EPA has released its draft v3.0 AQS schema to give EN Partners a preview of the changes. The draft v3.0 schema is available here.

Version 3.0 adds elements necessary for the implementation of the air monitoring program quality assurance procedures. These include new QA transactions and additional monitor metadata. Site and monitor metadata have been changed to better align AQS with physical reality and the intended meanings of terms in the monitoring program. Finally, elements that are no longer needed or that are superseded by the new elements have been deprecated.

Key implementation dates follow:

• All data collected in calendar year 2015 and beyond must be submitted using v3.0. The structure, however, remains largely unchanged.
• v3.0 deprecates elements that AQS will not longer allow for data collected beginning in calendar year 2015.
• EPA expects to have v3.0 test and production environments available by June 30, 2014.

Nick Mangus
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 919.541.5549
E: mangus.nick [at] epa.gov