Like many organizations, Ecology has experienced a need over the past few years to substantially improve its information management. The agency took a major step forward in the 91-93 biennium with the preparation of an Information Resources Management Strategic Plan. The preparation of this plan marked the beginning of a coordinated agency-wide approach to the use of information technology (IT) in Ecology. Implementation of this plan was facilitated by the move to Ecology's new headquarters building, installation of an agency-wide network, and implementation of agency-wide E-mail among other initiatives.
In early 1994 the agency's IT plan was refined and updated with particular emphasis on strengthening the linkage between the agency's business and its use of IT.
Ecology has continued to build its IT infrastructure by establishing standards for application development (methods and tools), GIS software, data base management software, agency-level computing platform for major data base applications, and desktop software, among others.
One of the major areas where increased attention is needed is the agency's data architecture. Ecology's business requirements are changing dramatically with more cross-program initiatives and more agency-wide approaches which put more emphasis on information sharing and integration across traditional program areas.
In late 1995 Ecology initiated what is now known as the Information Integration Project. This project began with the development of an Information Strategy Plan as the first phase of what is now estimated to be a 5-6 year information engineering effort to identify and analyze the agency's priority business areas and design and construct integrated information systems to support those business areas.
This project will contribute significantly to the goals of improving state service delivery, making information more accessible, and responding quickly to changing business requirements.
The Environmental Report Tracking System (ERTS) was redesigned and redeveloped to improve Ecology's management and legislative reporting on statewide environmental investigation activities. Specific incident details from the following are contained within ERTS: 1) initial reports from citizens, 2) referrals made to Ecology program investigators, and 3) the results of internal or external investigations including actions taken by Ecology Spill Operations investigators, the date of various investigation activities, materials involved in the incident, etc. This redevelopment project has been completed and the system has been implemented in each of the four Ecology regional offices.
Ecology purchased a Hazardous Waste Information System (HWIMSy) from the State of Oregon and purchased services from the developer, Claremont Technology, to convert the HWIMSy to Washington and Ecology specifications. The Oregon HWIMSy was chosen for implementation in Washington because of the manner in which HWIMSy tracks hazardous waste shipments. Currently, both Washington and Oregon track hazardous waste manifests in a similar manner; by generator, by receiving facility, by ship date, by manifest, by transporter, by quantity shipped. This is of particular importance because in 1993 Washington generators sent over 10,560 shipments of hazardous waste totaling 112,168 tons to the State of Oregon. This represents 42% of all shipments and 54% of the hazardous waste exported from Washington. Imports from Oregon totaled 4,825 shipments and 13,511 tons, representing 38% of all incoming shipments and 69% of all hazardous waste imported to Washington.
By purchasing HWIMSy, Ecology saved 75 percent of the cost of developing a new system. Additionally by obtaining a system that is compatible with the State of Oregon, HWIMSy and Ecology's standard RDBMS (Sybase), data sharing between the respective states and other Ecology information systems is facilitated.
The Underground Storage Tank/Leaking Underground Storage Tank (UST/LUST) system was redesigned and redeveloped between May 1994 and June 1995. Redevelopment of the system has allowed Ecology users from both headquarters and the regional offices to access and update data in a manner that was previously not available. All trained staff are able to conduct data searches and produce reports using the new system. Additionally, regional office staff are connected to the new system via Ecology's wide-area network (modems were used previously).
By developing a system using Ecology's standard RDBMS (Sybase), data sharing is facilitated between the UST/LUST system and other Ecology information systems. Together, the above changes to the UST/LUST system have provided a more accurate, accessible and useful system for the provision of agency services to the public.
In July, 1994 a partnership was established between Ecology, OFM, and the Department of Health to develop a system capable of extracting and formatting AFRS financial data to meet Ecology's reporting needs. The driver for this project was OFM's decision to discontinue the mainframe-based STAIRS project due to its cost of operation and the impact on other mainframe applications. ADDS has improved Ecology's ability to provide information to staff, thereby improving state service delivery. In addition, this project enhanced Information Services staff skills in the client server environment which will be very valuable in building future information systems to improve state service delivery.
