Meeting Logistics    Attendees
Town Meeting
Agenda and Meeting Minutes
Tuesday Notes    Wednesday Notes    Thursday Notes
Pending Action Items
Action Items from Wisconsin meeting

Constituent Reports:

Senior Staff Report
Data Chiefs Report
District Chiefs Report
AO Report
Study Chiefs Report

Attendee Information

Following is a list of ITAC meeting attendees/invitees who plan on attending the meeting:

Scott McEwen

CR Regional Computer Specialist -- Denver, CO

Welcome and Introductions/Agenda Review
Presented by: Jim Nicholas (Chair)

Wisconsin Water Science Center Overview
Presented by: Charlie Peters, Director

• Wisconsin Water Science Center Web Site

• Charlie gave an overview of the Wisconsin Water Science Center
• There are ____ teams in the Science Center, the avg team is from 5 – 12 people, but not all are committed full time to just one team.
• $10 million dollar budget
• The Middleton data center is the biggest growth team
• The Regional National Assessment team has continued to stay even and even grow some.
• The history of funding had gotten to $10 million but the center feels this is a good size, they don’t want to grow larger, except for inflation.
• Wisconsin has the third number of cooperators in USGS
• Some gages have been lost, but not long term. They have lost a few but picked up some on a short term basis.

Wisconsin Water Science Center IT Overview
Presented by: Bob Bodoh
Expected Outcome: Information Exchange

• The Science Center supports 103 in email
• 101 have been through the IT security training, one was hired yesterday and other is not working at this time
• 140 workstations and servers
• 70 laptops
• 70 servers (Middleton)
• All are on XP or Server 2003 with a few exceptions (touch screen in front of office)
• All in local active directory, including Middleton n
• Computer Room – 50KVA UPS can run about 45 minutes (this is distributed in the office)
• 10 ton AC unit for the computer room
• 22 Linux boxes are being run in Middleton
• They use software program “Kick start” to configure the Linux boxes
• Staff for IT is Bob, Karen Nelson, Gary Gill, Norm, Dave Owens, and Dan and Jim – all are full time except for Dave and Norm had other assorted duties.
• Cisco 3825 router with 8 connections
• VBNS connects the 3 T1 virtual circuits – which is connected to Reston, EROS and LaCrosse (mail) (outside)
• TDS connection – this is a fiber connection with 4mb with a burst to 40. This is the local phone company. More bandwidth for a less expensive cost. (outside)
• T1 serial router to CAPP – the field office in Merrill and Rice Lake run through this router. (outside)
• (Inside) Wisconsin WSC. 100mb connection. The NIS (Solaris 8, wi.internal.er.usgs.gov), DC (2), NWIS (Solaris 10) and Software Update Server. Natweb (wi.water.usgs.gov), NAV
• Oracle Database. 1gb connection.
• The district does unique things such as the Mercury lab, the keyboards set in the room and the cpu’s are outside the room (due to corrosiveness of the lab environment). The LCD monitors never make it to 4 years because of the corrosion problem in the lab environment.
• Parameter Estimation Program ( PEST) – 10 machines dedicated to the ground water modeling program. They can run the program in 8 – 12 hours on what used to take an entire day. It is a master/slave set up. They try to buy 15 – 20 machines a year.
• They also run State Lab – in addition to the Water quality lab.
• Dial out – 240 stations the min is twice a day. It’s all Campbell equipment. It’s pulled back and the headers added and is coded. The program is on Solaris 10 box.
• SPOF is a Cisco box. It is a single point of failure. It is a Cisco 3825.

GRID Harry House brought up the live Oracle Enterprise Manager

• Harry runs the Middleton Data Center
• Has a breakdown on all the Oracle equipment “real time”
• The firewall had to be modified to allow the agent to communicate
• The participation is voluntary at this time, to place the agent on their box.
• The Enterprise license comes out of the box under the DOI
• There are approx. 80 servers the Oracle Enterprise manager is sitting on
• The security team can look at the systems but cannot manage any of the information
• This product also works with SQL server
• Lester North is not willing to push out the draft memo in reference to participation in the GRID

