Environmental Information Symposium 2008

Information Relevance: Making Information Meaningful
This session introduces innovative new concepts in computing information relevance, and for delivering this information to users in a simple, unambiguous, Web-based format. Learn about new techniques that combine user/stakeholder-furnished profiles, informational analytics repositories derived from agencys’ source information, and the availability and visualization of relevant environmental information via Google gadgets.

Joe Greer (PDF) (28 pp, 3MB), CSC
Sung Nguyen, Google
Dr. Jeff Ehman, Image Matters
Mark Day, ManTech

Protecting Children’s Health with Better Decision Making
Learn about how a common operating picture for the environment can help improve situational awareness and lead to better local decisions in the Phoenix metropolitan area. This pilot study is exploring questions of whether air quality forecasts can be better used in conjunction with local health data to support local decision makers’ requirements for taking action to more efficiently and effectively protect children’s health.

Zachary Tumin (PDF) (14 pp, 73KB), Harvard Kennedy School
Paul Rasmussen, Arizona DEQ
Jerry Johnston, USEPA, OEI, Immediate Office

Emergency Response without Boundaries (HERE)
Learn about the Homeland Emergency Response Exchange initiative (HERE), and how it leverages the information assets and capabilities of collaborating partners to respond to and solve common environmental problems. See www.HERENetwork.org for more details.

Guy Outred (PDF) (29 pp, 3.7MB), Windsor Solutions
Dennis Burling, Nebraska DEQ

Information Relevance,
Continued

So You Think You Can Blog?
Learn about the advantages of using a blog as a communications tool. EPA Region 3 will give an introduction to and account of their experience developing and maintaining the Healthy Waters Priority blog. A demonstration of the blog will be included.

Lisa Trakis (PDF) (6 pp, 228KB), USEPA, Region 3

MassCleanDiesel: A First-of-its-Kind Online Marketplace for Installing Emissions Reduction Devices on Massachusetts Diesel School Buses
See a demonstration of a this innovative Web-based solution, implemented by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), to handle all the logistic and administrative details related to for a diesel school bus retrofit program. Learn about the goals and challenges of this effort to reduce air pollution from approximately 5,000 school buses from the perspectives of each end-user (bus owner, retrofit technology vendor, and MassDEP administrator).

Adam Langmaid (PDF) (22 pp, 442KB), Eastern Research Group
Linda Diamond, Eastern Research Group

Enterprise Services Focused to Specific Customers: A Financial Services Community Example
This panel will address the unique efforts by EPA and the Financial Services Sector to assist in the access and respectful use of environmental data in investment decisions. Learn how Wall Street considers environmental performance and stewardship in the complex Social Responsible Investing formula.

Pat Garvey (PDF) (7 pp, 147KB), USEPA, OEI, Office of Information Collection
Jennifer Hodge (PDF) (19 pp, 735KB), RiskMetrics Group
Robert Buettner (PDF) (5 pp, 64KB), USEPA, Region 2

Tools for Rules and the Future of Public Participation
Learn about the “Rule Writers’ Workbench,” a system developed specifically for dealing with large volumes of public comments. Explore the context in which these tools were developed, and the results of recent rounds of usability testing. Get a glimpse into a real-world testbed provided by over 640,000 emails submitted to the Fish & Wildlife Service on the proposed listing of the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. Finally, hear about the likely political considerations as “Tools for Rules” become more commonplace on the desktop of regulatory rule writers.

Dr. Stuart W. Shulman (PDF) (78 pp, 5MB), University of Massachusetts - Amherst

NJ – GeoWeb: New Jersey’s Federated Internet Spatial Intelligence Data Application
Learn about how this state-level application is:

• Integrating parametric data and data reports from NJDEP’s enterprise Environmental Management System with geospatial features from NJDEP’s GIS database on the Internet;
• Delivering live data on the Internet in an easy-to-use browser-based viewer;
• Delivering integrating data in customized profiles (roles) to government clients, targeted user communities, and citizens in an enterprise application providing new perspectives for solutions on the Internet;
• …and much more

Lawrence L. Thornton (PDF) (25 pp,
3.3MB), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Publishing and Syndication of Data
Learn about a new, integrated framework for the submission, publishing, syndication, and access to environmental information. See the use of Web 2.0 (Really Simple Syndication (RSS)) and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) technologies combined with various search techniques to make everyone an “information publisher”.

