EPA to Host Webinar on Citizen Science Activities

April 9, 2020

U.S. EPA’s Office of Research and Development will be hosting a webinar on EPA’s Citizen Science activities on April 15, 2020 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM EDT. Please see the details below for more information.

To join this webinar, please register at: https://epawebconferencing.acms.com/tools_citizen_science_apr2020/event/registration.html

With the advent of new technologies for environmental monitoring and tools for sharing information, community volunteers are more engaged than ever before in collecting environmental data, and many environmental agencies are using these data. A major challenge is ensuring the quality of the data collected by citizen science organizations. One of the keys to breaking down this barrier is a Quality Assurance Project Plan. EPA’s Handbook for Citizen Science Quality Assurance and Documentation is for organizations that are starting or growing a citizen science project, and where transparency in the scientific methods for collecting the data are central to the outcome of the project.
 
This webinar will provide an overview of citizen science at the Agency and showcase several EPA citizen science activities that involve partnerships with state, tribal and local governments on a diversity of issues, including 1) monitoring for cyanobacteria in waterbodies, 2) building and operating “real-time,” low-cost water quality sensors in Georgia; 3) demonstration of a new test method for community mapping of radon in Puerto Rico; 4) the Los Angeles Public Library air sensor loan program; and 5) using citizen science to analyze underwater video in the Great Lakes. For more information, visit EPA’s Citizen Science webpage.
 
For registration questions, please email: [email protected]
 
EPA Tools and Resources Webinar Series
U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development
 

Recording of Open Call on Low-Code Development Now Available

April 7, 2020

On March 24, 2020, E-Enterprise for the Environment and the Exchange Network hosted an open call focused on the use of low-code software development. Environmental agencies are increasingly exploring low-code approaches to building software that powers the business of environmental protection. On the call, representatives from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment gave presentations on their own work in this space.
 
If you missed the event, you can now view a recording by visiting the E-Enterprise website.  You can also contribute your own comments and questions about low-code development in the Low-Code Development discussion thread on the E-Enterprise Community Inventory Platform (EECIP).
 

Reminder - Exchange Network Grant Applications Due April 10 at 11:59 PM EDT

April 6, 2020

This is a reminder that the application due date for the FY2020 Exchange Network grant cycle is approaching. Applications are due to EPA by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, Friday, April 10, 2020.

An amended version of the FY2020 Exchange Network Solicitation Notice is available on the EPA website.

Other helpful resources available on the EPA Exchange Network website include a PDF version of the slide deck presented during EPA’s Solicitation Notice webinar series, an audio recording of one of the webinar presentations, an FAQ document which captures all of the questions asked by applicants during this grant cycle, and various other resources pulled from the solicitation notice, including optional templates and application submission guidance.

Please note that EPA only accepts project proposals for EN assistance agreements submitted electronically through Grants.gov, unless applicants have a waiver. EPA anticipates that it will announce selection decisions in or around August 2020, and tentatively plans to issue awards by October, 2020.

For more information, please contact:

Erika Beasley
Exchange Network Grants Program Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202-566-2530
E: [email protected]

EPA and States Launch New SDWIS Modernization Board

April 1, 2020

On January 31, 2020, U.S. EPA, the Environmental Council of the States, and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators initiated the SDWIS Modernization Board. Formed following a series of discussions over the past few months, the Board will be guiding the SDWIS Modernization process, following the principles of the E-Enterprise Digital Strategy. The Board is co-chaired by Benita Best-Wong, EPA Office of Water Deputy Assistant Administrator and by Victoria Phillips, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Enterprise Information Office Director, and will ensure integrated participation from both State and EPA drinking water program leaders and enterprise information management leaders. See the full Board Membership here.
 
The first phase of Board activities will largely be focused on providing input to support an Alternatives Analysis. The high-level scope of the Alternatives Analysis will be to identify and assess options for a long-term replacement of SDWIS State, that support both Primacy Agency and EPA data management needs, including new proposed requirements specified in the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. The Alternatives Analysis is scheduled to be delivered at the end of June, with option selection in July.  
 
The Board will continue to provide a series of updates throughout the process.

Thank you and please feel free to direct questions to Kurt Rakouskas at ECOS.

The SDWIS Modernization Team