This project which is discussed above in Section A.1. will allow Ecology to integrate its information and thereby make it more accessible to both Ecology staff and others outside the agency.
In August 1994 with support from DIS, Ecology initiated a project to deliver information to Internet users through World Wide Web, FTP, and Gopher access. This project has continued to expand and use statistics show steady growth. Ecology has received a grant from EPA to continue to develop this project and the agency plans to acquire and install its own Internet server.
Ecology is one of the partners in this pilot project to make selected information electronically accessible in eleven public locations across the state (State Capitol Building, Seattle Public Library, and nine shopping malls). Ecology has provided information on vehicle emissions testing and waste reduction and recycling.
The final components of phase two of this system were installed in July 1993. This system is used to capture both tabular and textual information pertaining to defendants and their claims for court cases pertaining to water rights. The system uses a relational database in conjunction with integrated document components to produce court exhibits that automatically reflect changes in defendants and their claims through each phase of the case. This data and associated documents are accessible to authorized Ecology employees and selected individuals in the Office of the Attorney General.
This project which is described in Section 4.1. has provided a foundation for integrated accounting and management reporting systems and has improved Ecology's ability to make information accessible to Ecology staff. Ecology had already started to see the benefits of this foundation by being able to integrated some aspects of ADDS with the agency Contracts and Grants Payable System.
This project is discussed above in Section A.1. One of the major advantages of information engineering and integrated systems is the ability to respond more quickly to changing business requirements.
The new UST/LUST system which is described in Section A.1. is designed to support changing business needs. Recent changes in business needs include a statewide insurance and inspection program aimed at reducing UST insurance premiums for state citizens. Both of these initiatives are supported by the new UST/LUST system.
Through the purchase of HWIMSy, Ecology not only saved development costs but it also saved considerable time in meeting agency business requirements by avoiding a lengthy development process. Additionally, HWIMSy is developed through the use of the Texas Instrument's Information Engineering Facility tool that will allow the agency to easily modify the application and share information with other Ecology systems that are using this agency standard.
Ecology set up a Core Training Program to meet the broad training and development needs of agency staff. This Program includes funding for introductory training in agency standard software and is managed by Ecology's training manager in the Office of Employee Services. Ecology has developed an IT training strategy and is upgrading its computer training facility at its headquarters office in Lacey.
Ecology's Information Services Section has been working to educate management and staff on information engineering methods and tools. In June, 1994, Ecology purchased training services from John Anderson with IRM Services Group to provide training to agency application development staff on the information engineering lifecycle. Over 25 application development staff attended a two week information engineering training class. In addition, several briefing sessions were made available to all agency management and staff. In total, over 150 Ecology staff participated in these briefings and training sessions.
In support of Ecology's implementation of information engineering methods, Ecology has invested in Texas Instruments (Information Engineering Facility - (IEF) CASE tools). These tools were purchased and implemented to provide the framework for an agency data repository and application development environment.
Through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process Ecology adopted Sybase as the agency Relational Data Base Management System standard. This standard provides a foundation for future development of information management systems and supports the agency strategic information technology plan by developing standards to facilitate agency data sharing and integration.
Ecology, through the same RFP process, established a Hewlett Packard (HP) standard for agency mini-computer resources and negotiated a five year contract for equipment and services. The initial equipment has been installed in the Ecology computer room and is administrated by the staff who also administer the other agency computer resources. As agency business needs require further computer resources, Ecology plans to acquire those resources under this contract.
A critical element of implementing an agency-wide approach to the use of IT in Ecology has been the establishment of desktop software standards including Windows, Microsoft Mail, Mesa Conference + electronic bulletin board, Microsoft Electronic Forms, Powercore Network Scheduler, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access.
