Summary of First Meeting

September 23, 1999 

Environmental Database Kickoff Meeting

1. Meeting summary.  On Monday, September 20^th, 1999 the Environmental Database (ED) Study team met and agreed on the design outline for the final product of this task order contract.  The product will consist of four elements:

(a) a map based interface for Section 1103, 204, 206, and 1135 information that would be the prototype for the ultimate ED.   PMCL will do this.  We agreed to a very limited database so that we could put resources into a potent interface that would serve the long term design goals for the ED.

(b) an analysis of and web access where possible to Corps environmental databases. IWR will do this;

(c) an analysis of and web access where possible to non-Corps environmental data. UW will do this; and

 (d) a strategy for further development (all).

We also agreed to hold the Mock Database Workshop in the Washington DC metro area during the first two weeks of November.  The goal of that workshop is to use the reaction of Corps environmental experts to a mock ED to refine the product design and get buy-in from the Corps experts who would be the ultimate users of the product.

2. Immediate tasks:

Everyone will e-mail Bill Werick to say what dates in the first two weeks of November would work for them.  The workshop itself will be between 3 and 8 hours long.  November 11^th, a Thursday, is a Federal holiday. (done)

IWR will develop an invitation list (done) and agenda for the mock workshop and share it with the rest of the team.

IWR will deliver as much of the database information for the Section 1103, 1135 (done), 204, etc. programs as we can.

IWR will begin to organize information on Corps environmental databases and create html information pages for each (done).  IWR will create a link from the ED web page to each html page, and to the database itself if that’s possible (done).  Bill Werick will talk to Rich Whittington about his work on the Natural Resources data (done).

PMCL will create an ED web page that will serve as both a management tool for this task order and the platform for the ED.(done)

PMCL will layout a simple plan to create the interface.  The plan will address what software to use, who will do the design, and how the design and software can meet the long term design goals.

The University of Washington and IWR will begin to create a structure for organizing these databases according to the types of data, data currency and data accessibility. (done) IWR and UW will classify each database according to these categories and criteria, and that information will be part of each html page.

The University of Washington will begin to organize information on non-Corps environmental databases and create html information pages for each.  UW will create a link from the ED web page to each html page, and to the database itself if that’s possible.

Over the longer near term, IWR will summarize the importance of the interagency data coordination committee guidance to this project and develop a plan for including the non-Corps Defense Department environmental information.

Bill Werick, Institute for Water Resources