Town Hall Meeting -
Presented by: ITAC/Center Staff

Bureau IT Perspective (30 min.)
Presented by: Paul Exter

• Wireless Policy
• A memo will be coming out from Karen or Kevin most likely in the beginning of July
• It will allow wireless on travel in laptops
• Patch Management
• This will reinforce that patch management must be maintained
• Configuration Management
• You must monitor your systems
• IM Policy
• The memo that went out was a draft policy. Please do not take anything as final until you receive it from Karen or Kevin. This is no ban on Sametime/AIM/Webex etc… A new memo will be coming out.
• Remote Access
• Terri and Paul have been working on this issue
• The draft policy is out
• This will limit the number of servers in an office
• It will put rules in place that a home computer cannot be used to connect to a USGS network
• Documentation is still being gathered on this issue
• PDA Policy
• In Early draft form at this time
• Paul will forward the memo to ITAC
• Not sure how it effects the scientific instrumentation
• Logical Access Policy
• HSPD-12 Homeland Security Presidential Directive
• Using Smartcards
• USGS has provided feedback to DOI
• EMS
• Enterprise Messaging
• Not looking for any changes until ‘07/’08
• ESN/DNS
• USGS has additional questions
• Paul is on a conference call today in reference to this
• ESN ITP3
• DOI initiative proposed by new Deputy Chief Information Officer Ed Meagher
• End to End IT Management
• It is on the agenda for tomorrow
• The Investment Review Board (IRB) voted down the proposal yesterday
• Security Awareness Training
• We have an extension until July 14th
• Role Based Security Training
• We get rated every year
• KPMG Audit
• Its in process in Reston
• STIGS
• How to’s for operating systems
• Make sure you have an implementation guide for your systems
• Active Directory Status
  • 22 Offices are complete

Office of Water Information Update (10 min.) (Katherine Lins, Chief, OWI)

The OWI directly reports to Bob Hirsch

International – Verne Schneider

Water Information Coordination Program – It involves other outside agencies and resources.

NWIS – is the major part of the budget for OWI. NWIS has it’s own management structure. There is an advisory committee.

WICAS – some functions remain from the Distributed Information Support Program that went to the GIO. Focues on procurement, web, HQ server maintenance and IT outside NWIS and the GIO.

CAPP – Publication functions have been split in half. The on-line cartography products like the ADR and NWIS mapper remain in WRD

NWIS Update (20 min.) (Dane Ohe)

Design and development unit.

• Quarterly reference updates
• NWIS 4.6 implementation
• Testing just completed in Denver
• NWISWeb DV project release
• 33 million page requests (hits)
• Water Quality Refresh program
• Hardening the infrastructure
• 24X7 NWIS emergency support
• Started June 5, 2006
• Provides 24X7 emergency support for problems that interrupt the flow of real-time data to the NWIS public web
• 703-648-6789 – continued monitoring
• Web page available for troubleshooting guide
• FY2006 C & A
• 2006 Risk assessment is completed, 2 new POA&Ms submitted for action
• All documents shall be completed by the end of July
• GRSAT rating and shift editor (with OSW)
• GOES – redundant backup – Ernie Dreyer has been leading this initiative full time.
• NWIS Coo Plan – has a buddy site for each site, in the case of a disaster
• Centralizing NWIS databases/servers – This is an issue that the NWIS team is aware of.
• There are data implications
• Political implications
• Architectural issues
• Dane is writing a SOW to get some Architectural direction assistance
• We are consolidating the NWIS databases in FL water officers
• As part of the project they will provide a written report

Q&A with District Staff (All)

Q - How much of the infrastructure is relying on people like Bob Bodoh to keep running? As our workforce ages out, how do we replace positions? Long term planning or quick fixes?

A - We have been driven by our work processes to date. We help the Science center help them do their jobs more effectively. All the factors need to be weighed. Human cost will be expensive and technology is getting cheaper. We have to weigh where we get the best value for our dollar.

Q - Is it likely that most Science Centers will have to purchase Sun Servers in the near future?