Ecology adopted James Martin's information engineering method as supported by the Texas Instruments Information Engineering Facility. Ecology contracted with the Claremont Technology Group to prepare an Agency Information Strategy Plan (ISP), and three Business Area Analysis (BAA). The ISP identified major business areas and the relationship among those business areas. The three follow-on BAA projects allowed the business experts to define the business processes and related data.
In support of Ecology's implementation of information engineering, an agency data administrator has been designated. This position has been instrumental in the installation and maintenance of the Information Engineering Facility software, Ecology's standard computer aided software engineering (CASE) software.
As mentioned above, a partnership was established between Ecology, OFM, and the Department of Health to develop a reporting system capable of extracting and formatting AFRS financial data to meet Ecology's reporting needs. This project represents a successful collaborative effort between Ecology's Information Services and Fiscal Office and partner agencies, OFM and the Department of Health.
This project, as described in Section A.1., provides staff from the Office of Attorney General the ability to view information pertaining to defendants and their water right claims. In addition, it provides staff from the Department of Ecology and the Office of the Attorney General the ability to share their work and meeting schedules. WARWS promotes the efficient use of state resources and provides improved service delivery to the public by the Office of the Attorney General.
Ecology is using the Department of Information Services' (DIS) routed network to gain access to the Internet. Ecology also has been provided space on the Internet server administered by the Policy and Regulation Division. Using this resource Ecology has made selected information available to Internet users.
As mentioned above, Ecology's Information Services Section initiated a strategy to educate management and staff on the business benefits of adopting information engineering methods using Texas Instruments tools.
An important strategy for implementation of an agency-wide approach to information management in Ecology is standardization of desktop software tools across the agency. This is intended to facilitate both development of agency-wide/cross-program applications and user support.
Ecology's data entry workload has been diminishing over recent years to a point where the work no longer requires a full position. Subsequently, the data entry operator position was eliminated and Ecology has made arrangements with an outside vendor, Allied Data Services, to provide the required data entry services. The costs for the data entry services are then charged directly to the program within Ecology that requires the work.
Ecology's information services organization is distributed. There is a central information services group which provides various agency-level services and information services staff within various divisions, programs, and regional offices to serve their local needs. An important mechanism used by Ecology to provide for agency-wide IT coordination and decision-making is the Information Services (IS) Council. The Council is chaired by Ecology's IS Manager and includes representation from each program and regional office. The Council is responsible for development of technical standards and IT policy recommendations.
Ecology designed and developed the prototype for the Washington Surface Water Identification System (WASWIS) in 1992 and 1993. The system was developed to provide a state standard for referencing fresh and marine surface water bodies, and thereby to provide a method for cross-referencing existing surface water data between agencies and groups in both geographic and tabular formats.
In the last two years, WASWIS has been implemented as a pilot in the western area of Whatcom County. Through alpha and beta releases of the system in late '94 and early '95 to key users at federal, state, and local levels, input has been gathered regarding system design and subsequent revisions have been implemented. Final testing of the system is proposed to be undertaken in late '95 and '96 by key users with selected high priority applications.
The development of HWIMSy was necessitated due to the need to further reduce the Hazardous Waste Program's support costs of the current system in both dollars and FTEs and to better track and monitor hazardous waste and program efforts as described above. In the Department's effort to expand pollution prevention activities, it became necessary to reduce the Hazardous Wastes Program's support costs of the current system in both dollars (mainframe monthly charges and data storage) and FTEs (staff used in data quality assurance). This reduction effectively eliminated the program's ability to provide high QA/QC on the information the Hazardous Waste Program collects. The only solution was to replace the current antiquated system with a more sophisticated one that could be operated with the remaining resources.
As mentioned above, Ecology developed ADDS in partnership with OFM, and the Department of Health. ADDS is capable of extracting and formatting AFRS financial data to meet Ecology's and other agency reporting needs. Additional business benefits of this redevelopment effort included: providing the agency the ability to develop AFRS reports at both the summary and detail level; saving hundreds of staff hours across the agency by avoiding re-keying data from existing AFRS reports to a spreadsheet or database to create new reports; enhancing Ecology's ability to share ideas, reports, systems and data with other agencies; saving paper costs by being able to produce reports that contain only the data that is needed; and enhancing our relationship with the other partner agencies, such as, OFM and the Department of Health.
