1
Frequently
Asked
Questions
about
the
Draft
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
April
09,
2003
The
questions
and
answers
are
arranged
in
four
categories:

°
General
°
Implementation
of
the
Data
Standard
°
Use
of
Data
Standard
°
Technical
Questions
for
Implementers
General:

Q1:
What
is
the
Draft
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard?
A:
A
"
data
standard"
is
a
documented
agreement
among
organizations
that
share
or
exchange
data,
including
representation,
formats,
and
definitions
for
such
data.
The
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
provides
a
common
vocabulary
to
be
used
by
EPA,
States,
Tribes,
and
local
government
agencies
to
identify
federal
facilities.
The
Data
Standard
is
made
up
of
a
list
of
data
elements,
data
element
definitions,
and
formats.

Q2:
Who
developed
the
Draft
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
 
is
this
another
federal
mandate?
B:
No,
this
is
not
another
federal
mandate.
The
decision
to
develop
Data
Standards,
including
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard,
was
made
jointly
by
EPA
and
the
States
(
through
The
Environmental
Council
of
the
States
(
ECOS),
an
organization
that
represents
the
heads
of
the
state
environmental
agencies).
All
recognized
that
sharing
and
exchanging
accurate
data
is
important
and
will
remain
so.
All
recognized
that
the
public
increasingly
expects
and
deserves
to
have
clear
identification
of
shared
information.
Together,
they
established
the
Environmental
Data
Standards
Council
(
EDSC)
to
manage
and
guide
the
process.
Action
Teams
were
established
to
develop
several
different
Data
Standards,
including
the
Draft
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard.
The
Action
Team
that
developed
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
was
comprised
of
representatives
from
EPA,
States,
and
Tribes.
The
co­
chairs
were
representatives
from
the
State
of
Texas
and
EPA.

Q3:
Why
do
we
need
this
"
common
vocabulary"?
A3:
There
are
many
different
environmental
programs,
and
many
different
government
agencies
involved
in
reporting
environmental
data.
Often,
these
different
programs
or
different
agencies
use
different
naming
conventions
and
different
codes
when
identifying
the
same
federal
facility.
Similarly,
there
needs
to
be
agreed
upon
naming
conventions
for
identifying
the
federal
agencies
that
are
responsible
for
the
federal
facilities.
2
Q4:
What
was
the
business
need
for
developing
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard?
A4:
EPA
has
several
offices
that
are
devoted
to
federal
facilities.
Within
the
Office
of
Enforcement
and
Compliance
Assistance
(
OECA),
there
is
the
Federal
Facilities
Enforcement
Office
(
FFEO);
and
the
Office
of
Solid
Waste
and
Emergency
Response
(
OSWER)
contains
a
Federal
Facilities
Restoration
and
Reuse
Office
(
FFRRO).
These
offices
track
environmental
issues
for
federal
facilities
and
former
federal
facilities.
In
addition,
other
offices
within
EPA
collect
specific
data
for
federal
facilities.
The
Toxics
Release
Inventory
(
TRI),
for
example,
collects
information
that
identifies
federal
facilities
and
their
parent
agencies.
The
various
EPA
programs,
however,
typically
collect
and
present
their
information
without
regard
to
how
other
programs
collect
and
present
their
information.
This
standard
therefore
is
intended
to
capture
those
data
elements
that
are
critical
to
the
EPA
programs
that
collect
and
hold
data
on
federal
facilities
as
well
as
to
standardize
the
information
that
is
presented
to
the
public
for
federal
facilities.
States
and
Tribes
may
also
benefit
by
utilizing
these
data
elements
and
permissible
values
for
their
own
systems.

Q5:
For
several
of
the
data
elements
in
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard,
the
permissible
values
include
values,
such
as
"
city",
"
county",
"
municipal",
"
state",
in
addition
to
"
federal".
Why?
A5:
There
are
many
instances
where
a
federally
owned
or
operated
site
is
no
longer
owned
or
operated
by
the
federal
government
because
it
has
sold
or
given
away
the
property
to
a
state
or
local
government
or
to
a
private
entity.
An
example
is
the
more
than
9,000
former
Department
of
Defense
(
DoD)
sites
that
now
are
city
parks,
industrial
zones
or
local
airports.
There
have
been
cases
where
spent
munitions
or
other
materials
have
been
found
on
these
former
DoD
sites.
EPA,
States
and
Tribes
therefore
have
a
business
need
to
keep
the
link
between
the
present
ownership
or
operation
of
these
sites
with
their
former
uses.
Permissible
values,
such
as
"
city",
"
county"
or
"
private"
are
tied
to
the
name
of
the
former
DoD
site
to
indicate
its
present
status.