LUNCH

Wisconsin Water Science Center presentations and Discussion with ITAC
Presented by: Water Science Center Staff

Ryan Jirik

• Committee for Hydrologic Instrumentation and Data, Eastern Region (CHIDER) Update
• Hurricane Katrina update with pictures
• Updates and Safety procedures (overlapping material that happened the next day)
• Pressure Sensor course – Ryan (WIWSC hydrotech) sat in on the course
• There were a variety of vendors
• There were ad hock sessions, with not pre-sign up needed
• A person with 30 years of experience sat in on a Meter course and learned quit a bit of information
• Collaboration/Communication among the vendors and other Science Centers was an asset to the meeting

Rob Waschbusch (Streamflow and Lake-Stage Team)

• For most of the WI WSC’s sites they use modems and not GOES. Some sites have both
• The DCP’s were too expensive when they first came out, so the WI decided to go with modems.
• Two-way communication allows for troubleshooting the site, changing thresholds, etc…
• The cost is about $25.00 per phone line.
• RAVEN modems, uses a slightly different network, for about $10.00 per month. There is a limited coverage area at this time.
• RAVEN modems use EVDO. Cellular technology, they use Verizon wireless, about 3 times as fast as dial up
• An always-on connection – of cellular data connection
• RF400 – line of site radio transmitter. A dozen sites and one phone line. The one line can ping all 12 sites. 35 miles line of site
• Has reduced missing data (less then 1 percent)
• Transmitting interval: Initially every 12 hours set to 6 hours about 2 years ago, now is 4 hours following a customer server survey.
• The only down side is if the phone service is down.
• IL is the buddy site for WI, they use the same technology.
• A test has not been run between IL and WI to date, but is planned for the future
• Paddlespot.com has current river data
• Dulthstreams.org/streams real time data including ours

Marketing of the USGS data has to be brought to the forefront. There is a lot of companies out there that see a need for presenting USGS data and are putting the data out on their own sites.

There was a suggestion to have a framework where the skunk works projects can tap into, for example a consistent refresh data center.

The question was raised about the frequency of the Regional Data conferences, Ron said that it was explained at the beginning of the conference that they wanted it to be every three years per Region.

There was a discussion about the frequency and the ability to send personnel to other regions meetings. In some cases it is possible, but it depends on the travel funding. On an every three year basis it also brings the problem of the committee being new, because of the committee cycles. There has also been talk of combining the QW with the CHIDER conference.

Did anyone sit in on the Annual Data Report? It was covered some on the opening day, per Ron. SIMS is not running in WI yet, it will be rolled out in September. Per Chris, the main problems with roll out will be data base clean up.

Todd Stuntebeck

Remote Monitoring Technology and Data Display in the WIWSC

• Sites where you generate a lot of information
• Rapidly changing conditions
• Remote sites
• The workhorse has been the Campbell Data logger
• Multiple Instruments
• Flexible programming
• 2-way communication
• The software used is PC208W (Campbell Scientific) and Real-Time Data Monitoring and VPN/Remote Desktop
• Todd demonstrated via VPN the PC209W software interface. Showing the network, hardware, data collection and it’s schedule. The update happens about every 10 seconds.
• They have a Sony camera at the top of a silo at a university farm that can monitor current conditions. The cost of the camera is about $1300.00.
• There are 21 Water Quality monitoring sites in WI
• There are numerous sites that use the PC208W/RTDM technology – all have multiple sites, a lot of data
• Technology is getting smaller, cheaper, and better, which allow them to go to places that were not possible in the past.

Bill Selbig – Project Chief

Hydrologist focusing on urban hydrology.

Water Resources Information System KISTERS.

WISKI – third party Hydrologic software

• Provided an overview of the WISKI software which included the parameters, time series, data from and to, checking via charts and graphs.
• It is a very visual tool
• WISKI is used by one project (a non-point pollution project). After working records they do have to transfer the results into NWIS
• This is viewed by some to be comparable to NWIS
• WISKI is currently used by Wisc. Water Science Center personnel primarily to assist in developing statistical regressions and other record computations that are not supported by NWIS
• England is the primary user of this with 8 regions maintaining 32,000 stations
• This has not been used remotely to date but has the ability to do so
• There is a cost saving, due to one example such as velocity changes used to take him a day and now it can be done in a few minutes.

Kisters is the company name (http://www.kisters.de/english/homepage!readform)

Question: Would you advocate this as a tool for NWIS users?

Answer: This can do what NWIS does (but does not flag estimated unit values.).

Question: The Estimated values need to be flagged, Is there something you can take back to Kisters to make the change?

Answer: WISKI has the ability to export commented data. It does not currently exist for the WRD standard input format export. This was custom built for USGS as part of software trial. We can take the suggestion back, but can’t guarantee the change. We were selected as a test site at not cost. Bill goes back in and manually flags the daily values.