As mentioned above, the UST/LUST system was developed using agency standard software (Sybase) and system design tools (IEF), with an eye toward eventual integration with other data in the agency. The UST/LUST system is currently implemented statewide and has about 20 users.
The enforcement sub-system was added to WPLCS during this period, thus completing the final phase of WPLCS development. The enforcement sub-system provides for tracking enforcement activities undertaken against a facility including both informal actions (such as phone calls, letters, and assistance requests) and formal actions (such as Notices of Violations, Penalties, Resource Damage Assessments, Orders and Penalties). Appeals and settlements can also be tracked. Another feature of the enforcement sub-system is the ability to track non-permitted facilities or individuals as well as permitted WPLCS facilities. Additionally, various on-line reports were developed to give users a quick way to display data.
At the same time Ecology moved into a new headquarters facility in Lacey, the agency implemented an agency-wide data communications network.
Ecology has been trying to overhaul its information management while managing shrinking funding and staffing. The cuts in IS staffing and increased responsibilities in IS have required very ambitious productivity increases and service restructuring.
As noted above, Ecology's IS organization is decentralized. This poses special challenges in efforts to develop and implement agency-wide IT policies and standards.
This project which is described above in A.1. is the cornerstone in Ecology's efforts to provide an agency-wide approach to information management. The funding and organization for this project respond to the above-described barriers. The initial funding has been pooled by executive management at the agency level and a project manager has been hired and reports directly to Ecology's Director. The project also will have a steering committee which will consist of Ecology's Director, Deputy Director, four assistant directors, Employee Services Director, the Information Integration Project Manager, the Information Services Manager, and the DIS Director.
In the 93-95 biennium a number of organizational changes have been implemented which enhance an agency-wide approach to information management. The most significant changes were: 1) the consolidation of the Information Services Section and the Administrative Services Data Management Section, and 2) the consolidation of the information services staff of the four programs in the Water and Shorelands Division. These changes substantially reduced the number of IS groups in the agency.
MAJOR IT PROJECTS
Agency-Level
P-1. Develop Agency Revenue Management System
No Activity. Funding was sought but not approved.
P-2. Develop purchase and inventory system
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-3. Develop Human Resources Information Management System (HRIMS)
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-4. Continue to develop and implement Washington Surface Water Identification
System (WASWIS)
In Progress. Pilot project completed.
Program-Specific
Hazardous Waste & Toxics Reduction Program
P-5. Redevelop Hazardous Waste Information Management System
Near Completion. A system was purchased from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and rehosted to Ecology's standard platform (HP/UX and Sybase) to replace Ecology's current system which is inefficient and does not meet existing business requirements.
Toxics Cleanup Program
P-6. Redevelop Underground Storage Tank/Leaking Underground Storage Tank (UST/LUST) System including billing module
Near Completion. A client/server system is being developed by a consultant to replace an existing system which operates on Ecology's Prime computer, a platform which is being phased out as an agency resource.
Water Quality Program
P-7. Continue to develop Water Quality Permit Life Cycle System (WQPLCS) including:
- Development of WQPLCS enforcement module.
Completed.
- Modify WQPLCS to include geographic and compliance data for municipal stormwater permits.
Completed.
- Modify WQPLCS to include and manage operator certification and pretreatment data.
In Progress.
Water Resources Program
P-8. Develop system to automate the capture, storage, retrieval, and display processes for Well Construction reports using GIS and imaging technologies
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-9. Develop Water Resources data management projects to enhance the water right application process
In Progress. Completed initial development of Water Right Application Tracking System.
OTHER IT PROJECTS
Agency-level
P-10. Implement electronic scheduling system
Completed. Off the shelf software was evaluated, purchased, and implemented to meet Ecology's electronic scheduling requirements. Software provides agency staff the ability to effectively manage agency conference and training rooms.
