There is a 5,000 character limit for this field.
Measuring Progress. Describe your plan for measuring progress toward achieving outputs and outcomes. (See Environmental Results Order 5700.7 at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/award/5700.7.pdf). There is a 5,000 character limit for this field.
Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs). Applicants for projects impacting Areas of Concern should choose the BUIs the project by checking the appropriate boxes. The BUI Codes are as follows:
PROJECT MILESTONES (TAB 5)
Milestones. Specify milestones and/or final products and
projected due dates (Month/Year, in MM/YYYY format). You may describe up to 8
milestones/final products, including Project Start and End. If you would submit
a full application in May, your project could begin in July; however, most usually
begin in September or October.
EDUCATION/OUTREACH AND COLLABORATION/COMMUNITY-BASED
SUPPORT (TAB 6)
Education/Outreach Component. Check box, if the project
includes an education/outreach component. If applicable, describe the target
audience and how that group would be impacted by the project in the field
entitled "Education/Outreach Description". There is a 2,000 character
limit for this field.
Collaboration/Community Based Support. Describe plans and status of collaboration amongst the public, private, and independent sectors. Evidence of support will be requested later. There is a 2,000 character limit for this field.
PROJECT BUDGET (TAB 7)
Budget. Fill in the applicable budget items in the table
to show how USEPA funds (USEPA Share) and non-USEPA matching funds (Applicant's
Match) will be used for personnel/salaries, fringe benefits, travel, equipment,
supplies, contract costs, and other costs. You may include a separate line for
indirect costs if your organization has in place (or will negotiate) an
"indirect cost rate" from a cognizant Federal agency. The USEPA share
represents the total which the Applicant expects to request from USEPA for the
project's duration. Funding will generally be awarded as a "lump sum"
and is not assured for subsequent years. Do not include commas when entering the
budget amounts. Totals will be calculated automatically. Pressing
"Calculate Totals" displays intermediate results.
Budget Details. Include narrative descriptions for costs you identify as "contract" or "other". There is a 1,000 character limit for this field.
OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING (TAB 8)
Other Funding. If funds are being pursued or have been
committed to your Project by other providers, list the Name of the Providers,
Amounts Provided, and Commitments made by each. There is a 2,000 character
limit for this field.
When you are done entering or editing information for a Project Submission, SAVE the information by either using the "Enter" key, or clicking on the "Save" button at the bottom of the data entry form. (See Saving Information.)
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CAUTION: Always finish entering information and save your work before printing (a good rule to follow for any software), otherwise if PSS2005 crashes, you may lose your work! |
To print out the Project Submission information that you have entered, close any open Project Submission editing windows ("Creating a Project Submission" or "Editing a Project Submission") and select "File->Print Project Submissions" from the main menu of PSS2005. After the records are processed, you will be taken to a print preview window to allow you to preview your printout and to select which pages to print before you actually print them. The functions of the various icons on the print preview toolbar are explained below. (Here, as elsewhere in PSS2005, "hint balloons" give further hints if you hover your Windows cursor over a particular toolbar icon.)
Print Preview Toolbar
Explanation of print preview toolbar icon functions (numbers below refer to the figure above):
When you move your cursor over the previewed page, it changes to a magnifying glass shape to signify that it can be used to rapidly zoom the preview in or out. By clicking the mouse when the cursor is the magnifying glass shape, the zoom will toggle between the "No Zoom" and "Page Width" view settings.
Deadline. Project Submissions must be received by 8 a.m. (CST) on Tuesday, May 31, 2005.
Use one of the following 2 methods to submit the completed Project Submissions.
Submitting Project Submissions by E-Mail (preferred method).
Submitting Project Submissions by Regular Mail.
