From Cold War Cleanup to Your Computer - Making U.S. Department of Energy Waste Data Accessible to the Public
It was December 12, 1998, when DOE agreed to a historic Settlement Agreement giving the public access to an Internet database capturing the waste cleanup legacy of the Cold War. The problem was that the database did not exist…..
The Central Internet Database
With the crack of the judge's gavel, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) entered a new era of public transparency.
It was December 12, 1998, when DOE agreed to a historic Settlement Agreement giving the public access to an Internet database capturing the waste cleanup legacy of the Cold War. The problem was that the database did not exist…..
Beginning with the inception of the Manhattan Project in 1942 and continuing throughout the Cold War, the production of nuclear weapons was supported by a large nationwide complex of facilities whose activities left a daunting environmental challenge. From the liquid high-level radioactive waste stored in tanks in South Carolina to the radioactive waste buried carefully in the Nevada desert, the scope of DOE's waste management and cleanup activities is vast and is tracked by several specialized databases.
With the legal settlement in 1998, these unique data systems had to be combined and talk as one. Furthermore, the new Central Internet Database (CID) had to be accessible through a web-based reporting tool with the capability to answer common queries and conduct specialized waste searches.
Because PPC's diverse toolkit contained the required programmatic and information technology expertise, DOE turned to us for a solution. PPC responded by conducting a thorough requirements analysis that identified five existing DOE databases to populate the new database. PPC proceeded by developing logical and physical database models for the CID and took the lead on system design by defining functional and report requirements for the CID. Working closely with the development contractor, PPC developed rigorous testing protocols to ensure prompt and accurate reporting.
Today, the CID provides the first set of DOE waste management and cleanup data available through the Internet by integrating multiple sources of DOE data into one database. With over 60 reports and an ad hoc reporting feature, plus information on DOE sites ranging from New York to Alaska, the CID gives the public unprecedented access to the waste cleanup legacy of the Cold War.
TOOLS
Seagate Crystal Reports 7.0 (soon to be updated to version 10)
Oracle 8.1.5
Allaire Cold Fusion 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0
Logic Works Erwin