A Forward-Thinking, Simplifying Solution for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) needed help in migrating and re-engineering two COOL:Gen and Oracle based information systems to a client-server, Microsoft .NET, Microsoft SQL server-based application architecture. Windsor Solutions provided DEQ with an enhanced Tracking, Reporting and Administration of Air Contaminated Sources (TRAACS) system that is designed to accurately and efficiently track permitting, compliance, emissions inventory and more.
Background
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is a regulatory agency whose job is to monitor the quality of Oregon’s environment. DEQ is responsible for protecting and enhancing Oregon’s water and air quality, for cleaning up spills and releases of hazardous materials, and for managing the proper disposal of hazardous and solid wastes.
The Challenge Presented
As a long-term user of the Information Engineering (IE) software development methodology and its supporting CASE tool, COOL:Gen, DEQ revised its strategic technical direction. This revision resulted in the adoption of a Microsoft centric approach to systems development, which prompted DEQ to begin the process of migrating its legacy applications from a COOL:Gen / Oracle platform to Microsoft’s .NET framework and SQL Server database environment. The final major DEQ system migration and application re engineering effort was an integrated information system used by the Air Quality program to track permitting, compliance, invoicing and emission inventory activities for regulated contaminated sources. The new application is known as the Tracking, Reporting and Administration of Air Contaminated Sources (TRAACS) system.
Windsor at Work: Our Solution
Along with the migration and re-engineering of two COOL-Gen and Oracle-based information systems, DEQ wanted Windsor to test and implement the new Tracking, Reporting and Administration of Air Contaminated Sources (TRAACS) system.
This new system had to support the following business functions:
Windsor Solutions’ approach to this large-scale migration and re-engineering effort began by gaining a detailed understanding of the data, functions and business processes supported by the current systems. Coming to this understanding required a current systems analysis, a detailed business process, and new requirement analysis activities.
Findings from the system analysis and requirement gathering activities provided Windsor and DEQ with the basis for the new application design. Design activities focused on:
- Defining a technical architecture capable of supporting the user requirements
- Consistency with the DEQ standards
- Specification of a user interface and application logic that fully supported the program requirements
- Creation of a new data structure and migration plan to move data from historical systems into TRAACS
The resulting system design was reviewed and confirmed for completeness and correctness by the Air Quality program. Upon approval of the system design, the development and test effort began. TRAACS was developed using the Microsoft .NET framework (version 2.0), Microsoft SQL Server (2005), and SQL Server Reporting Services.
Screen shots of TRAACS application, click for details.
Three iterations of formal, user-driven testing were applied using thorough user-defined test scripts in addition to developed automated unit test routines. Issues found during each round of user testing were formally tracked and modifications were performed following confirmation of the appropriate solutions with Air Quality staff.
Results That Reward
The Windsor-developed TRAACS application provided DEQ with a handful of benefits:
- An integrated source of Air Quality program data
- Drastic usability and performance improvements
- Ability to link permitting activities with emissions inventory and invoicing data
- Reduced maintenance cost and removal of legacy architecture dependency
- Consistency with DEQ application architectures and standards
Client
Project
- Tracking, Reporting & Administration of Air Contaminant Sources (TRAACS) Re-engineering Project
Disciplines
Services
Technologies
.NET, Thick-Client / Desktop Systems