SCERP Project Number: AQ94-7.1
Principal Investigator: Ray H. Beckett and Ann Torrence, University of Utah
Octavio E. Chavez, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Cd. Juárez
Goal: The goal of the "Database Coordination Initiative" project is to provide the academic and general public with information concerning SCERP's environmental research and training projects, and other related activities.
Rationale: The rationale for this project is based on a need for all of the information developed by the SCERP research and training projects to be made available for on-line consultation. There is also a need to maintain a communication link with the program staff members of the EPA, the environmental staff members of the Mexican environmental agency, Secretaria del Medio Ambiente Recurces Naturales y Pesca (SEMARNAP), and other environmental researchers and decision makers. These links provide pertinent information for reducing problems associated with environmental pollution and preventing duplication of research activities by other organizations. A centralized database site in Mexico is also needed where such information can be presented on-line to environmental decision makers, academic researchers and students, and the general public.
Approach: The objectives for this project period were: (a) Document SCERP research and training project activities into a World-Wide Web presentation suitable for technically and non-technically oriented Internet users (b) Develop a mirror site for easy access for Mexican users. (c) Publicize the availablity of the World-Wide Web service to local users and across the Internet. (d) Continue to maintain the SCERP Gopher and FTP capabilities. (e) Select two project areas to serve as baseline models for integrated data access and coordinated research results dissemination. (f) Establish communication links with SCERP project directors. (g) Determine the level of compatibility of software and hardware, and FTP Internet access for SCERP computer systems in the U.S. (h) Provide training and support where needed for other SCERP participants to use the Internet resources available to them and develop their own Internet-accessible materials. (i) Continue to support EPA satellite environmental training activities offered in Ciudad Juárez (j) continue to expand and provide access to the SCERP environmental database system through the Internet system.
Status: The original objectives of the project for fiscal year 1994 were slightly changed to match similar objectives set by the SCERP Management Committee for the project's continuing support for the budget year 1995. The changed objectives modified slightly the focus of the project, giving more attention to setting up a format to share the information being generated by SCERP sponsored projects and other related activities. Along with the modification of the objectives, the project budget was adjusted to account for the exchange rate (Dollars to Pesos) due to the Mexican currency devaluation. These changes allowed the involvement of more people in the project to achieve the revised objectives.
A World-Wide Web presence for the SCERP consortium was established in October 1995. This project had in prior years developed a Gopher-based Internet presentation of SCERP information. Some of the data from the Gopher was revised and converted to hypertext format, but a great number of new hypertext documents were developed. These files include reports of all completed work and abstracts of on-going work of nearly every project implemented by SCERP researchers from 1991 to 1995.
Using equipment available from prior project periods, we established a test-bed server attached to the Internet but not announced to the public. We developed and pre-tested the initial set of 150 files on the test-bed server. The set of files were examined for proper hypertext formatting, functioning links to related material, and a consistent visual and contextual presentation. Comments and feedback were sought from the consortium Management Committee.
We chose to host the SCERP pages on a server made available to the project at no cost through the College of Engineering at the University of Utah. This option provided SCERP with a server with higher capacity, greater security and full-time staff support to the hardware, all at no cost to EPA. We still maintain the test-bed server for development of new Web materials. At the same time, we began the process with Dr. Octavio Chavez, of creating the SCERP mirror site at ITESM, Cd. Juárez campus. The ITESM server improves accessibility to the SCERP data for Mexican users.
In addition to project reports and abstracts of ongoing projects, the SCERP Website contains more general information about SCERP and border environmental problems. Several projects are called out from the table of contents in a section called "Project Highlights." These links lead to introductory, non-technical pictures and information about project results that are intended for the average Web user. As an example, the section on brickmaking explains the process of brickmaking, the economic and environmental issues that result from the industry, and ties together three SCERP projects addressing this issue. The pictures of a colonia brick maker shack and of black smoke from a brick kiln fueled by burning tires display the immediacy of the air pollution problems SCERP is addressing in a way no text could visually approach. We have also included a bibliography of peer-reviewed articles and other publications resulting from SCERP research. Links to participating organizations and general information about the consortium is also available.
In November 1995 we announced the Web sites to EPA and others through two Internet newsgroups focused on border issues. The Chair of the Management Committee also announced it during a SCERP conference call with EPA staff. The sites\ addresses have been included in several Internet WWW directories. The ITESM site is also accessible by the BISNET and El Paso Rio Grande Free Net (a free Internet access provider partially supported by El Paso Community College). Several Border Community Colleges will be contacted to inform them that their WWW site can be linked to the ITESM WWW site or the U of U site. This is important because communication links via local community colleges can enable the public and private sector in Mexico to access the SCERP WWW Home page. The ITESM site has been reported to the several WWW directories.