Chris Clark, USEPA, OEI, Office of Information Collection
Tom Aten, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

European Union Lessons Learned: The Role of Data
As regulatory solutions for problems such as climate change and carbon management likely involve registries, trading, market tracking, and evaluation of program results, information systems must evolve to serve real-time data needs. In this session learn about a case example where data and information management systems were the deciding factor between success and failure in a climate change management system.

Daniel Waller (PDF) (18 pp, 577KB), AEA Technology
Craig Cheney, PPC

Decision-Support Tools for Watershed Management
Learn about recently available tools to assist in decision-making at smaller scales (state, tribal, local, or watershed) and how newer technologies can facilitate networking among watershed volunteers, planners, and managers at varying levels of expertise.

Stuart Lehman (PDF) (15 pp, 1.7MB),
USEPA, OW
Joe Williams, USEPA, ORD
Cynthia Curtis (PDF) (6 pp, 735KB),
USEPA, Region 5

Automating Electronic Reporting: Supporting Timely Access to Quality Data
Learn about several cases at EPA where programs have improved the delivery time of quality data by automating data processing using centralized CDX, Exchange Network and other services in the Agency. Explore how others have addressed their business challenges and the tools, services and processes they implemented to overcome these challenges.

Charles Freeman (PDF) (56 pp, 1.8MB), USEPA, OEI, Office of Information Collection
Judy Jackson, USEPA, OAR
Carl Reeverts, USEPA, OW

Digital Disruptions: Technology Innovations Powering 21st Century Business
Gain an overview of 21st century technologies that will empower scientists, policy analysts and the concerned citizen to better utilize, understand and visualize information. This session describes a solid foundation for understanding the application of new web technologies to business. Forewarned is forearmed; explore with us what lies ahead and plan accordingly. May you live in exciting times!

Paul Gustafson (PDF) (41 pp, 3.8MB), CSC

OCFO and OEI Initiative to Explore Quality Standards for Performance Data
Learn about a collaborative effort by OCFO and OEI to improve the usability and quality of EPA's data and information used for performance metrics. Discuss issues of secondary use of data, appropriate evaluation techniques, and useful standards for transparency and metadata.

Patricia Mundy (PDF) (35 pp, 353KB),
USEPA, OEI, Quality Staff
Joseph Greenblott, USEPA, OCFO
Judith Lieberman, USEPA, OCFO
Ronald Shafer, USEPA, OEI, Quality Staff

Automating Electronic Reporting: Supporting Timely Access to Quality Data,
continued

Leveraging the Open Source Movement to Improve Environmental Solutions: How government, industry and citizens can harness collaborative communities to help protect human health and the environment.
Learn about the power of emerging open source communities and how to leverage this cultural movement to improve human health and the environment. A panel will provide a forum for leaders in environmental and technology management to share their experiences with open source communities focused on areas such as technology (i.e. code development), methodology, and research & development.

Mitch West (PDF) (16 pp, 298KB), National Environmental Information Exchange Network
Jerry Johnston, US EPA, OEI, Immediate Office
Ross Button, CGI Federal
Vera Ashworth, CGI Federal

EPA’s National Dialogue – The Importance of Intermediaries as Information Ambassadors
Learn about the purpose of EPA’s National Dialogue on Information Access and the feedback received from various audiences. Explore the importance of the key role intermediary organizations (i.e., such as states, media, academia, environmental groups, etc.) play in delivering and providing access to environmental information. Discuss what intermediaries need to effectively do their job as information providers, and what EPA can do to help them.