This company is eating into our revenue. We have to recognize that this type of software is available to the public. This was once a service that only the USGS provided and was paid for. We need to be aware of this.

Middleton Data Center – Overview of Activities

Harry House

• Started in 1998
• Mission and work focus has evolved over time
• Directly partner with a scientist or a group of scientists that can provide them with something they could use in their research.
• Projects: 8 national, 2 statewide and 1 metro project
• National is not just USGS but also other agencies, state and local
• Special emphasis on analytical applications, build-out environment that supports new initiatives, In database native spatial storage and computations, Partnering with DOI/USGS in support of Enterprise Architecture technologies and security requirements and Web enabled decision support tools to do data mining.
• Strategies
• Shared infrastructure and frameworks
• Natural science background and IT skills
• Out of the box when possible, reusable code
• Unique enterprise scale capabilities
• ETL engine, shared storage, etc
• Single vendor when possible - ORACLE
• Join ‘em don’t beat ‘em
• DOI/USGS Security and E-Web involvement
• Bottom-up collaboration
• Services
• Full range data management
• Co-hosting for partners who only need a place to site their database or application
• Advisory activities related to data management
• Oracle Spatial
• USGS is an ESRI site
• The front end is Oracle map viewer

Question: Are there GIS users using Oracle to store their databases?

Answer: No, there has not been a need to this point

John Hollister – Real Time Graphics

AJAX – Enhancing Webpage Interactivity
Asynchronous Javascript and XML

• It is a mix of the technologies
• AJAX makes it possible to call a remote server without javascript freezing. Then AJAX returns the call
• It allows for a more enriched user experience on a webpage
• There are some problems such as the “back” button, however there are workarounds that can be used.
• It won’t work if Javascript is disabled
• AJAX is not a solution for everything

Jessica Thompson – Export, Transfer and Load (ETL)

Enterprise Data Loading
Using industry standard software to facilitate loading and integration of source data into the NAWQA database

• A central repository of reusable components that define data sources, targets and business rules for moving data between systems
• INFORMATICA is the software application that is used
• In the beginning it used to take 6 persons, weeks to load the data, now it does it over night

Morgan Schneider – Great Lakes Beach health

The program is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. We have managed the database and website since 1999

• It is a Dynamic website with up to date advisories
• End of season data are stored to USEPA data required for the grant money
• Form input

Kathy Schoephoester – WDNR Fish

WDNR Fishing Tournament Web Application

• Uses a website web application that uses content for more then one source to cerate a complete new service
• The main application for the site is Oracle Application Express and Google Maps API

This has not been deployed to the public, but the customer is happy. Plans are to use it by the fall. Hopefully to expand it to include results.

Carolyn McCullough – Pubs Warehouse

• Most compete set of USGS series publications available
• 56% of are pubs are available online to the public
• 32000 scans and 8000 are online, plus an additional 30,0000 citations
• They are expanding to include non-USGS documents authored by USGS authors.
• They have started in the Biological Resource Center
• They have changed their database design
• A new report tracking system is coming down the line and they wanted to make sure their automated system is compatible
• Looking into a new web interface such as Google, however they were too expensive, so they are looking into another option such as Oracle
• They are also going to add a dynamic bibliography list. Oracle has a product that can do this.
• Business rules for larger programs
• Downloadable list
• Public, Internal and personal versions
• Every report in the database can be addressed by a one line URL

David Krabbenhoft and Nathan Booth - Mapping Sensitivity of Aquatic Ecosystems to Mercury Inputs across the Contiguous United States

Funding: USEPA OAR and USGS Toxics Program

• Mercury has become the single most important contaminant in the country
• Mercury accounts for 70% of all advisories
• We use Water Chemistry and other data to create a map of the metrics used
• Such as pH, DOC, Sulfate, Hydric Soils and Hg Deposits.
• This year they are going to look at Calibration Metrics
• Total Hg and MeHg
• Compile relevant data from the USGS NWIS database
• Perform data calculations (30 year means) and map results into the HUC8 delineation of the US
• Develop a binary (+1, 0, -1) scoring system for MeHg response for each parameter

Charlie Peters

Need for Multi-Agency Data for Developing Regional Water-Quality Criteria and Regional Load Estimates

