Using GIS to Promote the Sharing of Environmental Information

Darryl L. Petker P.E.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is using GIS to manage and share information about California solid waste issues by displaying critical environmental information on the World Wide Web. GIS has become a critical component of this Web-based portal, supporting e-government and sharing solid waste information for decision-making efforts.

This paper discusses the goals, implementation strategies, and lessons learned using GIS to share information on solid waste issues including local recycling/diversion rates, permitting and inspections of solid waste landfills, and K-12 educational efforts. Discussion includes addressing workplace culture changes in promoting GIS-based images in reports, papers, presentations, and meetings.

Esri products used include the ARC IMS, Esri ARC View GIS, Map Objects and Map Objects IMS, and Arc Explorer.

Contents

• Introduction
• Background
• The Challenge
• The Solution
• Examples
• Summary
• Attachments

Introduction

It is clear that the World Wide Web is quickly becoming the preferred method for sharing and displaying information. In some cases, current methods used to share and display environmental information on the Web are inadequate considering the interdependent nature and amount of data available. There is an increasing demand by decision-makers, employees, customers, and stakeholders to have access to environmental information that is accurate, easy to use, and easy to understand. One proven method of displaying interdependent data is with the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The use of maps is not new; however, recent improvements in software have made the display of information in a GIS format much easier.

The use of technology to display information in a GIS setting to assist in environmental education, decision-making, program management, and problem solving is critical for business, government, and personal decisions. The demands of decision-makers, employees, customers, and stakeholders are requiring the use and convenience of the World Wide Web to share information. This opportunity to provide a service by sharing information is manifesting itself in the form of e-Government, e-Business, and e-Education.

Environmental data throughout the world is being collected and stored in different formats by many different entities. These formats include both paper and electronic files that include the use of text, tables, charts, graphs, reports, photos, maps, and databases for downloading. Groups that store and use this information include, but are not limited to the United Nations, individual nations, regions, states or provinces, local governments, environmental organizations, private companies, and private individuals. Each one of those groups or organization has a different need for data and different reasons for collecting and maintaining the data they keep. What they all have in common is a need for that information to be accurate, easy to obtain, and easy to use and understand. The use of GIS to develop maps for display of information is universally understandable with the use of symbols that transcend both the verbal and written word.

Public and private awareness of environmental concerns is increasing the requirements for accurate and easily accessible environmental data that may be used with regards to environmental decisions. As our science and engineering needs become more advanced and sophisticated, so do our requirements of and for our data. Demands for information that is interrelated creates a need for information sharing. These information-sharing requirements in turn create a demand for staggering amounts of data that can be made available for viewing and analysis.

One important issue for decision-making is to be able to view correlated information. For example, a governmental agency’s data relating to ground water may directly relate to another agency’s control over operational activities at the site. Information from both agencies could quickly be shared and displayed using GIS technologies for those making decisions.

Well-trained environmental professionals are having difficulties keeping up with the sheer volume of information currently available. In many cases, environmental information is interrelated and must be viewed as part of the whole. While information is available, it is not available from one source or in the same format, either electronically or paper files. Considerable time is being lost looking for and then compiling environmental information from multiple, disparate sources.

The philosophy of sharing data must be incorporated as an organization precept so that the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of information becomes a part of everyone’s recognized responsibilities. This will help make sure that those involved with data believe that sharing is vital in the overall process of collection, storage, and display. Thought must be given to developing environmental databases and information with GIS in mind as a tool for to assist in analysis and decision-making.

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Background

The California Integrated Waste Management Board (Board) is a relatively new agency as it was mandated by the California Legislature 1989. It is one of six statewide government organizations that make up the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA). The five other Cal/EPA organizations are the Air Resources Board, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Department of Pesticide Regulation, Department of Toxic Substances Control, and State Water Resources Control Board. All of these organizations require and develop information that relates to their specific programs and their business needs that may or may not relate to other organizations.

The Board is composed of six appointed members serving four-year terms, and approximately 475 staff. The Governor appoints four members, one is appointed by the President Pro Tem of the State Senate, and the Speaker of the State Assembly appoints one. The Board members meet in public to develop policy, provide guidance, and make decisions regarding statewide and local solid waste issues. Issues include statewide and local recycling rates, waste reduction programs, environmental education, certified used oil centers and limited household hazardous waste issues, grants and loans programs, enforcement and remediation actions, and permits for landfills, waste transfer stations, and tire storage facilities. Additionally, the Board has taken on new initiatives of Environmental Education for K-12 and encouraging the purchase of green products to promote sustainability. The Board must plan for and react to the changing needs of the California waste stream while attempting to meet regulatory mandates such as protecting the public’s health and safety and reducing the amount of waste disposed. In order for the Board members to make informed decisions, information must be readily accessible to them.

