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What is the Science Inventory?
The EPA Science Inventory is a searchable, Agency-wide catalog of current and completed science activities and scientific and technical work products. The Science Inventory is designed to help EPA scientists and managers coordinate the planning and development of science activities and inform the public about scientific direction and achievement at EPA. The Science Inventory is maintained in a database containing thousands of records. These records provide information such as project descriptions (abstracts), contacts for additional information, and electronic links to related work and final reports.
Who contributes to the Science Inventory?
Agency scientists enter a Science Inventory record for all applicable science activities funding by the EPA.
What constitutes a science activity?
EPA science activities include the following: research and development projects, scientific and technical studies, routine monitoring, economic and social science studies, audits, inspections, compliance and enforcement activities, technical assistance, and technology transfer and dissemination of EPA science.
Who can use the Science Inventory?
Anyone with access to the internet can use the Science Inventory. Public users (no login required) have ready-only access to all active records within the database that have been released for public consumption. In addition, registered EPA users can add, edit, and review records that have not yet been approved for public release.
How often is the information updated?
While EPA scientists can update data throughout the year, new and updated records will not be released to the public until they have undergone the annual budgetary review process and, subsequently, have been reviewed by database librarians and approved for public release. In the case of cosmetic updates (minor edits that do not change the sense of the information) throughout the year, the record will be made public again after database librarians have reviewed and approved it.
How does the Science Inventory relate to the Environmental Information Management System?
The Environmental Information Management System (EIMS) is the agency metadata repository for projects and products. The Science Inventory is a subset of EIMS consisting of current or recently completed science activities (projects) and peer reviewed products.
Can a record found in the Science Inventory also be found using EIMS?
Yes. Any record publicly available in the Science Inventory can also be found using the EIMS application.
Is there any difference between the information presented in the Science Inventory and EIMS?
The Science Inventory was designed to provide users with information germane to the science activity or peer reviewed product. EIMS, on the other hand, provides the user with all available metadata for the record.
Is there any data provided by the Science Inventory that is not included in EIMS?
The Science Inventory provides the organization information for each record. The Science Inventory also provides information on the Peer Review mechanism for the products.
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