You are here:
REVIEW OF THE RADNET AIR MONITORING NETWORK UPGRADE AND EXPANSION
Citation:
REVIEW OF THE RADNET AIR MONITORING NETWORK UPGRADE AND EXPANSION .
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of the near-real time air monitoring component of RadNet is to provide verified decision-making data to federal and state agency decision makers and the public in hours instead of days. Doing so helps assure that EPA can meet its national environmental radiation monitoring responsibilities, including those which have resulted from its recently acquired homeland security support role.
Description:
RadNet, formerly known as ERAMS, has been operating since the 1970's, monitoring environmental radiation across the country, supporting responses to radiological emergencies, and providing important information on background levels of radiation in the environment. The original purpose of the system was to monitor fallout from weapons testing. Even though upgrades to and reconfiguration of the system have been planned for some time, the events of 9/11/01 gave impetus to a thorough upgrade of RadNet, primarily directed at providing more timely data and covering a larger portion of the nation's population. Moreover, the demands upon RadNet are now based upon homeland security support in addition to existing EPA monitoring responsibilities. Beginning in FY05 and continuing into FY13 up to135 near real-time air monitors will be put into operation across the country to provide decision making-data to EPA officials. Data will be transmitted from the monitors in all 50 states to a central database at the National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory (NAREL) in Montgomery, Alabama. The data will then be assessed and verified and made available to federal and state officials and, eventually, the public. A data flow model is being constructed to provide the most effective and efficient use of verified data obtained from the new radNet system
URLs/Downloads:
Peer Review Plan (PDF, NA pp, 3 KB, about PDF)Draft RadNet Plan vol 2 (PDF, NA pp, 4278 KB, about PDF)
Conceptual Plan and Implementation Process--Final-Volume 2.doc (PDF, NA pp, 2034 KB, about PDF)
Conceptual Plan and Implementation Process-Volume 1 - FINAL 2012 (PDF, NA pp, 2245 KB, about PDF)
Draft RadNet Planvol1 (PDF, NA pp, 1254 KB, about PDF)
Review of 2005 Agency Draft entitled âExpansion and Upgrade of the RadNet Air Monitoring Network, Vol. 1 & 2, Concept and Planâ (EPA-SAB-07-010) (PDF, NA pp, 257 KB, about PDF)