The State of California comprises 163,707 square miles and is divided into 58 counties with more than 450 cities/towns. It has the sixth largest economy in the world with over 33 million residents. California is geographically diverse with mountain ranges, vast agricultural areas, numerous industrial and high tech centers, and large metropolitan areas such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and Orange County. Climate variations range from 4 inches/year of rainfall in the desert areas to 50 inches/year on the north coast. Population densities vary between 2 and 17,000 people per square mile. California creates a waste stream that is a challenge to manage due to its diverse and constantly changing makeup. The Board currently regulates in one form or another approximately 7,000 facilities that include but are not limited to:

• Solid Waste Disposal Facilities
• Composting Facilities
• Solid Waste Transfer Facilities
• Waste Tire Facilities
• Certified Used Oil Centers
• Recycled Markets Development Zones

The Board has been and continues to be a pioneer for the State of California by using the World Wide Web to promote and share information regarding solid waste issues. The site, located at www.ciwmb.ca.gov, is designed and operated in an effort to not only educate the public on its mission of managing California solid waste but also as a platform to share information. One of the Web site programs in the forefront of sharing information is the California Waste Stream Profiles (Profiles) site, located at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Profiles/. Profiles was envisioned, designed, developed, and is now maintained to serve as a high-level summary information source. The site maintains links to the source databases if the viewer requires additional details on the information shown. The site is designed for use by the Governor’s Office, the California Legislature, federal agencies, other state agencies, regional and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, environmental and citizens groups, and individual citizens.

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The Challenge

The world is becoming very aware that the World Wide Web readily offers an incredible amount of information. The amount of pertinent information available on the Internet and within organizations is beyond one person’s ability to find, organize, evaluate, and use as a base for decisions or work products. Information and Knowledge are two very powerful tools in helping to understand the need and nature of environmental protection. In the past, personal knowledge, local networking, and research of limited sources helped provide reasonable solutions to challenges, questions, and problems. However, in today’s environment more information is being collected and stored. For all parties to remain knowledgeable, competitive, and accurate, access to as much organized information as possible is a necessity as a baseline for quality work.

Discussions with groups within the Board and other organizations, which included management, program staff, and GIS professionals, revealed several beliefs as to why GIS is slow in being accepted at the staff level. A partial list of those reasons are:

• Difficult to use. Staff do not know how to use the programs and training is not available for most of the staff.
• No mandate. There is no mandate to use or display information in this manner.
• Have not seen the benefit. There are few examples at the staff level of how GIS can work and the benefits associated with its use.
• Limited software access. Due to cost and licensing requirements staff has limited access to the software for use and training.

The challenge to bring GIS into the workforce as a tool to share information can be broken down into three broad areas; government to government, people within the organization, and government to public.

Government to Government (agency to agency)

The amount of information that government agencies collect and maintain is increasing. This is due to many factors, but predominant among those is the fact that we have now been collecting information longer and there are increasing numbers of new mandates requiring data collection.

While government agencies may collect information only in support of the mandates, their information may be just a portion of what is needed for decision makers and citizens to participate. One agency’s information will only be part of a bigger picture needed to analysis a location or situation. One example of proposed legislative mandate would require that California school districts report annually to state agencies on their current waste reduction, reuse, and recycling efforts. There are approximately 1,000 public school districts and 10,000 schools in California. That would mean that a tremendous amount of information would be collected, shared, and analyzed on a yearly basis. If each one of the districts and schools were to report on its efforts with details, that information would have to be transferred to several agencies including the Board and the California Department of Education. This would mean that school districts, the Board, the California Department of Conservation, and the California Department of Education would all have to work together to facilitate the orderly collection and sharing of this information. Numerous systems and management styles would have to develop a plan and reporting architecture that would work with all involved.

Another example of sharing of information would be environmental permit and inspection data regarding landfills and transfer stations. There are at a minimum, four organizations that have responsibility with regards to facilities that accept and transfer waste to other locations. Those agencies include the Board, Regional Water Quality Control Board, Air Quality Management District, and the local enforcement agency (LEA). Information collected by those four agencies varies in their requirements for the type, amount, and frequency of data collected.

Decision-makers, citizens, stakeholders, and partners may have need for the information that is collected by those agencies. As an example, a local government attempting to permit a new solid waste landfill may need information from each of those agencies, to ensure that the information is available to share, and in a format usable by all. The challenge is made difficult by the necessity of continuous management support, resources allotment, and staff buy-in.

