Facility Information
From Exchange Network Wiki
Contents |
Why Accurate Facility Data is Important
Facility data is part of most regulatory programs, and is the key to connecting the multiple program interests that are present at a facility. For example, EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) has created a broad array of tools that look at facility and enterprise compliance across all EPA programs. These tools are all based on a common identifier--in this case the Facility Registry Service ID. There are many ways that Facility data can be stored and since the name, address, and geographic location of a facility are often the core data for an environmental record it is important to have a standardized way to handle that information.
EPA's official FRS website is at http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/facility.html.
The FRS User Guide contains a section on FRS Automated Processes.
What does FRS Does
FRS allows the user to know when two or more parties who have contributed to the data are referencing the same building. This is important for matters of enforcement, cross media analysis, and comparing location information so that each contributor may better be able to pick the best information for their facility.
- FRS is a centrally managed database identifying facilities, sites, or places of environmental interest from 22 program offices as well as 57 States Tribes and Territories
- FRS assigns a unique identifier to each facility and aggregates (not edits) environmental interests, industrial classifications, and affiliation data
- FRS provides geospatial services (geocoding, indexing) and serves as the enterprise component for many EPA applications.
To see the different ways in which you can search FRS data, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/fii/fii_query_java.html
Facility 2.3
The Facility data flow has served as the testbed for ways to keep state and federal data consistent over time. This flow, in the version 2.3 FCD first expressed clear insert/update rules. In this version, facility record is always used as a complete data set. Early implementations exposed the issues that occur with partial record updates. For example, if a new water permit is submitted for a facility, is a new permit or a replacement for an existing one? The number of possible transactions is so high that a very granular data exchange would be extremely complex. For the Facility flow, one simple set of rules ensures that data is correct—whether it was in error before or not: When a record is received, if a facility exists with the same ID, the new record completely replaces the old one. If no such record exists, a new one is created. Facility 2.3 did not adequately address deletion of facilities. Generally, these records are found to be duplicates, or erroneous entries. They are hard to manage because the supplying system no longer has any record of their existence.
Facility 3.0
A new FCD/Schema set ofr the facility data flow was completed in early 2007. The new flow implements many new features that are now considered “best practices” for both flow and publishing design. Some key features are:
- Supports all existing (FACID 2.3) Facility Identification Network web service capabilities
- Adds new Network web services for publishing applications
- Used for Facility Data Cleanup Tool exchange to and from FRS to data stewards
- Updated schema
- Better use of shared components
- More modular approach
- Support for complex geometries (polygons and lines in addition to points) in the Exchange Network recommended geospatial format (GeoRSS GML)
Why Use Facility 3.0
- Real-time query and mapping with lightweight payloads
- Ability to support regional query and mapping applications directly from state facility databases
- Support for complex geometry
- Supports multiple alternative names and multiple geometries for each facility or interest
- Improved feedback for data submissions
- 2.3 will be phased out eventually
Submitting Accurate Data
Data Management Tips
The most significant and authoritative source of best practice information is contained in the "Facility Identification Template for States", Version 2 (FITS 2). FITS was developed by a consortium of states led by Washington Department of Ecology, and goes beyond network exchanges to address practical data modeling and other issues common to facility data managers.
If data elements are not defined differently by statute or rule for your jurisdiction, make your instructions on permit forms consistent with the EDSC standard. For example:
- Facility Name: “The public or commercial name of a facility site (i.e., the full name that commonly appears on invoices, signs, or other business documents, or as assigned by the state when the name is ambiguous).”
- Location Address: “The address that describes the physical (geographic) location of the front door or main entrance of a facility site.”
Build systems that make connections to other existing facility records at the time of creation. Geo-coding of addresses and "fuzzy logic" to identify existing facilities with similar names can save users keystrokes and improve data quality. For example:
- Allow a user to view possible matches, and choose to reuse existing data with minimal effort--"one click data entry".
- Allow for differences in business process or rule between programs. If a program has a naming convention in rule that differs from standards, preserve both the program name and the common name.
Submittal Application
- Provide a place on the applications for directions (Supplemental Location), separate from the address line
- Use standardized drop-down lists for counties and cities.
