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Resources Available for Electronic Data Submittals
By: Janine MacGregor
Bureau of Planning and Systems
In the last edition of this newsletter, the Site Remediation
Program (SRP) announced availability of the required
format for submitting analytical results pursuant to revisions
to the recently re-adopted
Technical Requirements for Site
Remediation (N.J.A.C. 7:26E), herein referred to as the
Tech Regs.
The purpose of this article is to provide general
information about the SRP focus on electronic data,
summarize the available resources regarding electronic data
submittal, update the regulated community about recent,
related developments, and announce an orientation session
to be held at the Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP).
SRP Electronic Data Submittal and GIS Compatibility
The Department is focusing on improving internal and
external information sharing by requiring that all geographically
based data are submitted in an electronic format
compatible with the Department's Geographic Information
System (GIS). Locations of SRP sites are now entered onto
GIS so that other DEP programs can quickly identify the
presence of contaminated sites and other important data.
This data may be used in the many ongoing projects that are
looking at a whole-system approach to environmental
management, such as Watershed Planning or the NY/NJ
Harbor Estuary Project, as opposed to a solely regulatory-driven
approach. The benefits of electronic data submittal
to SRP are numerous. Primarily, electronic data submittal
will allow the SRP to manage volumes of analytical data in
a form that SRP representatives can easily retrieve and
evaluate. When fully implemented, the electronic system
will allow case and site managers to automate a large
portion of the review steps now performed manually. These
steps include identification of exceeded standards, analysis
of a specific sampling location over time or by contaminant,
and generation of contaminant contour maps or verification
of maps provided, etc. The electronic system is also
intended to automate the development of environmental
indicators, the measures chosen to evaluate actual environmental
progress achieved at sites and throughout the state.
Available Resources and Recent Developments
The resources listed below, except where noted, are
available on the DEP Bulletin Board at (609) 292-2006 and
on the DEP Home Page at https://www.nj.gov/dep/srp
under the "Regulations and Guidance" topic. (Note: For
advanced Web users, the HazSite address is http://
www.nj.gov/dep/srp/regs/hazsite/hazsite.htm). Following
the list is an explanation of each resource.
The five acceptable formats for electronic data
submittal are presented in:
Guidance and reference programs:
EDSA: |
A routine for administrative and completeness
checking of .wk1 and .dbf files. |
Additional Info |
TECHGIS2: |
Map requirements, guidance on collecting and geographically
referencing sample locations. |
Additional Info |
CORPSCON: |
Program to convert Latitude and Longitude to
State Plane Coordinates (NJ State Plane Feet). |
Additional Info |
EDIMAN.PDF: |
Contains GIS Mapping and Digital Data Standards. |
Additional Info |
SPFCXL4.XLS Spreadsheet: |
State Plane feet calculator. |
Additional Info |
Below is additional information about the referenced
resources.
HAZSITE4: |
This is a data collection application that
contains all the required fields for electronic data submissions
to SRP. HazSite contains help screens that provide
general information and data definitions. It also contains
built-in checks so that data will meet the required formats.
Using HazSite to submit electronic data requires a great
deal of data entry; therefore, its use is recommended when
neither the laboratory nor consultant have their own systems
of automated data management and/or the other options
listed below are unacceptable. |
Download Via Hazsite Page |
SRP-EDI: |
This is the Site Remediation Program
Electronic Data Interchange Manual (SRP-EDI). This
document contains the required formats for parties submitting
their electronic data in either a Lotus-compatible
spreadsheet (.wk1) or in a .dbf format in lieu of HazSite.
SRP-EDI provides file definitions, field lengths and field
orders. For laboratories or consultants currently processing
their data electronically, it may be prudent to use the
formats specified in the SRP-EDI Manual instead of
HazSite. For example, consultants may create spreadsheets
or use another application to create .dbf files of the sample
information while in the field, or they may compile spreadsheets
or .dbf files from field notes while the samples are
being analyzed. Consultants need only to provide a sample
identification number to laboratories. The laboratories can
then provide analytical results in a spreadsheet or .dbf file
to the consultants for submittal to SRP. Once the format is
set up, persons submitting information to SRP will use that
format for all applicable reports containing analytical data.
In discussions with laboratories and consultants involved in
this matter, cost has not been raised as a major issue. |
Download Via Hazsite Page |
HZ971014: |
This package contains the .dbf file
formats, as well as the valid values tables from the HazSite
application. It is a ZIP file that contains the necessary
elements and basic information to create a .dbf application.
The advantage to this option is that the user may import the
acceptable entries from the HazSite system without using
HazSite itself. There will be a greater likelihood that the
electronic data submittals are acceptable if the submitter is
using the fields recognized as valid in HazSite. |
Download Via Hazsite Page |
HZASCII: |
Data may be submitted to SRP in a comma
quote delimited ASCII format. HZASCII provides the file
structure and data definitions to be used for this option.
All files submitted in this format must have the .txt extension. |
Download Via Hazsite Page |
EQuIS: |
This is the fourth acceptable format for
electronic data submission. This format does not mirror the
HazSite system, nor is it specified in the Technical Requirements
for Site Remediation (Tech Regs), however it is
compatible with SRP's internal data management system.
