WQX Water Quality Exchange

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Batch Indexing, Enviromapper, Web Services, and
GIS Tools
Randy Hill, Kevin Christian US EPA
OWOW/AWPD/MB November 28, 2007
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What is a Web Service?

• A web service is a computer-to-computer protocol
  that allows for the direct sharing of
  information.
• Web services allow for data from multiple sources
  to be packaged together in one layout, web
  presentation, or application.
• Typically, a web service has input parameters,
  and pre-defined output format
• These are the basic principles under which the
  Exchange Network functions

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A common web service example

• Weather bug
• The weather bug software is something that many
  are familiar with. It runs on a very basic web
  service.
• It has basic input parameters zip code
• It has a defined output format (xml file)
• The actual weather data does not need to be
  stored on your computer, it just pulls the data
  via a web service, and then displays that
  information in a user friendly format.

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What Web Services are being planned?

• Four core services are being developed
• Watershed/Station Catalog service provides
  summary information on what data are available
• Project Catalog service provides summary
  information by projects based on an input of
  min/max latitude/longitude
• Stations service provides specific station
  information
• Results service provides results for modeling,
  analysis, and decision making

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Where do Web Services fit?
Data in/out services via WQX
WH services available via Exch. Net.
Data out services through direct access to the WH
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So What?

• Web Services allow for more accessibility to the
  data.
• Allows for any application that can consume a web
  service to be able to access the data that are
  available in STORET
• Includes
• Microsoft Excel
• Mapping Applications
• Models
• Or any other custom application

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Why Web Services?

• Allow for you to create one method for accessing
  data that can be reused in multiple ways
• Some example applications
• EPAs Watershed Summary reports
• The next release of Enviromapper for Water
• An example Virtual Earth application

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This is all driven by STORET web services
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(No Transcript)
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All Done with Web Services!!
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Virtual Earth

• RANDY Either live demo or slides like
  Enviromapper

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Batch Indexing

• New development that EPA is working on
• Allow for any new stations submitted via WQX to
  be automatically georeferenced to the NHD
• The Georeferenced reach codes would be returned
  to the data provider, as well an opportunity to
  QA the georeferenced locations
• This will use a concept called Rain Drop to
  ensure that points are tied to the correct NHD
  reach

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• If the two points represent Accuracy/Precison
  issues then note how raindrop results in same
  indexed location
• Note how upper point with straight snap would go
  to wrong catchment
• Note how the path does trace the topo delineation
  for water

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Why this is Important?

• Allows for monitoring data to be easily linked to
  other types of data (i.e. Impaired waters,
  assessments, permits, etc.)
• Allows for upstream/downstream analysis
• Greatly expands the usability of monitoring data

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Batch Indexing Timeline

• This capability should be available Fall of 2008
• Deployed as a service that any data flow could
  use (not just for WQX)
• Also provide some Geospatial QA services (i.e. is
  the lat/long in the county/HUC/state that the
  user specified)

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Questions?

• Contacts
• Randy Hill
• 202-566-0644, hill.randye_at_epa.gov
• Kevin Christian
• 202-566-1180, christian.kevin_at_epa.gov
• STORET
• 1-800-424-9087, storet_at_epa.gov