States, tribes, and U.S. EPA developed a robust set of environmental data standards under the auspices of the Environmental Data Standards Council and the Exchange Network Leadership Council.

Environmental data standards are documented agreements on representations, formats, and definitions of common environmental data. They improve the quality and share-ability of environmental data by increasing data compatibility, improving the consistency and efficiency of data collection, and reducing data redundancy. They also provide a common vocabulary for citizens, local governments, States, Territories, Tribes, Federal Agencies, and private-sector organizations to communicate about environmental data. More information is available in Data Standards Frequently Asked Questions.