In case your
E-Mail system does not allow you to send attachments, you can submit your
Project Submissions by Regular Mail as follows:
If your organization submits multiple Project Submissions and wants to prioritize them, you may use the Project Submission System to do so. In that case, please identify an overall Contact Person (including phone, e-mail, and address) and send a single, coordinated submittal, prioritizing the Project Submissions. PSS2005 provides this capability -- see the section "Merging Multiple Project Submissions into a Single Data File" below for how to do this.
Also, please be sure to merge all of the Project Submissions your organization is submitting into a single data file, then please fill in the assigned "Priority Within Topic" for each Project Submission on "PSS2005 TAB (2) Project Summary Information." See instructions below for how to merge Project Submissions.
Individuals from the following organizations have offered to serve as coordinators for Project Submissions from their organizations. Please contact your coordinator first if you plan on submitting a Project Submission on behalf of one of the following organizations:
PSS2005 allows you to merge Project Submissions from different APL2005.TPS data files into a single data file. This means that the Project Submissions can be prepared by different people at different locations (home, office, laptop, etc.) and they can later be combined into a single data file for submission. This is especially relevant when multiple Project Submissions are being prepared by different individuals but being submitted by a single organization overall contact who also assigns the organization's priorities to the various projects (see above).
To merge Project Submissions prepared using PSS2005:
If you wish to use a Project that you prepared in PSS1 / PSS2 / PSS2000 / PSS2001 / PSS2002 / PSS2003 / PSS2004 previously as a starting point for this year's submittal, PSS2005 allows you to import Projects from the old format (APPLY.TPS / APPLY2.TPS / APL2000.TPS / APL2001.TPS / APL2002.TPS / APL2003.TPS / APL2004.TPS) into PSS2005.
To import Projects prepared using PSS1 / PSS2 / PSS2000 / PSS2001 / PSS2002/ PSS2003 / PSS2004 :
| NOTE: After importing the previous Project(s), make sure to go over the application Tab by Tab and Item by Item, to ensure a correct and complete application, since some of the information, categories, and/or requirements may have changed from previous Project solicitations. |
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CAUTION: Be sure you have backed up the data file "APL2005.TPS" to a floppy disk, CD-ROM, or your hard disk outside the PSS2005 folder before you uninstall PSS2005, otherwise all of your work will be lost! |
When you no longer need PSS2005, you can uninstall it using the following steps:
Accessing Support on the Web:
From within PSS2005
If you have your computer setup with standard Windows
Internet and Email access shortcuts, you can access some helpful Internet sites
and/or send Email to Technical Support with your questions, directly from
PSS2005. To do so:
From your Web Browser:
In case your PC isn't set up for direct access to the
Internet or Email, the relevant Web addresses for information and support are as
follows:
Some Common Problems and Solutions:
Here are some common problems you may run into and
suggested solutions. If you run into problems, please inform us of them so that
we can pass on the solutions to others and/or update PSS2005 to correct the
problem.
"I can't see the whole data entry form."
Solution: You may not be using the minimum display resolution of 800x600. See your Windows documentation on how to determine your current settings or how to change them.
"I can't exit the data entry form I tried pressing the "Enter" key and clicking the "Save" button, but it doesn't do anything. The only way I can exit is to press "Cancel, " but then I lose all the information I've entered."
Solution: You have not yet entered some of the "required" information for the Project Submission. Each time that you try to exit the form, the cursor automatically lands in the first missing required field, allowing you to make an entry. When you have entered information into all the required fields, you will be able to exit and save the record.
Problem: "I can't enter information such as the funding amount -- instead, I bounce back to the first data entry tab."
Solution: You may be hitting the "Enter" key instead of the Tab key to move between fields. You bounce back to one of the data entry tabs because a required field has not been completed.
Problem: "Before I finish entering all the information for a Project Submission, I suddenly exit the data entry window and find myself back at the "Browse Project Submissions" window."
Solution: You may be hitting the "Enter" key instead of the "Tab" key to move between fields or you may be hitting the "Enter" key to move to the next data entry form panel. If you have already entered data in the required fields, pressing the "Enter" key is the same as pressing the "Save" button.
