Environment DEC
From the November 2007 issue
DEC and Other Partners in Air Quality Data Exchange Receive Innovations Award
Editor's Note: This story was published originally on the Environmental Information Exchange Network's website.
The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) recently presented an Innovations Award to the environmental agencies of New York, New Jersey and Delaware for their cooperative work with USEPA in developing the Air Quality Data Exchange (AQDE). The ECOS Innovations Award recognizes outstanding state initiatives that improve business processes and enhance state partnerships with USEPA.
The AQDE enables partners to share air-monitoring data quickly and safely
Using standard file formats, data standards and the technology of the Exchange Network, the AQDE makes air-monitoring data available to the EPA and state partners almost as quickly as it is collected. In the past, states could access only limited air-monitoring data through EPA's AirNow System or the Air Quality System (AQS). If they needed access to more detailed information, they had to contact each other and request the data. Without access to timelier information, states had a limited capacity to perform sophisticated air-quality analyses or respond to emergencies involving airborne hazards.
The project partners also worked closely with the EPA to reuse the components of the AQDE to develop a common way to report to the AQS and AirNow systems. To learn more about the project, visit the Air Quality Data Exchange page on the Environmental Information Exchange Network's website. http://www.exchangenetwork.net/exchanges/air/aqde.htm