Government to Public

The public is more aware now that governmental agencies are collecting increasingly more environmental data that they should have and want access to through a public information request or freedom of information request. Realization about the types and amounts of information available is a result of a public that is better educated and more aware of the capabilities of the Web.

The public is also becoming more aware of the importance of data quality as well as the need for the display of crossmedia information. They realize that bad or incomplete data can exist and therefore are more open to questioning data supplied to them. It has also become clear that information from one agency may not provide the public with a complete picture of the environmental health of a facility or neighborhood. They want quick and easy access to clear information forming a complete picture of an environmental situation and they do not want to have to go to more than one location to get it. The public does not want to compile information made from separate requests to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, State Water Resources Control Board, Air Resources Board, and local agencies.

Therefore, government agencies are now challenged with sharing their information in order to provide the public with a complete picture of an issue. In order to share information on the Web, the internal system for data collection and display must be well managed and maintained.

People Within an Organization

No matter what the goal or purpose, changing the working or organizational mindset of an organization can be difficult. When an organization embarks on a new project or path, such as sharing information on the World Wide Web, internal working procedures may also change.

To successfully implement changes necessary to reach a new or adjusted goal certain activities will have to be modified at the staff and management level. It seems that sharing of information has a unique set of circumstances and attitudes that will need to change. First among those is that all information must be looked at as a product to be shared. Some managers and employees think that knowledge is power and if they are the ones that have the knowledge then they have the power and job security. Another issue that must be addressed is the quality of the information stored and presented. Both the data quality and sharing issues need to be adequately addressed in order to develop a program for placing environmental information on the World Wide Web.

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The Solution

The solution to helping an organization to work within itself or with others depends on the management. There must be an understandable business need, commitment, and plan that is clear and reasonable. Major changes, such as attempting to move an organization in a new direction, require commitment and resources.

Government to Government (agency to agency)

It is clear that no one organization maintains a complete profile of environmental information on any topic, material, or location. The amount of data maintained is staggering and growing. The concern is not only how to share the information, but how to display it. Therefore, for a decision-maker, stakeholder, customer, or citizen to obtain all the information on a particular subject in a clear and easy to use way may require inquires of many sources. Historically, environmental information has been transmitted in reports or memorandums containing text, tables, charts, graphs and maps.

Technologies have been evolving and are now at a point where the computer graphic programs exist that allow clear presentation of considerable amounts of interrelated information using a GIS system. The use of GIS allows the quick and efficient sharing of environmental information. Management teams must work together to facilitate the sharing of information. This will require executive leadership and guidance to motivate management to overcome internal difficulties that might slow the sharing process and implement processes that speed the sharing process. Those problems might range from something as simple as streamlining the paperwork or file storage system to deep-seated philosophical issues such as employees who believe “we do not trust them (the public) to understand our data and they may use it incorrectly” and thereby cause more problems then sharing data will help.

Government to Public

The World Wide Web offers government agencies a unique opportunity to provide environmental information to the public. Government agencies can now be a part of the e-Gov revolution providing information not only to other government agencies but to the public also. There has always been the understanding that one of the government’s main jobs is to protect the public health and safety and the environment. However, the public is increasingly interested in monitoring governments’ progress in this area and highlighting those instances where they feel the government has fallen short of its responsibilities.

The use of GIS on World Wide Web provides a government agency with one more method of sharing information with the public. GIS can clearly and quickly display interrelated environmental information about an individual’s neighborhood or location of interest. A GIS-based map can be used to show information not only from one agency but also from numerous agencies that are sharing information. As an example, a citizen could use the GIS-based maps on the Web to quickly view the location of their children’s school and all or most of the known environmental issues in the area. Those environmental concerns might include gas stations, public and private drinking water wells, landfills, chemical plants, and household hazardous waste collection facilities.

Sharing information on the World Wide Web also benefits the government agency by having the public help with the quality control of the information. Environmental data that is being collected, stored, and maintained for display on the Web will benefit not only from the organization checking the information but from the public’s review of the data. If the location of a school or solid waste landfill is incorrectly displayed on a map it will quickly be noticed and can be corrected; whereas that same information displayed in a table or text may never be corrected. Currently the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses GIS and the WWW to display maps that provide information about permitted or nonpermitted toxic sites in a neighborhood by entering a ZIP code. The information displayed on those maps is a compilation of information from the federal, state, and local governments. The maps may be viewed at www.epa.gov/epahome/comm.htm.