Having completed the baseline information transfer documents, we have selected two groups of projects around which to develop an integrated presentation. of SCERP's research and results They are the three brick making projects and the SCERP group of GIS projects. We will focus on this effort as part of the year 5 project goals.
To date we have developed and distributed six issues of "SCERP.NET CONNECTIONS" to SCERP research and support staff. These newsletters are part tutorial and part information resource for SCERP consortium members to enable them to use the Internet more effectively.
At the San Diego technical meeting in March 1995 we gave two live on- line demonstrations of the Internet to give investigators and other meeting attendees an opportunity to see the kinds of information available and to open discussion on the content of the SCERP website. A booklet entitled "Internet.Primer" was distributed as a hand-out at the sessions. It describes the basic services available on the Internet and how individuals can access them.
We made a survey of current SCERP researchers to see how we can more effectively assist them in using the Internet and in presenting their information on the SCERP World-Wide Web. Nearly all reported having the capability of accessing the World-Wide Web and other Internet services, while relatively few had any other server available to publish their findings. A few of the respondents felt that they could use some assistance in setting up a Home Page, and we will respond to their request by the end of the project period. A few researchers indicated that they were looking for additional database links to specific environmental topics. Providing detailed research support on specific topics is beyond the scope of this project, however, we will use these areas to develop hypertext links to more general information for use by SCERP and other border researchers.
The next project task is to develop an index for the SCERP projects included in the database. This will enable those seeking environmental research data to quickly move to a specific area of inquiry in the data file by use of key words. In addition, project highlights will continue to be inserted into the database as such data is made available by the SCERP project researchers.
On May 24, 1995, an EPA satellite training program was offered at the ITESM Cd. Juárez facilities. The course offered was Clean Air Compliance for Vapor Degreasers with eight (8) people attending. On September 6 and 7, the project provided administrative and technical support for and was host to representatives of the U.S.-Mexico Information Center on Air Pollution (CICA) who visited ITESM Cd. Juárez Campus and the database project. The CICA is an EPA center that provides technical support and assistance in evaluating air pollution problems along the Mexico-U.S. border. The services and products of CICA are available at no cost to Federal, State and Local Agencies and universities in Mexico. The visit included several presentations in Cd. Juárez and in El Paso. ITESM Cd. Juárez provided its facilities for an on hand demonstration of two software packages that CICA provides, as well as a presentation concerning the Internet connection of the on-line tools and databases offered by EPA's agencies. The ITESM meeting held on September 6, included representatives of the State and Municipal Governments, and representatives from industry. As a result of these meetings, CICA has agreed to provide technical support for two local environmental projects, the Brick Makers and the Paint Shops projects.
The Environmental Database system was incorporated into a second platform to facilitate its usage. The first version uses Paradox as a platform, and the second version uses FoxPro in a executable format, a stand alone application.
To overcome the challenges associated with keeping in contact with 16 institutions concerning the information included in the database system, communication links will be established with the institution's WWW site, to provide information about SCERP's environmental research and training courses dealing with border environmental issues. This work is currently underway as part of the project s work scope of work for the Fiscal Year 1995.
Practical Use: At the time the Utah WWW Server was placed into operation, an announcement was sent to the list-server groups and the EPA. During the first two weeks of December 1995, over 900 individual page requests for SCERP project data were received via the World-Wide Web. The availability of the project results on-line enhances the practical use of all other SCERP projects either completed or underway, providing immediate access to anyone interested in a particular topic area.
Potential users of the project's database include: SCERP and other environmental researchers; college and university faculty and students interested in environmental research and training activities in the border region; the EPA and its Mexican equivalent, SEMARNAP; federal state and community leaders concerned with environmental pollution problems in the border region; officials affiliated with the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and the North American Development Bank (NADBank); and environmental engineers and business leaders connected with the maquiladora industry.
The benefits accruing to those accessing the project's database include: (1) the ability to access information concerning SCERP's environmental research and training projects addressing pressing environmental issues in the U.S.-Mexico border region; (2) the opportunity to review and assess SCERP project research data in light of developing possible solutions to similar environmental problems in other areas of the border region and the U.S. and Mexico; (3) the potential to use such data for developing and recommending policy for improving the environmental conditions and health of the border region; (4) the avoidance of unnecessary duplication of research efforts by other researchers and organizations concerned with environmental problems in the border region; and (5) the identification of opportunities for possible collaborative research opportunities having the potential for commercial application or technology transfer.
Other Personnel: Co-Principal Investigator: Francisco Sanchez, ITESM Cd. Juárez Assistants at ITESM Cd. Juárez: Alfredo Almada, Ruben Diaz, Millon Perez, and Gabriel Galas.
The FY92 SCERP-supported phase of this project: P-
10
The FY93 SCERP-supported phase of this project:: ET93-
2
The FY94 SCERP-supported phase of this project: AQ94-
7.1
The FY95 SCERP-supported phase of this project: IS95-
4
Last updated 7/1/99