State of Wyoming

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State of Wyoming Department of Environmental
Quality
Network 101 Nodes Not as Nasty as Polyps
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101 Purpose

• A basic introduction to the technology of the
  Exchange Network for attendees with something
  other than an IT background. 
• What is it and why was it devised?
• Why should I care?
• How does it work? 
• What do I have to do to participate?
• Minimal techie content included!

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101 Topics

• Introduction to the Network
• Building blocks of the Network
• The WHAT XML
• The WHERE Nodes
• The HOW Exchanges
• Expanding the Network
• Questions

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INTRODUCTION TO THE NETWORK

• Network 101

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What is the Exchange Network?
State / Tribe
University
Internet
EPA
Internal System
XML Schema
Network Node
Node Client
County
An Internet and standards-based method for
exchanging environmental information between
partners.
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What is the Exchange Network?
State / Tribe
University
Internet
EPA
Internal System
XML Schema
Network Node
Node Client
County
An Internet and standards-based method for
exchanging environmental information between
partners.
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A little like the POTS (plain old telephone
system)
Wassup peeps?
Bet its phat!
Internet
Hello?
I got some new bling
teenagers
An Internet and standards-based method for
exchanging environmental information between
partners.
my peeps
inane
gossip
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With Telemarketers!
State
Internet
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Benefits of EN

• Enables access to timely data
• Improved data quality
• Reduces data management burden
• Less dual data entry
• Less manual support
• Better decisions
• Better data, but also
• Wealth of new data now possible

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20th Century Discoveries

• Computers and robust data management
• The Internet and widespread data access

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20st Century Limitations

• What if I need to use the data from many sites at
  once?
• What if I want to produce a map of those results?
• What if I want to combine the data with my
  collection of related facts?

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20st Century Exchange

• Data exchange technologies
• Floppy
• FTP / EDI
• E-mail
• Data exchange formats
• Database dumps files
• Flat file
• Spreadsheet document

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20st Century Exchange
21st

• Data exchange technologies
• Web services
• Data exchange formats
• XML

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History of the Network

• 2900 BC Writing invented
• 1998 AD ECOS and EPA join forces
• 2000 AD Blueprint of NEIEN created
• 2003 AD Network Specification 1.0 Released
• 2003 AD EPA releases CDX Node
• 2003 AD Washington State release production Node
• 2004 AD 13 States operational
• 2005 AD 31 States operational
• 2006 AD 41 States and 1 Tribe operational
• 2007 AD National coverage

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Building blocks of the NetworkThe WHAT XML

• Network 101

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XML in a nutshell

• eXtensible Markup Language
• An XML Document contains the Data
• An XML Schema defines the Structure and the
  Rules of the data

Schema are developed for each exchange type
(e.g., Discharge Monitoring Report data)
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DataJust the facts
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XML Document
A filled out form
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XMLSchema A data entry form and instructions
CANNOT EXCEED 12
CHARACTERS

CODES MUST START
WITH D, F, P, K OR X

AT LEAST ONE CODE
REQUIRED, NO LIMIT
OF HOW MANY

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Simple XML Creation Demo
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Simple XML Creation Demo
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Simple XML Creation Demo
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Simple XML Creation Demo
Data is between the tags
ltTagsgt are data element names
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Is XML a silver bullet?

• XML documents get large
• Compression helps

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Is XML a silver bullet?

• But agreement is still necessary
• To avoid data rejection

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Building blocks of the NetworkThe where Nodes

• Network 101

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What is a Network Node ?

• A simple environmental information Web Service
  that initiates requests for information,
  processes authorized queries, and sends/receives
  the requested information in a standard format.

Web Service "a software system designed to
support interoperable Machine to Machine
interaction over a network. W3C
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Nodes

• Hardware and software used to exchange
  information on the Network
• Use the Internet, a set of protocols, and
  appropriate security to respond to authorized
  requests for information
• Send the requested information in a standard
  format, XML
• Each partner has only one Node

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What does a Node look like?
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What does a Node look like?
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Node versus a Node Client
Node Client
Node

• Makes Requests of other Nodes
• Responds to Requests
• Comes with a closet

• Makes Requests of other Nodes
• Responds to spilt liquid
• Comes with a monitor

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Building blocks of the NetworkThe how exchanges

• Network 101

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Network Exchange

• Exchange the sharing of a specific type of
  data between two or more Partners. This is often
  also referred to as a flow.
• For example, sharing of water quality data.

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Behind the Scenes
Provider (STATE)
Requestor (EPA)

• Data Request
• Authenticate
• Perform Query

• Node Management
• Request received
• Account/Service Authorized
• Request logged

CDXNODE
AGENCYNODE

• Data Transformation
• Relational data retrieved
• XML transformation
• Schema validation

Program Database
QueryProcessor

• Node Management
• Request results logged
• XML payload returned

• Data Received
• Response logged
• Payload staged

AGENCYNODE
CDXNODE

• Data Processed
• Payload validated
• Data loaded

Program Database
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Types of exchange

• Data Synchronization
• Replicating data
• Data Publishing
• Providing data

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Data Synchronization
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Data Publishing
?
?
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Exchanges in Production

• Water quality
• Pacific NW Water Quality
• Water Quality Exchange
• Beach Notification Monitoring
• Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation
• Discharge Monitoring Reports
• Electronic Drinking Water Report
• Underground Injection Controls
• air
• Air Quality System
• National Emissions Inventory

• Todays Specials
• cross-program
• Facility Identification (FRS)
• Toxics Release Inventory
• Homeland Emergency Response
• waste
• RCRAInfo
• WasteX
• health
• Washington Fish Tissue Data Exchange
• Safe Drinking Water

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A healthy Node
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Implementing an Exchange

• A Data Exchange is made up of
• Data services
• XML formulation
• Data transformation

State
XML
Data
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3 Steps to start an Exchange

• Map database to data elements
• Develop XML creator/reader
• Configure the Node

State
XML
Data
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Factors affecting exchange selection

• Priorities for data sharing with Partners
• Your data management authority
• The exchanges that are proven / available
• The status of agency information systems

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Expanding the network

• Network 101

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Network Growth

• Currently
• Lots of Nodes

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Network Growth

• Currently
• Lots of Nodes
• Mostly regulatory exchanges

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Network Growth

• Currently
• Lots of Nodes
• Mostly regulatory exchanges
• Soon
• More Nodes
• More Publishing
• More Clients

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Network Evolution

• More Partners are joining
• More exchanges are being developed
• The universe might expand beyond our
  environment

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Node 2.0?

• Technology has matured since 2003
• Much learnt after 5 years, 60 Nodes and 20 flows
• So the 1.1 specifications are being upgraded
• Forecast to be final in July or so
• This will result in a better Network
• Migration will not be seamless

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Wrapping Up

• The Network is all about automating data sharing
• XML is just another way to package data
• Nodes are a little nasty, but so are phones if
  you open them up
• Look for existing solutions first, reuse is
  cheaper and avoids multiple standards
• Think outside the box, exchange can be powerful
• Exchange is a state not a single event

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The Future

• This is just the start of the data revolution.
  Everything is going to change.

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QUESTIONS?

• Network 101