P-11. Select a relational data base management system (RDBMS) and an agency-level computing platform
Completed. Sybase and HP/UX were selected and installed. Development and production environments were implemented for application development projects. This will enable Ecology to more efficiently manage and utilize resources for applications development and implementation.
P-12. Develop desktop strategy, i.e., standards for end-user computing environment including operating system, user interface, and software
Completed. Early in the 93-95 biennium Ecology designed and implemented an agency-wide network and an agency-wide E-mail system. The Windows operating environment was selected with Microsoft Office as the desktop software. This will provide a consistent end-user environment for desktop office tools such as word processing, spreadsheet, and database software. Subsequently Ecology designed and implemented an agency-wide bulletin board system.
P-13. Implement agency-level data administration function including development of agency-level data repository with selected administrative and environmental data
In Progress. A full-time IS Data Administrator was identified and is responsible for coordinating data standards with agency staff. Texas Instruments IEF CASE tools were implemented within Information Services. Repository hardware and software was acquired and installed. Full implementation of an agency repository is in progress. This project is a significant step towards a consistent data environment which will improve data accuracy and thereby improve agency analysis and reporting.
P-14. Convert active mainframe applications to DIS "vanilla" environment
Completed. Conversion was required to meet DIS system conversion requirements.
P-15. Convert headquarters Conveyant front desk/reception and telephone system to network application
Completed. Allows agency's reception desk to effectively handle incoming calls by providing multi-user access to the system.
P-16. Optimize Contracts & Grants Payable System
Near Completion. Front-end is currently being replaced with faster and more efficient software to increase overall performance and agency efficiency. Project is scheduled for completion by mid September.
P-17. Redevelopment Environmental Reports Tracking System (ERTS)
Completed. This system replaced a system that no longer meets the agency's needs. The new system was developed with client server, GUI development methods and supports Ecology's direction of integrated systems.
P-18. Redevelop Publication Inventory System
Pilot Completed. Phase I of the system was developed and installed in March of 1994. Phase II, to provide a LAN based multi-user system, was not started.
P-19. Develop Information Services Request Tracking System
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-20. Redevelop Fiscal Notes System
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-21. Develop electronic forms (e-forms) routing pilot application
In Progress. Electronic forms that integrate with the agency electronic mail system were developed for Department of Revenue data requests. Further pilot e-form development is in progress.
P-22. Develop text management pilot application
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-23. Develop imaging pilot application
No Activity. Funding was sought but not approved.
P-24. Enhance automation of agency fleet management information
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-25. Investigate an agency-wide permit and license system
In Progress. Agency created a Permit Assistance Center. The permitting and licensing business area is scheduled for analysis in the 97-99 biennium as part of the Information Integration Project.
P-26. Investigate development or acquisition of loan system
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-27. Investigate consolidated environmental information system
In Progress. This project has been identified as part of the agency Information Integration Project and is scheduled to be designed, constructed, and implemented in the 95-97 biennium.
P-28. Redevelop Enforcement Tracking System
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-29. Further develop agency-level GIS capabilities
In Progress. Ecology staff have successfully established connection between Sybase and GIS software, Arc/lnfo and ArcView. GIS integration is being actively pursued with the agency information integration effort.
Program-Specific
Air Quality Program
P-30. Implement Source Identification System
In Progress. Data conversion and cleaning is underway.
P-31. Continue to develop and implement Source Emission Tracking System
In Progress. Users are beta testing system.
P-32. Continue to develop and implement Permit Tracking System
In Progress. Analysis and design has been completed.
P-33. Redevelop and implement Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Vehicle Emission Inspection System
In Progress. Historical data is being loaded and trends analysis is being conducted.
P-34. Redevelop and implement I/M Emission Specialist Certification System
In Progress. Final stages of implementation.
P-35. Redevelop and implement Area Emission Tracking System
No Activity. Project was not given a high priority.
P-36. Coordinate with local air authorities to jointly redevelop and implement I/M Vehicle Emission Inspection Notification System
In Progress. Preliminary problem analysis.