• USGS data alone did not provide sufficient data to describe small-scale changes over large areas
• They obtained all USGS data and put it into an Oracle database
• Obtained State data in NWIS data bases (IL) and put into Oracle database
• Obtained the Legacy and Modernized STORET databases directly from USEPA in Oracle format
• With all the data they developed a Regional Nutrient Criteria

Infrastructure Transformation Phase 3
Presented By: Paul Exter
Expected Outcome: Information Exchange

• The new Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) is Ed Meagher
• He came to Interior from the Veterans Administration (VA).
• Infrastructure Transformation Concept of Operations
• A memo went out to the CIO’s to select a primary and a backup to serve on a committee requested by Ed Meagher to meet for 6 weeks to study consolidation of the Information Technology (IT) environment in DOI.
• The persons selected were told to come into the meeting ready to work on documents and they could not argue the concept
• Scope – Ed does not like the “AS IS” infrastructure he wants the “TO BE” to be the scope and vision

Q – Was the USGS limited to two person on this committee?

A – Yes – one person and a back-up

• The current infrastructure environment is “AS IS” (see PowerPoint page 6)
• They were told in order to do what he wanted he would have to have control of all IT people and , funding in DOI and the control to change things.
• OMB is expected to implement “Infrastructure Line of Business (LoB) in Fiscal Year 2008.
• Imposes requirement to consolidate IT infrastructures, Data Centers, etc… within a Federal Data Center
• Could be outsourced, won’t let agencies modernize technology “duplicatively”
• He feels Financial Business Management System (FBMS) will not be able to work in the current environment
• FBMS is scheduled to roll out at USGS in 2010

Q – Does this include Business applications?

A – In the first week the decision was made to exclude business applications

• Ed didn’t want to take funding away from National Business Center (NBC) – they currently have proposals in to do messaging
• There will not be a cross over of duties, if you are a hydrologist doing IT work that would stop
• One can could be only a hydrologist or an IT person
• The wiring/switches/hubs would be under centralized management by OCIO.
• All the IT people in all the Bureaus would work for the Office of the Chief Information Officer, DOI.
• Booz Allen Hamilton consultants and Gartner consultants were also in the meeting. Gartner lead the meeting
• Desktops – depending on the user it would be purchased by a centralized purchasing department. The systems would be locked down and imaged depending on the type of user.
• Transition (see PowerPoint page 12),There would be a new PMO office, 2 FTE’s with two groups.

Q – How did they arrive at the FTE number

A – Gartner based it on the number of employees total in the DOI

• Risks (see PowerPoint page 14), The schedule was for 18 months to transition the infrastructure
• Total cost of implementation, 245 million dollars
• Investment Review Board (IRB) voted and shot down the proposal after it was presented on Friday (June 16, 2006)
• (DOI leadership (CIOs, Karen Sideralis and equivalents) strongly disagreed with the plan when presented with the concept/plan)
• Expect Ed Meagher to make a counter-proposal, there is 1.3 million in Working Capital Fund to start his initiative but the DOI Bureau-level CIOs are obstacles for his initiative.
• Top-down management, centralized lock down end-to-end. Putting software on the network to check your system so you won’t get on the network if your system has been modified in ANY way since last time you were on the network.
• Not sure yet on what the “Go Forward” action will be at this time
• Paul will send the documents to ITAC that he sent to Karen

Invite Ed Meagher on 2 or 3 field visits to introduce him to USGS mission and work.

Give some examples such as GPRA and our cooperators
Wood’s Hole
Harry’s Oracle work
Alaska
We need to put together a strategic way to explain our mission

GSA Power Outages
Presented By: Jess Griffin
Expected Outcome: Information Exchange

GS requires annual power testing

ITAC may want to send a memo to the Regional GIO’s requesting power outages that are being sent to us through GSA be better planned. We cannot be forced into one week windows.

Jim S will draft up a memo in reference and Steve King will assist and take it forward.

IT Update
Presented By: Stephen King
Expected Outcome: Information Exchange

When Sue Rockland left as Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) Ed came in from VA replace Hord Tipton when he retires.

Jim S - <Comment> At the November business information conference, the keynote speaker from OMB and the drive to reduce the IT costs and centralization are going to continue.

Paul E - <Comment> OMB is forcing us to change, and Ed said we can have it done to us or we can do it to ourselves.

• ATT Dial UP
• The GIO is covering the ATT dial-up cost for 2006
• After 2007 they will no longer cover that expense
• If you no longer need the dial up get rid of them
• Users at ATT VPN charges contracted – free eVPN
• This is something that other District Chief’s need to be aware of, the SA’s should be taking care of this.

