Title: N P S T O R E T
1National Park Service
- N P S T O R E T
- A Water Quality Database Management and
Analytical System for National Park Units,
Networks, and Others
by Dean Tucker, Michael Matz, Paula
Galloway National Park Service Water Resources
Division Fort Collins, CO
2Presentation Overview
- NPS/Vital Signs Monitoring
- WQ Data Mgt. Challenges
- NPSTORET
- Lessons Learned
3Vital Signs Background
4Vital Signs Background
- Preservation/Use Mandate
- Use Very Successful
- Preservation Record Mixed
5Vital Signs Background
- 139,033 miles of rivers streams
- 1,716 miles of CWA 303(d) impaired rivers
streams
1.23 Impaired
6Vital Signs Background
- 4,230,480 acres of lakes, reservoirs, estuaries
and marine areas
- 1,065,540 acres of CWA 303(d) impaired lakes,
reservoirs, estuaries, and marine areas
25.2 Impaired
7Vital Signs Background
- By the year 2000, 80 (1/3) of the natural
resource parks had no professional natural
resource manager - Another 84 parks had only 1 or 2 natural resource
professionals. - Almost all projects/studies were short-term
staff mostly deals with the crisis of the day. - Few parks are able to identify the desired
future condition of resources, or current status
trend.
No Time No Money No Clue
8NPS Natural Resource Challenge
Vital Signs Background
- Provides funding and new positions for natural
resource stewardship to add to NPS visitor
services capability - Learn what is in parks (inventories), and monitor
the vital signs of natural systems - Engage the scientific community and the public,
and facilitate their inquiries - Share the information widely
9Vital Signs Background
Revitalize and expand the natural resource
program within the NPS improve park mgt.
through greater reliance on scientific knowledge
- Accelerate Inventories
- Design/Implement Vital Signs Monitoring
- Collaboration with scientists and others
- Improve Resource Planning
- Enhance Parks for Science
- Assure Fully Professional Staff
- Control Non-native Species
- Protect Native and Endangered Species
- Enhance Environmental Stewardship
- Expand Air Quality efforts
- Protect and restore Water Resources
- Establish Research Learning Centers
10Vital Signs Background
The intent of park vital signs monitoring is to
track a subset of physical, chemical, and
biological elements and processes of park
ecosystems that are selected to represent the
overall health or condition of park resources,
known or hypothesized effects of stressors, or
elements that have important human values.
Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska
11NPS Vital Signs Networks
270 Parks Grouped into 32 Monitoring Networks
12Vital Signs Background
13Vital Signs WQ Data Mgt
The Challenge
Physical
W Q X
Chemical
Other
Biological
14WQ Data Mgt. Challenges
- Archive Data in STORET Data Warehouse
- Decentralized Network Approach
- 32 Different Monitoring Programs
- Scarce Funding/Small Staff
- Limited or no Top-Down Authority
- Guidance, but No Standards
- Remote Locations/Limited Internet Capability
15Overcoming Challenges
- Existing Implementation of STORET
- 17,667 Sites
- 2,155,540 Results
- 976 Characteristics
- 194 NPS Units
- Regulatory Monitoring Charge/CWA
- Requirement Data into STORET
16The Chosen Path
Two pronged approach
17NPSTORET
- Microsoft Access-based
- N.R. Database Template for Water Quality
- STORET-lite
- Tailored to flow data to STORET
18NPSTORET Switchboard
19Projects Template
20Stations Template
21Metadata Template
22Results Template
23Reports Stats Template
24Reports Stats Template
25Reports Stats Template
26Reports Stats Template
27NPSTORET Imports
- Import Existing Station and Results Data from
User Excel, Access, and Text Files - Seamless Imports from National WQ Databases
Seamless Import
Automatic Characteristic Creation
28NPSTORET Overview
- Version 1.51 available for download at
- Learning Resources
- Context sensitive help
- First time users guide
- Workshop guide
- Videos
- Data import instructions
- Version 2.00 next year
http//nrdata.nps.gov/Programs/Water/NPSTORET/NPST
ORET_1_51_Setup.exe
29NPSTORET Overview
- Future Versions
- User-defined WQ Standards
- Depth Profile Entry and Graphics
- Automatic Data Logger Support
- WQX XML Export
- More Data QA
- Additional Biological Data Support
- Non-parametric Statistics/Trend Analysis
- User-entered Data Qualifiers
- Lots of Other Ideas
30NPSEDD Eddy
- STORET Electronic Data Deliverable
- Hybrid of several state and federal EDDs adapted
for NPS - Set of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets designed to
collect the data necessary to drive SIM
31NPSEDD Overview
Station Info
Project Info
Result Info
32NPSEDD Overview
- Designed to drive SIM
- NPSEDD v.1.1 available for download at
http//nrdata.nps.gov/Programs/Water/NPSEDD/NPSEDD
1.1.ZIP
33Vital Signs WQ Data Flow
Other DB (post 9/09)
(Via WQX post 9/09)
http//www.nature.nps.gov/water/infoanddata/index.
htm
34Lessons Learned
- No one size fits all solution
- Stay flexible
- Importance of standards
- Importance of data sharing
35Contact InfoDean F. Tucker(970)-225-3516Dean_
Tucker_at_NPS.GOVAdditional Infohttp//www.natur
e.nps.gov/water/infoanddata/index.htm
National Park Service
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC/TN