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Data Management for Wide-area Responses: Literature Review and Operational Expert Feedback
Citation:
Boe, T., E. Silvestri, J. Mitchell, B. Cooper, L. Mickelsen, C. Graham, E. Primeau, K. McConkey, M. Rodgers, AND A. Speciale. Data Management for Wide-area Responses: Literature Review and Operational Expert Feedback. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-21/095, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
In the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) wide-area incident, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for clearance, waste disposal processes, and data collection and quality checks to advise decision-making. This research effort aimed to identify and recommend user-friendly tools that more easily facilitate the acquisition of field sampling data and subsequent management of sampling data following a wide-area incident to streamline and improve the capabilities of United States Coast Guard (USCG) and EPA responders. Tools identified through this research will be further evaluated during a technology demonstration day hosted by EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP), in association with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/EPA-sponsored Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency (AnCOR) Data project.
Description:
EPA first conducted a literature review and market research to identify articles, reports, and other information describing ongoing initiatives by regional and state partners and other federal agencies, as well as identify available commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products. Over thirty sources were identified as having information relevant to this project’s research objectives and were subsequently reviewed and summarized. This research ultimately identified 14 tools that are in use by different organizations for field data acquisition and data management, and this report describes an initial screening evaluation of each tools’ features. To supplement the literature review and market research, subject-matter expert (SME) feedback was solicited from the response and research community to understand important functionality field data acquisition and data management tools should have to facilitate a streamlined response to a wide-area incident. An important, common theme emerged among the insights that were shared by operational experts that were interviewed – it is unlikely that a single tool will meet all data acquisition and management needs. Rather, priority should be given to creating a well-documented workflow, articulating desirable decision-making driven features, and defining required metadata and features needed to support data workflows. Doing so will allow the response community to more quickly adapt proven workflows to leverage advances in technology. A ranked list of desirable features was created that was based on the information collected during the literature review and market research phase and supplemented by operational expert feedback. A subset of features was selected based on additional feedback received to identify the most important features to emphasize for evaluation. A comparative matrix was then created to screen the universe of tools identified for their ability to support the priority features identified. The completed comparative matrix documented expected tool capabilities. The tools and technologies that were selected to further evaluate and exercise during the planned demonstration day are available in a usable state and appear to have features that meet the largest number of needs. Tools recommended for further evaluation include Esri’s Survey 123/Collector/Field Maps Suite, Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK), EPA Scribe, and RadResponder. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the original date of the AnCOR Technology Demonstration was postponed; therefore, this project was separated into two phases where the candidate tools will be evaluated in Phase 2. In place of the AnCOR Technology Demonstration, EPA hosted a Virtual Biological Sampling Design and Implementation workshop. This workshop featured informal sessions describing the latest biological sampling field guidance, strategies, and tools for designing and implementing biological sampling plans. Additionally, participants worked on two interactive case studies (intermediate and advanced) to practice developing sampling plans using hypothetical scenarios. The sampling plans built by teams during the intermediate case study will be used to facilitate an upcoming AnCOR field study. From Phase 1 of this project, EPA gained a better understanding of users’ needs, candidate tools, and opportunities to improve wide-area data management capabilities. Phase 2 will continue this research, and the findings that result will be described in a future EPA report.