Problem: "I can't enter all of the information I need to in a field."
Solution: There are limits on the amount and type of information that can be entered for some fields. If you are exceeding the limit, try to shorten or abbreviate the information so that it fits within the available limits. For data fields with vertical scroll bars on the right side, the fields will hold more information than is displayed on the screen at one time -- the window will scroll as you enter information. However, these fields have limits, too.
Problem: "I have much of my Project Submission information already in another document. Is there a way that I can save re-typing it?"
Solution: You can use the Windows clipboard to cut, copy and paste information between a Windows text document and PSS2005 or within PSS2005 itself. To do this, select the text you wish to copy and choose "Edit->Copy" from the main window menu of your program. Now switch to PSS2005, place your cursor (click) in the field you wish to paste the information, and choose "Edit->Paste" from the main PSS2005 window menu. Caution: Some Windows software embeds non-printing formatting codes that you can't see on the screen, but which might get included in the text you are trying to copy to PSS2005. This may cause PSS2005 to crash. To be safe, copy and paste information only from a simple ASCII text editor such as Notepad (which comes with Windows). If you already have the information in another program, such as a word-processor, you can save the text as an ASCII text file, then open it in Notepad and copy it from there into the appropriate fields in PSS2005.
"I enter the required information, but when I leave the field to go to another, the field reverts to what it was before I entered the information."
Solution: This sometimes happens if you are entering the data in the wrong format, e.g., if you enter 11 digits for the phone number, or you try to enter a 9-digit ZIP Code, or you are including punctuation when entering a phone number or ZIP+4. Try again, making sure to follow the format of the required data.
"PSS2005 crashes when I try to print out my Project Submissions."
Solution: Some Windows software embeds non-printing formatting codes that you can't see on the screen, but which might get included in the text you are trying to copy to PSS2005. This may cause PSS2005 to crash. To be safe, copy and paste information only from a simple ASCII text editor such as Notepad (which comes with Windows). If you already have the information in another program, such as a word-processor, you can save the text as an ASCII text file, then open it in Notepad and copy it from there into the appropriate fields in PSS2005.
Another cause may be that your data file, APL2005.TPS does not yet contain any Project Submissions yet because you have not yet entered, imported, or added any Project Submissions.
"I prepared Project Submissions on my office computer and my home computer and have two different APL2005.TPS data files. Is there a way to combine these into one file, or do I have to retype the information?"
Solution: You do not have to retype the information, see the section above entitled "Merging Multiple Project Submissions into a Single Data File" for information on how to combine data files created using PSS2005.
"I prepared Project Submissions in previous years using that year's version of the PSS software. Since much of the information for this year's Project Submission is similar to the previous submission, is there a way for me to use that information as a starting point for this year's, or do I have to retype the information?"
Solution: You do not have to retype the information, see the section above entitled "Importing Projects from Previous Submissions" for information on how to combine data files created using PSS2005.
When All Else Fails
If you've tried everything you can think of and are still
having trouble using PSS2005, please contact Tony Kizlauskas by phone at (312)
353 - 8773, or by E-mail at glnpo.funding@epa.gov.
The following is a list of the Abbreviations used for the Project Categories for use when viewing the tabular list of all entered Project Submissions.
Funding Application Project Topic Abbreviation Description
P2: Pollution Prevention and Toxics Reduction
HAB: Habitat Protection and Restoration
HAB-CNF: Habitat Conferences and Printing
EmSI: Emerging or Strategic Issues
RAPs: RAP Priorities
LaMPs: LaMP Priorities
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Version B, Released 5/2/2005: Fixed problem when printing project submissions that caused the Measuring Progress field to get truncated. Measuring Progress data was not affected, only the printing of the data was affected. Projects submitted using Version A DO NOT have to be re-submitted -- all of the user data is correctly captured and transmitted to EPA using Version A.
Version A, Released 4/12/2005: Original Release
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