CHAPTER 5 - GROUNDWATER DATA ISSUES 



Cape Cod Aquifer Management Project Final Report Page 34 



- Map-scale and parameter information and a contact person. 

 5 . 3 CCAMP Data Recommendations and Observations 



5.3.1 Interagency Data-Base Development 



During the CCAMP project, the participating agencies expressed substan- 

 tial interest in evaluating the potential for increased interagency use of 

 existing databases and maps maintained by a single agency. The possibili- 

 ty of incorporating such information into a single, integrated database 

 such as a statewide GIS or a data network with remote access was consid- 

 ered a potentially viable and attractive approach to better data manage- 

 ment. 



The Committee concluded that the possibility of establishing an inter- 

 agency data base or data network involving CCAMP participating agencies is 

 quite promising and deserves further detailed analysis. Uniform overlay 

 maps, at common scale, of key environmental features such as wetlands and 

 land use, as well as overlay maps and associated tabular data bases on 

 regulated facilities and waste sources are of particular interest. Howev- 

 er, much more work is needed on data standards and data verification proce- 

 dures to ensure that the data are valid and decisions based on them are 

 sound. 



The development and maintenance of program-specific "data diction- 

 aries" are necessary for an interagency data exchange. They identify 

 information on source, dates of data collection, expected accuracy and 

 other program-specific items. 



There is also a need for all mapped data to be georeferenced. This 

 methodology uses three standard and interrelated reference systems, 

 latitude and longitude, state -plane, and universe transverse mercator. 

 Without having map locations referenced to one of these standard systems, 

 mapped information can not be accurately transferred from one map to 

 another. Each agency must ensure that its own data is georeferenced 

 properly to permit interagency sharing of mapped information. This is 

 necessary within individual agencies before major interagency efforts 

 proceed. 



5.3.2 Interagency Groundwater Data Standards 



It is important to continue to develop greater consistency among inter- 

 agency databases to enhance cooperative information sharing efforts' such 

 as the utilization of geographic information systems. An interagency task 



