Artificial Intelligence will revolutionize the business of environmental protection. Groups like the Exchange Network will play a key role in developing standards for environmental datasets so that they can be better understood by AI models. Facilitated by EPA’s CIO Vaughn Noga, join this panel to discuss this evolving space: the policies and possibilities surrounding AI and the Exchange Network.

Knowing community water system service area boundaries—the nearly 50,000 drinking water “zip codes” across the U.S.—is crucial for improving environmental justice, emergency response and resilience planning, and many other priorities in water infrastructure and public health. What's clear today is that accurate, comprehensive service area boundary data can help advocates, regulators, and communites alike answer vital questions like, Who gets water from whom? and Is my water safe to drink?  This panel will tell the story of how a recent collaboration between EPA's offices of R&D, Mission Support, and a host of NGO partners led to the creation of the first-ever national data set for community water system boundaries. EPA's dataset and mapping tool leveraged both AI-modeled and actual data in this milestone effort. Panelists will discuss how that work came together, various use cases, and how state and NGO partners might leverage and contribute to this work moving forward.

The Exchange Network has long provided a foundational platform and standards for sharing data among EPA, States, and Tribes. With over two decades of history, the Exchange Network is taking a fresh look at ways to reinvigorate both the technology and the partnership so it remains robust and vibrant. This panel will explore where we have been and where we are going. It will set the stage for a community roundtable discussion during the concurrent sessions. 

• Nicole Smith, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Environmental Health Informatics Specialist

• Michael Blair, Innovate! Inc., Senior IT/GIS Project Manager

Explore how the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board's Environmental Public Health Team collaborates with member tribes to create impactful stories. Combining public and tribal data sources with traditional ecological knowledge amplifies tribal voices on environmental justice issues. Join us as we delve into our collaborative process, including ongoing dialogues with tribal leaders, community surveys, and engagement with our tribal Community of Practice to understand environmental priorities and concerns. Our session showcases the power of incorporating tribal histories and traditional knowledge into story maps, fostering community empowerment and advocacy. Learn how this approach strengthens communication, informs tribal planning, and drives meaningful action for environmental justice.

• Ronni Chase Alone, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Water Quality Specialist

• Kayla Gower (Pribble), Gold Systems Inc, Salt Lake City, UT USA, Environmental Specialist Manager/Project Manager

This session will explore how Standing Rock Sioux tribe has successfully helped cultivate inter-tribal coordination, training opportunities, and enhancement of their shared data management platform at the regional level. We will discuss grant goals and outputs, the history of the grant, examples of training opportunities, and how creating this approach on the regional level has a profound impact on the ease of use and increased tribal support from all participants.

• Michael Ogletree, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Director, Air Pollution Control Division

• Erik Joplin, Colorado Department of Health and Environment - Air Pollution Control Division, Database and Data Communications Scientist

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has partnered with staff from U.S. EPA and other clean air agencies to develop a standard format for sharing air monitoring data. The Air Quality Data Exchange (AQDx) format is a groundbreaking solution to address the growing challenges associated with transferring, integrating, and effectively using air quality data from diverse sources and vendors.

This session will provide an overview of the AQDx format, describe anticipated use cases, and share ways for your organization to get involved and help shape the future of air quality data standardization.

• April Hathcoat, Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs Tahlequah, OK, Director

Will discuss when/how the air program was established, how it has grown, and how Exchange Network grants have been leveraged to share data from both the air and radon programs at Cherokee Nation.

AccessDEQ is an initiative of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to modernize our programs and processes by making them more seamless, streamlined, and simple to use. Guided by the agency's mission of providing science-based environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians, NCDEQ is creating a digital data ecosystem that equips internal and external stakeholders with actionable insights for effective decision-making. Moving with a people-first mentality shapes the processes and technology that form AccessDEQ. From creating an enterprise data model and simplified payment system to moving permit applications online, AccessDEQ incorporates modern, cloud-based infrastructure such as the MS Power Platform and Azure to store, analyze, and share data insights with our stakeholders. Publicly accessible dashboards and data visualizations support AccessDEQ in delivering insights that promote ethical governance, conscious design, and a learning culture within NCDEQ and beyond.

• Pattabhi Nunna, Booz Allen Hamilton, Senior Lead Technologist | Sr Solutions Architect | Innovator

• Erin Sanborn, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lead Associate

The Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS) is EPA's national management system for tracking activities at hazardous waste sites considered for cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund. SEMS is a critical tool for managing and monitoring the Superfund program, enabling the EPA to prioritize sites, track cleanup progress, and manage site data throughout its lifecycle. EPA’s Superfund Program is in the final stages of a comprehensive modernization of SEMS (SEMS 2.0) that includes a migration to a cloud-native architecture, leveraging open-source tools, serverless functions, cloud data warehousing, data replication, and a zero-trust security model to provide seamless, efficient, and cost-effective system that results in faster data delivery, automation of identifying sensitive PII, all to facilitate faster site monitoring and enforcement decision making.
As we continue to modernize SEMS 2.0, we will enable a wide range of new capabilities. Utilizing Vector Databases and NLP, we'll modernize data searching and enhance analytics, streamline action-based processes, and improve the accuracy of environmental management decision-making. AI/ML-enabled analytical techniques and Open Data like the Substance Registry System (SRS) can facilitate the linking of contaminants and chemicals to site and record data.