Implementation
of
the
Data
Standard:

Q6:
Will
my
Agency
(
or
my
program)
be
required
to
use
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard?
A6:
No.
State,
Tribal,
or
local
government
agencies
or
programs
are
not
required
to
adopt
or
use
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard,
nor
to
incorporate
it
into
that
agency's
or
program's
own
data
systems.
However,
once
EPA
and
state
agencies
adopt
and
begin
implementing
the
Data
Standard,
it
will
likely
become
the
specified
"
road
map"
for
communications
among
environmental
agencies
exchanging
environmental
information.

Q7:
If
my
program
or
agency
decides
to
implement
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
3
Data
Standard,
must
it
begin
collecting
information
for
every
data
element?
A7:
No.
The
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
provides
a
range
of
data
elements
that
may
be
of
interest
to
programs
and
agencies.
Programs
or
agencies
may
collect
information
for
one
or
more
of
the
data
elements
but
there
is
not
requirement
that
any
program
or
agency
collect
information
for
all
data
elements.

Q8:
When
is
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
supposed
to
be
approved
by
the
States
and
EPA?
A8:
The
EDSC
is
expected
to
review
and
approve
this
standard
after
a
45­
day
comment
period
beginning
in
April
2003.

Q9:
Can
some
programs
within
a
State,
Tribe
or
local
government
follow
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard,
while
others
do
not?
A9:
Use
of
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
is
not
required,
although
over
time
it
may
become
the
standard
for
sharing
or
exchanging
data
to
or
through
the
EPA
national
data
systems,
as
well
as
between
state
agencies.
State,
tribal,
or
local
government
programs
 
especially
those
that
do
not
exchange
data
with
EPA,
other
Federal
agencies
or
agencies
in
other
states
 
are
certainly
not
obliged
to
adopt
or
work
within
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard.
However,
as
it
becomes
a
widely
accepted
standard,
they
may
find
it
useful
for
data
management
and
exchange.

Q10:
I
am
in
a
State,
Tribal
or
local
government
agency.
My
program
doesn't
use
the
same
data
elements
as
are
used
in
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard.
Is
there
an
expectation
that
we
will
change
our
data
elements?
A10:
No.
The
Data
Standard
uses
terminology
intended
for
data
exchange
and
is
applicable
only
after
the
data
you
send
crosses
the
threshold
of
your
organization.
Data
that
is
exchanged
will
need
to
map
to
existing
data
holdings
or
conform
in
definition,
meaning,
and
format
to
the
Standard.

Q11:
My
EPA
program
doesn't
use
the
data
elements
as
are
used
in
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard.
Is
there
an
expectation
that
we
will
change
our
own
data
elements?
A11:
Although
the
Data
Standard
is
intended
for
use
in
data
exchange,
it
is
expected
that
EPA
programs
will,
as
necessary
(
and
over
time),
modify
the
data
elements
that
they
currently
collect
to
conform
with
the
Data
Elements
and
terms
in
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard.
The
schedule
for
these
changes
is
normally
three
years,
with
possible
waivers
in
consideration
of
modernization
and
update
schedules.

Q12:
Is
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
the
basis
for
a
new
data
system
design?
Will
we
have
to
change
our
existing
data
system
to
conform
to
it?
A12:
The
answer
for
State,
Tribal
and
local
government
agencies
is
No.
The
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
is
more
like
a
dictionary
to
help
translate
or
exchange
data
4
from
any
one
data
system
to
any
other.
Use
of
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
does
not
require
that
any
non­
EPA
agency
or
program
to
change
its
current
data
system.
When
data
is
exchanged
from
one
system
to
another,
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
will
provide
the
necessary
information
to
ensure
that
data
from
a
given
field
in
the
sending
system
is
"
mapped"
to
the
correct
location
in
the
receiving
system.
Local
system
designers
may,
once
they
choose
to
use
this
Data
Standard
for
data
exchange,
elect
to
modify
their
system
(
perhaps
in
the
context
of
a
previously
planned
system
modernization)
in
order
to
create
the
capability
of
exchanging
data
that
conforms
with
the
standard.
As
noted
in
the
response
to
Question
11,
above,
EPA
will
be
using
the
Data
Standard
as
its
own
data
systems
are
modified
and
updated.

