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slides available from march 26 open call on draft 9 of node 2.0 specification
On March 26 from 2:00-3:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time, the Exchange Network's Network Technology Group (NTG) hosted an open call to update the Network community on the status and schedule for Node 2.0 and to provide an opportunity to comment on the Draft 9 Node 2.0 Specification and WSDL, released on March 4, 2008. You can download a copy of the slides presented on this call here.
Background Information on Node 2.0
The functional specification for Exchange Network Nodes has been in operation since 2002. During that time, it has been remarkably stable and continues to effectively meet the needs of Network partners. However, some of the technologies used by Nodes have been upgraded or are being replaced, and technology vendors are decreasing implementation support for these technologies. For this reason, the governance of the Exchange Network is exploring a realignment of the Node specification with current technology standards.
In late 2006, the NTG began evaluating current Node operations with the goal of identifying new opportunities for the continued operation of Exchange Network Nodes and data exchanges.
The Network Technology Group (NTG) has released Draft 9 of the Node 2.0 Specification and Web Service Description Language File (WSDL) and is inviting comment from the EN Community.
>>Download the Draft 9 Node 2.0 Specification and WSDL File
The NTG has continued developing the Node 2.0 technologies based on comments received from the last version of the Node 2.0 draft documents, released on October 5, 2007. The NTG is soliciting comments on the Draft 9 materials through March 28, 2008. If you have specific comments on the draft Node 2.0 products, please post a message at: http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/exnet/vpost?id=1861037 or send an email to the Node 2.0 e-mail address.
The Draft 9 of the WSDL integrates minor changes from the previous version. In Draft 9 of the specification, a substantial portion of the changes integrate details learned from unit testing and beta implementations, as well as comments received from the Exchange Network user community on the Draft 8. The ‘recipients’ parameter in Solicit and Submit (Sections 5.2.3 and 5.5.3) will require additional testing and review within the Node 2.0 Task Force. Additional documentation and interim information will be made available to the user community as the NTG continues towards the final version of Node 2.0.
The NTG is committed to providing open lines of communication with the Network partners during all stages of Node 2.0 development. The NTG is targeting a final release of the Node 2.0 materials on June 2, 2008.
Questions
Network partners are encouraged to join the Node 2.0 open call if they are interested in the status of the Node 2.0 development effort or would like to provide feedback on any of the proposed changes. If you have any questions about the structure or agenda for the open call, please contact the NTG Co-chairs.
Connie Dwyer
U.S. EPA Office of Environmental Information
(202) 566-1691
dwyer.connie@epa.gov
Glen Carr
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
(503) 229-5062
carr.glen@deq.state.or.us
resources for TRI and UIC data exchanges now available
Final versions of the XML schemas and other implementation resources for the Toxic Release Inventory Data (TRI) Exchange are now available on the Exchange Network website at http://www.exchangenetwork.net/exchanges/cross/tri.htm.
The resources include a Flow Configuration Document (FCD), XML schemas with change logs, a Data Exchange Template, and a TRI Implementation Guide. These resources have all been updated to version 3.0 for use in the upcoming 2007 TRI reporting period.
The Toxic Release Inventory is a U.S. EPA program enacted as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986. Every year, tens of thousands of facilities in the United States submit reports to EPA and the States on releases and transfers of certain toxic chemicals. This data exchange allows EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) to automatically forward copies of electronic TRI submissions to state Exchange Network Nodes. The TRI data exchange allows states to receive raw TRI data in real time. It also reduces the burden of the current dual reporting requirement that compels facilities to make two submissions, one to EPA and one to their state.
For more information on the TRI Exchange, please contact Ingrid Rosencrantz at U.S. EPA at (202) 566-0961 or Rosencrantz.Ingrid@epa.gov.
Underground Injection Control Database and Exchange is Now Available
EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) announced the launch of the new UIC data system in December 2007 and began accepting data from the first five States and seven Regional UIC programs on December 10. These first data submitters were part of EPA's UIC Integrated Project Team (IPT). The IPT provided extensive feedback to development and actively participated in several rounds of system testing over the last year. All data submitters transmit their XML documents from their nodes or node clients through EPA’s Central Data Exchange (CDX) Node to an Oracle operational data store (ODS). Data are submitted quarterly and validated at the CDX front end using Schematron. Version 1.0 of the UIC XML schemas and the accompanying documentation are available on the Exchange Network Website
at http://www.exchangenetwork.net/exchanges/water/uic.htm.
The new UIC data exchange is designed to enable all States, Regions, and Tribes that have UIC program primary enforcement authority ("primacy") to meet their reporting requirements through the database. Over the coming year, EPA will be working collaboratively with the States to conduct rigorous quality assurance checks of the data received to evaluate its quality, completeness, and usefulness for replacing existing and proposed reporting. Once fully populated, the database will replace all existing reporting.
Underground injection is the technology of placing fluids underground, in porous formations of rocks, through wells or other similar conveyance systems. Facilities across the United States and in Indian Country discharge a variety of hazardous and non-hazardous fluids into more than
400,000 injection wells as a more cost effective alternative to treating and releasing waste to surface waters. The Safe Drinking Water Act established the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program to provide safeguards so that injection wells do not endanger current and future underground sources of drinking water. For more information on EPA's UIC program, please visit EPA's UIC web page at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/index.html.
EPA is ready to work with the remaining state programs to flow their UIC data through CDX to its new database. If your organization is interested in using the Exchange Network to exchange data with EPA's UIC database, please contact Carl Reeverts at (202) 564-4632 or reeverts.carl@epa.gov.
upcoming CROMERR Q&A session
On Thursday, March 27, 2008, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM EDT, U.S. EPA's Office of Environmental Information will hold a CROMERR Q&A audio-conference session for states and other authorized programs. A session has been scheduled for Thursday, April 24, as well, with plans for additional sessions in the future. The sessions provide states with an opportunity to raise questions and discuss CROMERR issues of concern. If you are interested in participating in one of the upcoming sessions, please send an email to Evi Huffer (huffer.evi@epa.gov) and David Schwarz (schwarz.david@epa.gov). Please include your questions and concerns in the email so that OEI can consult with other USEPA parties before the session if needed.
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