Liz Doyle (PDF) (8 pp, 75KB), EPA Region 10 Librarian
Chris Horan, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
Ari Cohn, East Valley Tribune
Carol Meyer, Foundation for Earth Science

THEATER A

THEATER B

Noon

Making EPA Stat Work for You
Evangeline Cummings and Angela Grout (PDF) (18 pp, 637KB), USEPA, OPEI

Web 3.D – Virtual Globes and Other GIS Solutions for Everyday Program Use
Michael Alford and Scott Bennett, SRA Advanced Programs

12:25 pm

NetDMR
Brandon Harris, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Interoperable Earth Observation Services and Their Use in a Variety of Decision Support Contexts
Karl Benedict (PDF) (11 pp, 1MB), Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico

12:50 pm

Turn Data into Information
Timothy Hinds (PDF) (17 pp, 363KB), USEPA, OEI, Office of Technology Operations and Planning

Using Web 2.0 at EPA
David Eng (PDF) (28 pp, 1MB), OEI, Office of Information Access and Analysis

1:15 pm

GIS-Based Tools for Water and Waste Water Modeling
Dr. William Samuels, SAIC

Ontologies for Environmental Systems
Robert Raskin (PDF) (27 pp, 591KB), JPL

1:40 pm

IT Mashup: Business Intelligence Together With GIS Mapping for Better, Easier, Faster Environmental Analytics
Jerry Conrad and Larry Fawkes (PDF) (11 pp, 748KB), Oracle Public Sector

Storage As A Service
R.B. Hooks, III (PDF) (26 pp, 2MB), Sun Federal
Storage Practice

2:05 pm

Demonstrating the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)
Richard Allen and Steve Young, USEPA, OEI, Office of
Information Access and Analysis

Spatially Enabling Business Intelligence
Michael Smith (PDF) (24 pp, 1.4MB), Systalex Corporation

2:30 pm

Unlocking the Power of Digital Images With New Visual Median - Microsoft Photosynth
Justina Glavin and Keith Nielson, Microsoft Corporation

Virtual World Collaboration
Dona Dickinson (PDF) (18 pp, 1.2MB), Northrop Grumman

Enterprise Architecture, Meta-Government and Mission-Driven Transformational Solutions
Learn about a proven, yet forward-leaning, services-oriented architecture providing for significantly more capable and agile environmental information integration, geospatial data analysis and visualization, facilitation of collaboration, interoperability and data sharing. The system permits integration and interoperability across tools—enabling seamless end-user “plug-n-play” utilization of “the best of the best” applications and tools.

Philip Ardanuy (PDF) (17 pp, 1.6MB), Raytheon
Bryan Aucoin (PDF) (12 pp, 229KB), Alanthus Associates
Carroll Hood (PDF) (13 pp, 368KB), Raytheon

Using Web 2.0 To Improve Getting Work Done At EPA
Explore the potential uses of Web 2.0 technologies to change the way that EPA professionals conduct their business, to both increase effectiveness and broaden the number of people who are able to participate. Learn the answers to questions such as: What are the Web 2.0 technologies available at EPA today? What other technologies are there we might wish to use? How can I use them to the greatest advantage to do my business? Does the way I think of doing my business need to change?

Rick Martin (PDF) (5 pp, 38KB), USEPA, OEI, Office of Information Access and Analysis

Climate Change and Tracking: The Role of Surveillance in Public Health Response
Session will describe the anticipated public health impact of climate change and steps the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is taking to address this based on the Ten Essential Services of Public Health. Key to CDC's strategy is the ability to track environmental risks, vulnerability, and disease. Armed with information on these factors, health authorities can more clearly understand the relationships among long-term climate changes, weather events, ecological changes, and direct and indirect health outcomes and can plan and evaluate interventions. CDC's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program has taken up the challenge of providing a more comprehensive approach in the collecting, integrating, analyzing and disseminating information on environmental exposures and human health. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the Tracking Network and how it can provide the foundation for assessing community health problems associated with climate change.

Dr. Judith Qualters (PDF) (33 pp, 2.4MB), CDC
Dr. Michael McGeehin (PDF) (40 pp,
3.1MB), CDC

Surveillance, Events and the Semantic Web
Learn about ideas that enhance the integrity, speed, and agility of decision-making processes. Traditional automated surveillance systems rely on the integration and analysis of streams of structured data from public or private sources. This session will describe the end result of surveillance efforts: the creation, analysis, tracking, and distribution of significant events. It will also describe the Web 2.0 technologies that can integrate structured and unstructured data and facilitate the creation of the actionable events of business intelligence, including the Semantic Web, Wikis, mobile devices and cloud computing.