Q – Has the region primarily responsible distributed usage records to the account holders with copy to the cost center chief?

A - Believes its been done by Jessie

Q - Who can we talk to, to find out who uses it?

A - Call Jessie Alvarez in Eastern, Barbara Stocker in Western and Kip McCarty in Central

• GS Help Email Group
• Service Desk pilot
• Limited to specific users
• No plan to expand to the field any time soon
• Concept not proven until Tier 2 and 3 are formally involved
• The service has been offered to other CIO’s at the Denver Federal Center

Q – Has there been any talk about how it would help the Western Region? The Help Desk closes too early (time zone differences).

A – There has been talk, but not sure where it is at this time

• Enterprise Property Management
• Who should be the CPO and CE for
• eAD Domain controllers
• Lotus Servers
• Routers
• C&A What’s next
• 800-26 replaced by 800-53
• Fewer questions but narrative form
• Garry Neverdon and RCTOs taking first shot at answering the questions

Q – This is all new, is there going to be a class on the changes?

A – Steve deferred to Jim S.

Jim S - is a member of the C&A core team. What Garry and the CTO’s agreed to do, is that they fill out forms at their level. There will be a memo coming out next month and ask the assist owners to fill out a form they will provide. It is still very fluid. They are still struggling on what DOI wants, but instead of sitting on their hands they are being proactive.

• Reminders
• A-Z index
• ITAC Considerations

Steve King would like ITAC to consider taking on the following:

• Use of “DirectWay”
• DirectWay is an Emergency Management application that was implemented by Burl Goree during Hurricane Katrina. Helped enable the HIF to conduct business ‘somewhat normally’ for the rest of the fiscal year. This allowed them to access to FPPS, FFS, NWIS and some of the gages that were down. They also had access to email with basic internet access.

Would you consider DirectWay? Is there a better solution?

He would like to coordinate it with ITSOC in be prepared prior to an emergency.
Tim Quinn would be a good resource to go to.
Steve would like to include this in the Continuity of Operations (COO) plan.

• Emergency Management Application
• Parallel Processing Capacity

Would like ITAC to see if there are some alternative solutions they can recommend

• Is there other technology we can use?
• Cost effective solutions instead of heavy duty modeling
• Is there a Center of Expertise within the USGS
  
• It is not trivial to do to meet modern day security requirements.
• Chris will volunteer to present an example to ITAC of the solution the GA district is using

Update on C&A Streamlining and Teams
Presented By: Jim Steverson
Expected Outcome: Information Exchange

Jim was assigned to work with Garry Neverdon. They are completing the vetting process and expect in the next couple weeks the charter to be released. <Charter> If they do not run into any opposition from the CTO’s, RGIO’s or Security.

The charter depicts they will form a team, work for 12/15 months produce some deliverables and go from there.

He has a budget for this year, hope to stand up a team and begin by August.

The second document is a proposed memo to go to the IT community and a copy to the Cost Center Chief’s. The memo says it is looking for volunteers, submit your names and we will let you know who will be working on the team. They are attempting to get a cross section from across all the USGS systems. They expect to get about a dozen people. The memo asked for 10 hours per pay period of volunteered time. Will review the list of volunteers with the CTO’s and Security.

Jim will give periodic updates – closed as an action item

AI Mar2006.OK.4
Presented By: Chris Leeth / Burl Goree
Expected Outcome: Discuss appropriate strategy and personnel to more efficiently disseminate information

Burl Update:
At the last meeting of ITAC, how do we enhance our communication? Burl has updated the Field Computing Integration and Support web page, created a “What’s New” section. He added a Mechanism for Dynamic Content, users can enter profiles. He isadvertising an Incentives program.

The web page has been updated, along with new items, more detail, forms, instrumentation, facts and tip sheets.

Which web site should provide a link to this – he is gong to release it to the FCIG users group and have them look at it first and then he will send out an email for everyone to update their pages.

Streamail and Log Archiver
Presented By: Chris Leeth
Expected Outcome: Information Exchange

• Partial funding from SE Region Hydrologist for pilot
• Targeted toward Emergency Responders and Recreational users
• Streamail@usgs.gov

When you send email to the above address and put in the site numbers, you then get a result back the station name, date, time, stage and streamflow and the link to charts.