There are two attachments to this paper that compare and contrast the display methods of using GIS and tables to share information. Attachment #1 displays information related to Alameda County, California, USA, and where the solid waste that it produces is disposed of. The map graphically shows the distributions with percentages and the table displays the same information. This information helps to plan for solid waste disposal needs on a local and regional basis by assuring that there is sufficient disposal space for the next 15 years. The map provides a quicker view of the information as well as putting the information into a statewide context. Attachment #2 displays information on the 40 Recycling Market Development Zones (RMDZ) in California. RMDZs are used to help promote the reuse and recycling of materials in California by providing grants and technical assistance as needed. The map shows the location of the zones and can be used to see the distribution of the zones throughout the state and their approximate location in relation to one another. The table lists the zones for use as appropriate.

People Within an Organization

Possibly the most important and difficult task to consider with implementing the use of GIS to display information on the WWW is the organization’s employee culture. In many organizations the maintenance of information is consolidated--done on an individual level or possible by a few people. This method of placing information in silos has reinforced the organizational culture that those with the information are important and that knowledge is power. The use of GIS to share environmental information on the World Wide Web can be threatening to those that maintain a tight hold on information.

The need to change the culture of keeping information in silos within an organization must be changed. That may require a three-fold effort to effectively create a new culture of sharing information. The three-fold effort would require effort at the leadership, management, and staff levels of an organization. An organization’s leadership level must see the value of sharing the information and demand and hold management accountable for the proper storage, display, and sharing of environmental data. They must have the commitment to provide management with the guidance of what they want and the resources to get the job done.

Management must then take that guidance and resources and design and implement a plan to replace the silo system with one that is more conducive to the sharing of information. They must see the benefits of their efforts and be able to show the benefits to not only the staff who will have to do the work but also to the middle management that will be responsible for watching the day to day activities vital to this effort. One action that management may include in their efforts is to enhance the quality control and assurance by rewarding those with the most innovative ideas for quality control and assurance of data. Setting clear expectations during recruitment and hiring is also critical.  Scientists, analysts, and engineers need to understand that data entry, quality and sharing will be a significant and important part of their jobs. Computer skills and savvy are now necessary for all environmental professionals, regardless of whether or not they, or their organizations, wish to accept this fact.  Skills related to GIS, GPS, and geolocation are not that far behind. They may also make the sharing of data a performance review item in employee evaluations. The idea of adding information sharing to employee reviews is currently being done with such companies as IBM and KPMG Consulting.

The staff will complete the bulk of the work that will ensure that environmental information within a government agency is correct and accurate. That staff may be the professional who develops the programs or database for the information or the staff who is charged with obtaining and placing the information in the correct database. It is critical that staff believe in what they are doing and see the reason for it.

Cost and time savings are two reasons that should motivate an organization to use GIS to share and display information with the public and other government organizations. Both citizen and staff time will be saved when information is view using the Web. Staff time will be saved every time another government employee can quickly access information on the Internet or their intranet--by the employee gathering the information as well as the employee that would normally provide the information.

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Examples of Organizational Efforts on Sharing Information

Several organizations are now promoting or using GIS systems to provide information to their customers, stakeholders, and partners. Organizations that have embraced using GIS to display information include the United Nations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Agency. This short list of GIS users represents a cross section of organizations using GIS to share information.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) issued a statement in March of 2001 stating the importance of placing public environmental information on the Web. The following is a short exert from a recent UN press release (www.unece.org/env/pp/electronictools/01env02e.htm).

"Information is a vital element in the protection of our environment. Not only does it raise awareness among decision makers and the public at large about the problems and issues that should be tackled, but it also makes it possible to take appropriate action when something goes wrong. The recent example of the cyanide spill in Baia Mare shows how poor communication and a lack of information can aggravate an ecological catastrophe and cause widespread confusion among the population. The communication technology exists, it is now up to the people working in the field of environment to use it," says Kaj Bärlund, Director of the Environment Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) currently displays environmental information on the WWW so that interested parties may view information that meets their needs. That information allows a viewer to submit a ZIP code and focus on a specific area and type of environmental information displayed graphically to see nearby environmental information. The online interactive maps may be viewed at www.epa.gov/epahome/comm.htm.

The State of California has just created the position of a Chief Geographic Information Officer and is in the process of forming a unit that will deal specifically with GIS Information. That work will include setting standards and architecture for GIS use and files. It will also design and maintain a network of servers containing minimum levels of information for sharing by government agencies. This process was long in development and required considerable effort and buy-in from the Governors’ Office and Cabinet. Once that was completed it required meetings, networking, and agreements among middle management to agree on an implementation system. It will now have to work on keeping that staff motivated to make sure that others share the information for use.