By selecting this item, the user will be directed to
http://www.earthsoft.com,
and to a Microsoft Excel (.xls) spreadsheet
that can be downloaded for free and used for the
submission of data to SRP. This package also contains
definitions and explanatory comments.
NJDEP and the SRP make no representations or warranties
regarding the information provided at this Website, do not make a
specific endorsement of the product, and cannot assist or
support the user in any way. However, assistance is
available on-line from the EarthSoft Website. |
Link Via Hazsite Page |
EDSA: |
The EDSA routine is an administrative and
completeness check which will be run on all electronic data
submitted to SRP prior to that data being reviewed, evaluated
or used by SRP personnel. It is suggested that parties
submitting electronic data in the .wk1 or .dbf format run
this check to determine if the basic required information is
included and correct. This routine is intended to decrease
the occurrence of SRP rejecting data for administrative
errors or omissions. (This check is inherent in the HazSite
data submittal system.) |
Download Via Hazsite Page |
TECHGIS2: |
The Tech Regs require maps of Classification
Exception Areas (CEA) and Environmentally
Sensitive Areas (ESA) to be submitted in a format compatible
with the DEP Geographic Information System (GIS).
The TECHGIS2 document bridges the gap between
requirements for CEAs and ESAs in the SRP Tech Regs
and the DEP GIS requirements outlined in "Mapping and
Digital Data Standards" (available in EDIMAN.PDF, see
below). TECHGIS2 also provides guidance for determining
coordinates for each sample point. According to the
Tech Regs and HazSite, every sample point must have
either State Plane Coordinates or Latitude and Longitude
reported with the analytical results. TECHGIS2 states three
acceptable means of obtaining this information: by surveying
each sample point, by using Global Positioning System
equipment, and by developing a grid using one surveyed
point as a control for establishing sampling coordinates
throughout the site. It is important to note that as long as
there is one surveyed point at the site, such as the property
boundary or a surveyed well, this grid option should cost
relatively nothing. The consultant can construct a grid or
calculate locations from that point using resources such as
CORPSCON and SPFCXL4.XLS as discussed below. |
Download Via Hazsite Page |
EDIMAN.PDF: |
This is the DEP Electronic Data
Interchange Manual. The EDI Manual contains a copy of
the GIS requirements defined in GIS Mapping and Digital
Data Standards (MDDS). The GIS MDDS guidance
provides the requirements for GIS compatibility, and should
be used in concert with the TECHGIS2 document. (Note:
SRP-EDI is also a chapter in EDIMAN.PDF.) |
Download Via Hazsite Page |
CORPSCON: |
This is a program from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers which can be used to convert between
several formats, including Latitude and Longitude values, to
New Jersey State Plane Coordinates in feet. The
TECHGIS2 document discussed above provides guidance
on use of a grid to determine sample coordinates. This
method of calculating coordinates may be easier when using
State Plane feet; therefore, SRP is making CORPSCON
available to the user in case conversion to State Plan feet is
desired. Please note that there are several versions of
CORPSCON available from the Internet. DEP SRP is
providing a link from the SRP HazSite Web Page to the
U.S. Army Corps' own Web Site that contains
CORPSCON. DEP makes no specific warranty for the U.S.
Army Corps resources. |
Download Via Hazsite Page |
SPFCXL4.XLS Spreadsheet: |
This Microsoft Excel
(.xls) spreadsheet is an aid in calculating State Plane feet.
The program calculates State Plane feet from a geo-referenced
point, such as a surveyed well location, and in
consideration of the distance and angle of a sample point
from that known location. Use of this spreadsheet requires
a program that can handle Excel v. 4 files. |
Download Via Hazsite Page |
Applicability and Exemptions
As stated in the Tech Regs, electronic submission of
data is required for all analytical results submitted as part of
a Site Investigation, Remedial Investigation or Remedial
Action, except for certain specific discharge events.
Requirements for electronic data submittal and providing
geographically referenced sample locations for each
sample point may also be waived in certain instances
where homeowners (single family) are completing a
remedial activity of Number 2 fuel oil, if residential standards
are being met and no ground water investigation was
warranted.
Interested parties should talk to their SRP
representative about the possibility of exemptions in these
types of cases.
Comments and Questions
You may email questions or comments regarding
electronic data submittals to
hazsite@dep.state.nj.us
at anytime. SRP staff will provide direct assistance at 609-292-9418.
Orientation Session: Announcement and Registration
In January and February 1998 the SRP will conduct a practical overview
for parties electronically submitting data via HazSite, the .wk1 format
and the .dbf format.
The session will consist of an overview of the HazSite file structures,
input screens, files required for a valid submission, lookup files,
using ZIP file utilities to create the final product, and the printed
resources discussed above. SRP staff will explain use of the .wk1 and
.dbf files, the applicability to field sampling and laboratory analysis,
and ways to optimize the effort between the two related files. There
will also be an overview of various tools available to assist in
field/laboratory data preparation.
The orientation will be held in three half-day sessions at DEP's Public
Hearing Room, 401 East State Street in Trenton. Interested parties only
need to attend one half-day session. Please fill out the registration
form below or print out a text version of this
form to mail back to the Site Remediation Program. Please provide
your telephone number and Internet email address so that we are able to
confirm your registration.
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