Nancy Grady (PDF) (30 pp, 581KB), SAIC

Spatially Enabling Chesapeake Bay Indicators
Learn about how geospatial technology can be used to develop better, more compelling and understandable environmental indicator reports. The Chesapeake Action Plan contains numerous performance indicators and metrics that describe our progress in restoring the Bay in explicit detail. Members of Congress, state and local decision makers and the public in general will soon be able to see how the power of these indicators can be greatly enhanced through the use of spatially enabled electronic dashboards.

John Wolf (PDF) (18 pp, 422KB), USGS / Chesapeake Bay Program
Jeff Donze, ESRI
Robin Smith, ESRI
Jerry Johnston, USEPA, OEI, Immediate Office

Using Web 2.0 Technologies in Scientific and Research Communities
Learn about technologies and outreach strategies that can be applied to overcome the time and space challenges of conventional outreach methods. The digital evolution in Web 2.0 technologies provides the infrastructure and tools that allows us to structure a Web 2.0 community to grow an action-oriented virtual community. This session is for those looking for ways to increase relevance and accessibility to information via Web 2.0 technologies; technology professionals involved in vocabulary handling and ontology-related solutions; role-based security professionals; data policy, governance and privacy professionals; and data quality professionals.

Mark Gust (PDF) (6 pp, 223KB), Booz Allen Hamilton

Accessing the Emerging National Data Bus
Learn about Exchange Network tools and solutions, along with closely aligned web services that support exchange and access of environmental data. Geofinders, Exchange Network desktops, and discovery services are deployed to deliver on-demand access to environmental information for all types of users. Explore similarities and differences between available services, and how standards promote sharing of solutions.

Mitch West (PDF) (5 pp, 3633KB), National Environmental Information Exchange Network
Deb Quinn (PDF) (24 pp, 2MB), State of Massachusetts
Dan Saul (PDF) (23 pp, 1.2MB), Washington Department of Ecology
Dr. Jeff Ehman (PDF) (24 pp, 411KB), Image Matters

Cross Federal Information Sharing: Creating Business Solutions
This session will provide an understanding of how to leverage other agencies’ information holdings and how to transform the information to meet business needs that span agencies’ business lines. Panelists will demonstrate successful cross agency information sharing and discuss how to better plan to do more. Attendees will see how these agencies have come together to solve joint environmental management problems. It will raise awareness of the audience as to how much other agencies invest in Geospatial analysis of environmental information. The session will explore how to utilize enterprise architecture planning techniques to identify and establish information sharing opportunities.

Kevin Kirby (PDF) (30 pp, 297KB) and John Sullivan, USEPA, OEI, Office of Technology Operations and Planning
Wendy Blake-Coleman, USEPA, OEI, Office of Information Collection
Vince Allen, USEPA, OW
Colleen Coggins, DOL
Robert Pierce, USGS
Gustavo Limon, NOHA/NWS
Tim Dye, Sonoma Technology

Encyclopedia of Life
Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is a free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.8 million living species known to science. It is compiled from existing databases and from contributions by experts and non-experts throughout the world. It aims to build one "infinitely expandable" page for each species, including video, sound, images, graphics, as well as text. In addition, the Encyclopedia will incorporate the Biodiversity Heritage Library, which will contain the digitized print collections from the world's major natural history libraries. The project is initially backed by a $50 million funding commitment, led by the MacArthur Foundation and the Sloan Foundation.

Dr. David Patterson, EOL’s Biodiversity Informatics Group

Accessing the Emerging National Data Bus,
Continued

Cross Federal Information Sharing: Creating Business Solutions,
Continued

Leveraging ECMS to Capture and Manage Your Records
Learn about collaborative efforts between the Superfund Document Management System (SDMS) and the Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to capture and manage Superfund e-mail records. By building the "Xtender", the ECMS E-mail Records Capture product allows individuals who have Superfund-related e-mail records to place them in ECMS with the necessary Superfund specific metadata. The Xtender project provides a good case study for how ECMS can be leveraged with existing systems to capture, manage, and provide access to important Agency records.

Steve Wyman (PDF) (14 pp, 529KB), USEPA, OSWER