This is a great tool for first responders, so that if a access point is blocked.

If you are sending via a cell phone – they thought it would come back with info needed. For local cell phones it worked fine. Some people’s cell phones have extra numbers and it does not always work correctly.

Some phones cannot send a subject.

Include this as an item that ITAC may prioritize for some funding from, Bob Hirsh (Katherine to present).

The GA office just got this tool up and running last week. Everything is being done via NWIS. The technology is using Cold Fusion.

Normal flows, how these flow values relate to suitability of the river for paddling (canoeing, kayaking) would also be very valuable, also water temperature.

Log Archiver

Initial funding from District with OGW support
Tool to aid WSC to comply with OGW mandates

This will save hours if you have geophysical files. Software retrieves information via ODBC to NWIS. The interface is Visual Basic. It is run through NWIS.

They are looking for beta testers now. Chris will send out an email to see who is interested.

CWS Pilot

You can enter GWSI data via this interface. They make a control file and someone manually pulls the control file (for checking purposes). They received a little money from Homeland security, but is working on obtaining more money.

Communication with Other Water Interest Groups
Presented By: Donna Schiffer / Others
Expected Outcome: Explore Improving Communication

James Fallon is on the ICOM committee

Q: Have they changed their focus in the past couple years

A: They have not changed their focus, they changed how they function. They lost ITASS. ITASS did most of the leg work and made recommendations to ICOM. They want to bring in the regional technical committees. They are trying to reestablish at the field level.

It was suggested that we have a contact at ICOM and James has volunteered to be our contact. Donna suggested that ITAC also have someone provide input to ICOM as a liaison.

For our three face to face meetings a year ICOM could update ITAC on instrumentation issues.

It seems to be a good approach to have the same contacts in the other advisory committees (Regional technician’s advisory committees) as ICOM.

James Fallon will send ITAC a list of contacts. ITAC will then decide on how to communicate with them. Likely will update the other committees in a similar fashion to how the members communicate to their respective constituencies.

ICOM schedule: July or Aug with new proposals and needs and then March. The HIF maintains the ICOM web page.

James indicated he would check the upcoming ICOM face-to-face agenda and see if an ITAC rep could brief ICOM on what ITAC is working on.

It seems to be a good approach to have the same contacts as ICOM in the other advisory committee’s. He will send ITAC a list of contacts. ITAC will then decide on how to communicate with them.

July or Aug with new proposals and needs and then March. The HIF maintains the ICOM web page.

James has agreed that ITAC should be apart of your call in July/Aug.

Wayne Sontag and James Fallon are the primary contacts for ICOM.

The only other committee is the Scientific and Technical Employee Development (STED) committee. For now, Donna will be the ITAC liaison for STED and vice versa (she is on both committees). Donna reviewed the list of committees and there were no other committees at this time that ITAC needs to communicate with. Agreed that if a member of ITAC is on another committee, there would not be an additional need to contact the other committee (assume that the ITAC member already is sharing the information). .

Assuming ICOM has time available on their July agenda, Donna and Scott McEwen will provide an overview of ITAC to the ICOM (by phone conference). Scott will be primary ITAC contact for ICOM, Donna as backup.

Select a Key ITAC member to serve as our ITAC liaison on the ICOM Committee. Have a representative from ICOM attend ITAC’s face to face meeting providing updates on what they are currently working on .

**Update** Scott will be primary and Donna will be back-up

ITAC Prioritization of OWI/Water Issue/Projects
Presented By: Katherine Lins
Expected Outcome: Feedback to OWI and Water Senior Staff

One of the ITAC goals was to prioritizing expenditures to take to Water’s Senior staff. Items we feel should be funded for this year and possibly future years. The following list was considered and voted on by ITAC members.