Q13:
We
are
planning
to
update
(
one
or
more
of)
our
current
data
system(
s).
How
can
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
be
of
help
to
us
in
this
effort?
A13:
The
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
provides
guidance
to
programs
and
agencies
on
naming
conventions
for
federal
agencies
and
federal
facilities
and
permissible
values
for
federal
facilities.
Using
this
information,
you
can
update
your
system(
s)
so
that
it
is
in
conformance
with
the
standard,
thus
facilitating
data
exchange
between
your
system(
s)
and
other
systems
that
collect
the
same
data
elements.

Q14:
Are
there
any
federal
funds
available
to
help
States,
Tribes,
or
local
government
agencies
that
implement
federal
programs
if
they
choose
to
update
their
systems
to
enable
them
to
communicate
more
easily
using
the
Tribal
Identifiers
Data
Standard?
A14:
Yes,
although
such
funding
is
not
linked
directly
to
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
development
effort.
EPA
has
and
will
continue
to
provide
grant
funding
to
assist
other
levels
of
government
that
implement
federal
environmental
programs.
Such
assistance
has
often
been
used
by
grantees
to
help
develop
and
update
data
management
systems.

Q15:
What
does
this
standard
have
to
do
with
National
Environmental
Information
Exchange
Network
I
keep
hearing
about?
And
I
thought
everything
was
supposed
to
be
in
XML
 
is
this
XML?
A15:
The
Network
concept
relies
upon
common
"
Data
Exchange
Templates"
(
DETs)
expressed
in
"
XML,"
and
exchanged
based
on
common
protocols.
This
Data
Standard
would
be
used
as
the
starting
point
or
"
core"
for
federal
facility­
related
DETs.

Use
of
Data
Standard:

Q16:
Who
will
use
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard?
A16:
All
Federal,
State,
Tribal
and
local
government
agencies
involved
in
environmental
activities
with
federal
facilities
are
encouraged
to
use
this
standard
when
and
if
they
share
or
exchange
data
with
other
agencies.
They
are
also
encouraged
to
refer
to
the
Federal
5
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard,
and
use
it
as
a
tool,
if
they
are
planning
to
update
or
enhance
their
own
existing
data
systems.
The
public
will
be
the
ultimate
user
of
the
standard,
because
it
will
provide
the
common
vocabulary
that
will
help
such
end
users
better
understand
the
meaning
of
the
data
they
are
reviewing.

Q17:
Will
EPA
be
issuing
rules
for
use
of
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard?
A17:
No,
at
least
not
in
the
sense
of
issuing
formal
regulations.
Information
on
the
standard
will
be
available
through
the
EDSC
website
and
the
Environmental
Data
Registry
(
EDR).

Q18:
Will
the
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
be
open
for
revision
in
the
future?
How
will
the
Standard
be
maintained?
A18:
Yes.
There
is
every
reason
to
expect
that
adjustments
or
revisions
will
be
necessary
in
the
future
as
new
or
existing
programs
or
agencies
determine
the
need
to
collect
additional
data
elements
not
provided
on
this
list.

Technical
Questions
for
Implementers:

Q19:
Several
of
the
data
elements
in
Federal
Facility
Identification
Data
Standard
provide
a
range
of
federal
agencies
and
the
naming
convention
to
use
for
them.
What
if
my
program
or
agency
wishes
to
include
a
federal
agency
or
subagency
not
included
in
this
list?
A19:
The
list
of
permissible
values
provided
for
federal
agencies
are
illustrative.
Programs
or
agencies
may
wish
to
include
additional
federal
agencies
or
subagencies
that
are
not
listed.

Q20:
Do
data
elements
in
our
application
systems
need
to
be
the
same
data
type
as
the
Standard
Data
Element?
What
if
our
Data
Element
field
lengths
are
longer
or
shorter
than
the
standard?
A20:
This
Standard
only
specifies
how
information
will
be
exchanged,
not
how
systems
should
be
designed.
At
times,
differences
between
system
parameters
and
Data
Standard
specifications
may
require
some
translation
from
a
system
that
uses
field
lengths,
etc.
Field
lengths
in
the
standard
are
intended
to
accommodate
the
expected
maximum
length
of
the
values
across
partner
systems
based
on
analysis
conducted
to
date.
If
a
system
has
a
longer
value
for
a
given
element
and
the
organization
wishes
to
exchange
data
using
the
standard,
the
value
exported
from
the
system
would
have
to
be
adjusted
(
e.
g.
truncated
or
abbreviated).
Field
lengths
in
the
standard
can
be
increased,
if
partner
needs
require
this,
through
the
maintenance
review
of
the
standard.