The California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) discusses the use of technology to provide information to those that need it in its strategic vision. The July 2000 Cal/EPA Strategic Vision (www.calepa.ca.gov/Publications/Reports/StratPlans/2000/) directly addresses the open sharing of information and the use of technology to meet that goal. The vision states that three of Cal/EPA’s eight core values are open access, collaboration; and innovation. These three values directly relate to the sharing of information via the Web. The vision also states that Cal/EPA will:

“Create an Internet-based, agency-wide, integrated information management system that is accessible to the public.”

Cal/EPA is currently undergoing an upgrade in its GIS data collection, storage, and display systems, with other improvements proposed over the next few years. The current and proposed improvements will help insure that environmental information is readily accessible for decision makers, program staff, customers, and stakeholders.

Possibly the biggest obstacle to the successful implementation of a GIS system is obtaining buy-in from those involved in the collection and preparation of the information for display. This requires both management and program staff acceptance and participation. Management must provide the guidance and resources to let those involved that this is not another flash in the pan project. Staff must know that management is on board with more than just talk; there must be a commitment of resources. Staff must know that the system has a goal, will work, and provide quality information. They need to be able to believe that the end product will help in sharing information and save time.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is currently realizing benefits of using GIS in the display and sharing of information. They have an effort underway to add demographic, education and public schools (K-12), and environmental aspects into the current generation of maps. The board is also looking at upgrading it GIS system in an effort to share information with other agencies.

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Summary

The effective sharing of available information is critical to helping all access and review the large and interrelated amounts of information regarding environmental issues. The effective use of resources requires that decisions be made on the best and most complete information available. The use of GIS is one method that can be used to clearly show interdependent and interagency information for decision making. The use of GIS to display and interrelate information for decision-makers, program staff, and interested parties is an effective method that is available to us at this time. The use of GIS to share information between government agencies, allowing stakeholders to see all pertinent information in one format is now expected. The United Nations, USEPA, and the State of California are committed to presenting environmental information to the public using multiply display methods, and one of those methods is GIS. It will require considerable effort to make sure that both management and staff buy into and support the continued used of GIS. It has been found that once GIS is brought into use, both management and staff quickly realize the benefits in time saving and information sharing. Efforts must be made to encourage management and staff to incorporate the use of GIS into their day-to-day activities. That action combined with a concerted marketing and education plan will have a positive effect on the quality of work with regards to environmental actions.

One solution to the demand by citizens for access to information is to take advantage of current and future technology to educate, inform, and share environmental information using GIS on the World Wide Web.

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Attachment #1
Disposal Destination Percentages and Disposal in Tons for Alameda County

The following is an example that is used to display information using GIS. The table below shows information relevant to Alameda County. The following information helps local, regional, and state planners track the amount of waste received by every county in California.

Alameda County Disposal Destinations: 1999

Discussion of Information Display This page shows two ways to display the same information. The first is in a GIS map and the other is in a table. Both methods show the same information but use a different context. The map displays information related to the amount of waste that the County of Alameda disposes by tonnage range, percentage of total, and final destination. The information shown is the same as shown in the table below. The map has the benefit of using colors and geographic references to help put the data in context. The table below displays the same information in a tabular form.

Attachment #2
Distribution of Recycling Market Development Zones in California

The following is displays information on the 40 RMDZ areas in California. These zones are used to promote the reduction, reused, and recycling of materials that would otherwise be deposed of in landfills. These zones can be critical to the Board’s mission of assuring that California reduces the amount of waste disposed of by 50 percent.

Discussion of Information Display The two attached displays provide information on 40 Recycling Market Development Zones. The GIS map shows the State of California, counties of California and boundaries of the 40 RMDZ areas that are used for CIWMB recycling efforts. The table below lists the 40 RMDZ areas located in the State of California in alphabetical order.

Acknowledgements
We would like to extend our thanks to the Board members, management and staff of the California Integrated Waste Management Board for their continued help and assistance in advancing the idea of sharing information on the World Wide Web. We would also like to acknowledge the efforts of John Sitts for his direct help and guidance on this project and Chris Allen, Paige Lettington, and Steve Barnett of the Board’s Information Management Branch for their help with the placement and maintenance of the GIS data in the Profiles Web site. Additionally I would like to thank Peter Staklis for the Alameda County graphic.

Darryl L. Petker, P.E.
Senior Technical Waste Management Engineer
Office of Organizational Effectiveness, MS 18
California Integrated Waste Management Board
PO Box 4025
Sacramento 98512-4025
916.341.6704
dpetker@ciwmb.ca.gov