P-37. Develop and implement Emissions Monitoring System
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-38. Redevelop and implement I/M system to monitor temporary exemptions and waivers
In Progress. Queries and reports have been completed.
P-39. Redevelop and implement Grass Seed Burning Permit Application System
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-40. Coordinate with local air authorities to jointly redevelop and implement Compliance Enforcement and Compliance Action Reporting System (refer also to P-6)
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-41. Redevelop and implement Asbestos Contractor Tracking System
No Activity. May not be required by EPA.
P-42. Develop Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) database
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
Central Programs
P-43. Redevelop Facility and Contractor Tracking System (FACTS)
Completed. External contract done.
P-44. Redevelop Corps of Engineers Permits Tracking System
Completed. Conversion to Microsoft Access 2.0.
P-45. Redevelop Sediment Quality (SedQual) System
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-46. Redevelop SEPA System
No activities. Project was not given a high priority.
P-47. Redevelop Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) Personnel Tracking System
Completed. Redeveloped PC application from Paradox to Microsoft Access.
P-48. Develop WCC Project Tracking System to track projects funded through the Dislocated Forest Products Workers Program/WCC
Completed. Redeveloped PC application from Paradox to Microsoft Access.
P-49. Develop Medical Monitoring System to track medical monitoring required
for selected Ecology personnel
Completed. PC application developed using Microsoft Access.
P-50. Develop Kraft and Pulp Mills Equipment Testing System to allow monthly electronic reporting by 29 industries in the state via their water and air control devices
No Activity. Dropped due to changes in EPA staffing.
Environmental Investigations Laboratory Services
P-51. Implement Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
Completed. Phase I - Full production.
P-52. Implement Environmental Information System for EILS projects
No Activity. This will be included in a project scheduled for analysis, design, and construction in 95-97 as part of Ecology's Information Integration Project.
Toxics Cleanup Program
P-53. Modify Site Information System (SIS) to incorporate changes in rules
In Progress. Preliminary design completed.
P-54. Develop integrated system of tables and spreadsheets, perhaps linked with the Site Information System
Completed. In production.
Solid Waste Services Program
P-55. Re-engineer the on-line recycling help phone line system
In Progress. Conversion from Paradox to Microsoft Access is underway.
Water Quality Financial Assistance Program
P-56. Investigate methods to best maintain Water Quality Financial Assistance Program's grants management information
In Progress. Program data is being converted from program specific information system to agency-wide Contracts & Grants Payable System. Old system will be phased out once conversion is completed. This will minimize the number of information systems in the agency and reduce data redundancy.
P-57. Continue to develop Water Adjudication's Report Writing System - Phase 3
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-58. Complete development and implement Water Right Application Tracking System (WRATS)
In Progress.
P-59. Redevelop wastewater treatment operator's certification fee system
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-60. Develop Air Program permit fee billing system
Completed. Small system developed as interim solution.
P-61. Enhance Wastewater Discharge Revenue System (WDRS) to include stormwater fees
Completed. Existing system was enhanced to include stormwater fees. This project leveraged existing Ecology systems and resources and supported system integration efforts by not developing another stand-alone fee system.
P-62. Investigate and develop management reporting system that provides data transfer capabilities and includes development of a system interface between agency systems and AFRS
Completed. The Ecology AFRS Data Distribution System (ADDS) was developed with partner agencies OFM and Department of Health. This system provides the agency the ability to be more responsive to management's request for financial information and saves hundreds of staff hours across the agency by avoiding re-keying of data from existing AFRS reports to a spreadsheet or database to create new reports.
P-63. Develop Underground Storage Tank (UST) cashiering module to integrate with UST permit and billing system
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-64. Evaluate accounts payable automation alternatives
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
P-65. Automate records retention schedules
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.
Southwest Regional Office
P-66. Provide GIS capabilities (refer also to P-28)
Completed. GIS workstation and software in production.
P-67. Integrate optical imaging into file room system
No Activity. This was not a high priority in 93-95.