I know it is generally policy to reply to the sender only - but I am also interested in other groups' experience with STORET. Could answers to this request either be sent to the entire list serve - or send any response to me too.
We are in the planning process at this point, and do PLAN on using STORET. We plan on putting a data entry form on our web page for our biomonitoring program, downloading it and manipulating it as needed, and doing a batch file upload to STORET. Any experiences (good or bad) and insight into this matter is greatly appreciated.
As an aside - assuming our organization can get this done, I would be glad to share the correctly formatted mechanism (access database, excel spreadsheet, etc) to anyone who is interested. Of course, our organization only collects biomonitoring and habitat data.
Stacey Brown
Staff Scientist
Virginia Save Our Streams Program
7598 N. Lee Highway
Raphine, Va. 24472
brownst1@cs.com
540 377 6179 or 434-466-2613
-----Original Message-----
From: Eleanor Ely
To: Multiple recipients of list
Sent: 2/3/02 4:13 PM
Subject: Re: STORET
Hi Pete:
Thanks for raising the STORET issue, which I think others are also struggling with. I would like to second Stacey's susggestion that responses be sent to the entire listserve volmonitor@unixmail.rtpnc.epa.gov). Alternatively, I would appreciate it if responders could cc me at
ellieely@earthlink.net.
Ellie
*********************************************************************
Eleanor Ely
editor, The Volunteer Monitor Newsletter
133 - 9th St., 3rd Floor
Providence, RI 02906
401-521-8104
ellieely@earthlink.net
The national newsletter for volunteer watershed monitoring
For free subscription send street address to volmon@rivernetwork.org
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D
Greetings from Kentucky Water Watch
US EPA Staff at the National and Region 4 have been quite supportive of our volunteer monitoring program using STORET as a data archive.
They have offered free training in Atlanta and Washington for anyone that can make the two day trip. They had sessions at the National Volunteer Monitoring Conference on the topic.
But, all their enthusiasm does not cross the hurdle of how complex the STORET system is. A 200+ table relational database is not to be approached lightly. Especially if your program has years of data from hundreds of sites with different methods of analysis.
Designing an interface between your existing data set and STORET can be a complex process requiring the services of a professional database designer. Many volunteer monitoring programs have access to competent database managers, but those database managers need specific training in STORET's new data design and batch upload systems before they can work.
In my humble opinion, if US EPA wants volunteer programs to use STORET For their data sets, then they need to implement a pyramid system to provide this training to VM data managers through the regions. This training needs to be hands on, computer lab based, with actual task level activities.
One concern I have heard expressed from folks that have taken some of the training offered, is it is more "demonstration" with little chance for practice, trial and error under the supervision of an experienced mentor.
I believe the State of Florida has the best example of this mentoring approach in our region (4). Florida DEP has an individual who takes time to train VM data managers. He has the right mix of technical knowledge AND the ability to teach (not just "show") those skills to someone else. Get a few more Pat Detschers running around out there and STORET would take off in a big way! For more information of Florida's program, visit:
Kentucky has requested support from US EPA Region 4 to conduct STORET training for its VM database managers. We anxiously await their answer to that request.
Thanks for your time.
Ken Cooke
KY Water Watch
1-800-928-0045 Ext 473
Pete,
I am working on a similar project with two local watershed groups, Greenacres Foundation and Mill Creek Watershed Council. My role in this project is to provide an interface to STORET for volunteer data
submitted to a website. Our technical approach is to produce a flat file from the on-line database that can be imported to STORET. As we produce something, I will submit it to the list server.
Also, I should add a disclaimer. I see this as a significant issue, and one that I am very excited to help solve. This is tangential to my main duties as an EPA employee. So, we will probably not have time or
resources to come up with a general solution.Our solution will be specific to the forms that we use, but I think others will be able to modify what we have done.
Anyway, let's stay in touch.
-Trent
Trent Schade, P.E. (e-mail: schade.trent@epa.gov)
WSWRD Homepage
U.S. EPA ORD/NRMRL/WSWRD/WQMB
26 W. Martin Luther King Drive-MS 690
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
(513) 569-7654 fax-(513) 569-7185
From: "Wager, Jerry" <Jerry.Wager@dnr.state.oh.us>
Subject: FW: STORET
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 07:50:20 -0500
HB 479 proposes to require Ohio EPA to establish a volunteer monitoring
program and expand the STORET data base among other things. Groups should
review and comment on the bill. This is an email I got recently that speaks
about the difficulties of data management, the need for training and
references the Florida STROET website.
Jerry Wager, Administrator
Pollution Abatement & Land Treatment Section
Division of Soil & Water Conservation, ODNR
614.265.6619
614.262.2064 (fax)
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Updated
Tuesday, 13-Oct-2009 12:09:30 CDT