 Priorities for 2006:

1. Howard Perlman (GAWSC) Web templates for WSC’s - Chris
1. $35,000
2. The water pages need a common look and feel
2. Burl Goree’s request to complete his handheld project, travel and equipment - Katherine
3. Lab Data transfer pilot implementation – Sandy and Jim S
   1. $15,000
   2. More data will go to NWIS
   3. Data transmission more efficient for the QWDBA’s
4. Sample tracking web service pilot – Sandy and Jim S
1. $35,000
2. Log in data tracking, available by web services.
3. All labs can log into one central place
4. An RFI is complete, can be awarded by the end of August
5. Joel Dudley’s surface water measurement handheld – Joel and Burl
1. $15,000
2. The project has been started but not complete
6. Streamail - Chris
1. $20,000
7. Automatic loading of discharge measurements into ADAPS (IN)
1. $15,000
8. Site Information Management System (SIMS)/Handhelds - Chris
1. Exchanging data between SIMS and PDA/Handhelds
2. $35,000 – 3 months – GS/12
9. NWIS output put into TV Media Quality Graphics - Nothing
10. Emergency data communication recommendations (“DirectWay”) - Nothing
1. $5,000
2. Hire someone to explore the choices
3. Satellite/broadband
11. NWIS/STORET Portal
1. $200,000
12. Common Data Logger and DCP programming language
1. $20,000 - $30,000
13. Mobile Office
1. $5,000 - $10,000
2. Mapping functionality and Cell Wireless Data Connection
3. GA has tried this in the past, not good service, the program harder then thought

1. Modify NWIS database to accept all the data we are collecting (Steve B -2)
1. Jim will send a respond back to Steve
2. Non GOES telemetry
1. Donna will find out more information and work up a better request for next year
3. XML Program (Steve B – 1)
1. It’s an NWIS activity and putting money toward it in ’06 will not help.

Compliance with Mandated Templates
Presented By: Chris Leeth
Expected Outcome: Information Exchange

This is not for 508 compliance this is for template compliance for all public web pages. Email from Karen Sideralis in March 2006 to all Webmasters, web page developers, and communications staff, stated that later this year use of the standard template will be required for all existing and new sites before they will ‘pass’ and be certified as part of this annual review process (new Web Review and Certification process will go into effect).

Howard Pearlman suggested;

• A common style is needed for all web pages in Water
• Trying to use the web best practices
• He would need about 2-3 months of salary to complete the instructions for these standard Water templates.

Q - How will you distribute the templates?

A - Do the pages as HTML pages with a good write up. There would be a set up with 30 pages. Possibly a link off your home page.

Other Topics from Goals (may include SA priorities)
Presented By: Jim Nicholas
Expected Outcome: Continue, Complete, or Cancel Action

Review Potential New Action Items and Assign
Presented by: ITAC Members
Expected Outcome: Decide on actions, ownership, and communication path.

[Reference Action Items.]

[Outstanding Action Items.]

WEB Presentations Nicholas

• There are a lot of good information and skills in USGS and this need to be shared.
• As we learn about things that people do in other Science Centers, host webinars via Webex to share the information.
• Possibly do about 6 per year

Discussion:

There have been several good examples on good things going on that has been presented to us.

• A calendar will be needed.
• 1 presentation per month
• Keep it to one topic
• Keep it to 45 minutes long
• Try it for a year and re-evaluate it at the end of the year
• This to be on the agenda item at each ITAC meeting
• Open to all USGS to sit in on

Decision:

Webex

4 times per year

Day – Thursday

1pm EST

45 minutes

September 2006 (last week) – Chris – Web Templates

December 2006 – (first week) – Brian – GEO data

March 2007 -

June 2007 –

Action Items Reviewed ()

ITEM - Focus topic for the next face to face meeting

Our role in any process for IT projects

Lead: Jim N

Discussion/Issue

What process do we use
Under the charter needs to be revisited.
What’s the scope of the issue?
What process is going to take place?

ITEM - Focus topic for the next face to face meeting

Formalize a process to move things from Skunk Works environment into a product used throughout the USGS

Lead: Jim N

Discussion/Issue

Does the survey need a more formal process to move it from skunk works to a fully used USGS product
A list of Agenda Items along with Action Items

Minutes – Format agreed upon for future ITAC minutes

Item/Topic

A sentence or two

Discussion

Summarize

Actions/Decisions

List

Click on the document to hyperlink down and also keep the links to the PowerPoint’s

BREAK

Next Meeting Dates and Possible Locations
Presented by: ITAC Members

• Southeast Region
• Florida/Orlando is first choice
• Jim will ask Jess and once approved he will contact Gail Kalen

Middle to the end of October

Jim - write thank you for hosting us and the BBQ - the cook was Dave Owens

Next conference call - No call in July

Check with Katherine for the 2^nd Friday of each month for the conference call
September 8^th
October 13^th