By enabling mobile voice interfaces and NLP techniques, we will greatly reduce the time needed for Remedial Project Managers (RPM) and On Scene Coordinators (OSC) to construct their reports by providing real-time data and analytics, improving on-site decision making and operational coordination. The introduction of multimodal site and geospatial data, combined with AI/ML capabilities and mobile interfaces, opens the door to a multitude of innovative new techniques that enhance the Superfund and partners' abilities to track, plan, and manage the Superfund Program effectively.

• Maggie Belanger, K-State Technical Assistance to Brownfields (KSU TAB), Senior Director & TAB Regional Directors for EPA Regions 7&8

The Brownfields Inventory Tool (BiT) is a free, online, comprehensive site inventory and brownfields program management tool designed for users working under an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cooperative agreement. BiT is also helpful for any community or Tribe developing any site inventory database to consolidate environmental and administrative information from sites in multiple programs. Using funds from our Exchange Network (EN) grant, we are working to integrate previously EN funded projects, the IHS Site Scoring and Clean Up Cost Calculator and IHS Open Dumps assessment form, and other tools identified by Tribal partners and information collaborators. Our goal is to aid Tribes and communities in the management of Brownfield Site data that supports the identification of site conditions that may present imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment. BiT analysis helps to prioritize those sites for cleanup and reduce the reporting burden to Tribes with seamless integration with the Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES). We will demonstrate the new BiT User Interface (UI) and enhancements and present case studies to illustrate real world applications. 

Members of the Regulated Facility Governance group will provide background on the newly created group and accompanying subgroups. The session will also review accomplishments and project updates from the Common Facility Data model and Data Lifecycle Roles and Responsibilities subgroups.

• Melino Gianotti, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Emergency Coordinator

• Nicole Smith, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Environmental Health Informatics Specialist

• Michael Blair, Innovate! Inc., Senior IT/GIS Project Manager

The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board has collaborated with Northwest Tribes to assess the safety and quality of well water on tribal lands. Initially, the characterization of wells relied on traditional paper-based forms, alongside water samples being collected and sent to laboratories for analysis. Upon receipt of test results, occupants were notified, and any concerning findings were addressed on a case-by-case basis. Recognizing the need for a more efficient and systematic approach to data capture, we sought to modernize our methods.

Through a partnership with Innovate! Inc, we introduced a digital rendition of our paper-based data collection instrument using Survey123. During the subsequent round of well testing, our team utilized both the digital and paper versions concurrently. Feedback was collected and incorporated after each testing day, leading to iterative improvements. Following the three-day testing event, we further refined the format to enhance clarity and efficiency and laboratory test results were integrated into the digital platform upon receipt.
The transition to digital data collection has facilitated seamless integration with tribal data systems and enabled overlaying of state well reports, soil data, and flood history, resulting in informative data dashboards and maps. For tribes with robust well water testing programs and existing data infrastructure, the inclusion of digital well characterizations, images, and precise location coordinates of well heads has proven instrumental in informing tribal decision-making processes.

Looking ahead, our project aims to delve into further analytics, integrate with a ticketing system for repairs and retests, and extend our efforts to support other Northwest tribes. Through continuous innovation and collaboration, we strive to enhance the services we provide to Northwest Tribes, as we collectively aim to create wellness for the seventh generation.

• Kurt Rakouskas, Environmental Council of the States, Executive Project Manager

Be Well Informed is a shared online tool designed to help private well water owners understand their water quality test results. If their well water contains pollutants, the Be Well Informed application provides information about health concerns and water treatment choices specific to their state, tribe, territory, or locality. This session will provide an overview of the existing tool, information about how to get involved, and plans for future development and improvement.

• Lori Furr, US EPA - Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, RCRAInfo Team Leader

The EPA Hazardous Waste program's RCRAInfo Team is building REST APIs for data exchange between partner systems and RCRAInfo. The team seeks to enhance collaboration by enhancing its methods of data exchange and would like to share plans with and solicit feedback from attendees. Anticipated benefits of using RCRAInfo REST API services include data exchange cost reduction and improved efficiency. Anticipated benefits for session attendees include learning from and influencing the RCRAInfo experience with implementing new data exchange services.

• Julia Gamas, U.S.EPA, Environmental Protection Specialist

This session will provide an overview of the Combined Air Emissions Reporting System (CAERS). CAERS is an application hosted by U.S. EPA that allows industry from subscribed State, Local, or Tribal authorities (SLTs) to report their air emissions information. The presentation will include a discussion about Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that allow SLTs to receive ready access to reported data for analysis or integration into their own applications. 

This session will share information on services supported by EPA’s Office of Information Management. This includes an overview on search interfaces like NEPAssist, EJScreen, Envirofacts, programs like the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and Facility Registry Service (FRS), and an overview of available geospatial resources. The presentation will include tool overviews and demonstrations.