SDWIS Prime Update: September 2018

September 14, 2018 Anthony DeRosa

As we head into September – anxiously awaiting news on the September Release, piloting process, API developments, and CMDP – much of the Prime project talk has circled around communications. In addition to making greater use of the news blog and revamping the SDWIS User Community, ASDWA is working with a design firm to overhaul our discussion forums, which we expect will become a critical resource the community can leverage for peer-to-peer support and coordination as the project moves forward. In the meantime, here’s some information on the different ways you and your staff can keep up on the project:

Looking for more information on SDWIS Prime? ASDWA maintains a SDWIS User Community with helpful information about both Legacy and Prime, access to SDWIS Legacy software and documentation, and quick links to EPA’s Prime resources [SharePoint and Zendesk]. Submit a Login Request Form to obtain credentials. Please note, ASDWA credentials will not work to access EPA-owned resources, like SharePoint or Zendesk.

ASDWA is also revamping the SDWIS User Community Discussion Forums. The forums are designed to provide users with quick access to peer-based support for Legacy and Prime. When a user posts a question to the discussion forum, all subscribers within the community receive a notification. If someone can help with the question, they will post a reply. ASDWA is working on a redesign of the forums, along with improved documentation, to ensure this useful resource is ready to meet the needs of the community as we move towards Prime Transition and official support channels for Legacy are retired. When you request access to the SDWIS User Community, you will gain access to the Forums [and subscribed to receive notifications of newly posted items]. Right now, the Forums are fully functional – we’re simply working to improve the design and user experience. If you have any questions, reach out to Anthony ASDWA.

Staying in the loop on SDWIS Prime – with all of the various distribution lists and moving parts, it can be challenging to know how best to stay in the loop with what’s happening with SDWIS Prime. ASDWA is currently working with EPA on ways to centralize all SDWIS communications to reduce confusion, but for now, here are some options to get you started:

Email Distribution Lists – a good first step would be to contact ASDWA and EPA to ask to be added to their email distribution lists. These are separate lists, each maintained by their respective organization.
SDWIS Prime News Blog – ASDWA and EPA maintain a news blog dedicated to the SDWIS Prime project. You are in complete control of your subscription and have some control over the frequency and format of the notifications you receive. To subscribe, visit sdwisprime.asdwa.org and enter your email address into the sidebar, under “Follow Prime News via Email.”
SDWIS Prime News RSS – if you’re a savvy RSS user, you can track the information coming out of the SDWIS Prime News blog at https://sdwisprime.asdwa.org/feed/.
SDWIS Prime Twitter – all of the content that gets published through the SDWIS Prime News blog is also routed through Twitter if you prefer to keep up with your news that way. The feed is private, so you must request access to follow @ASDWAorg_SDWIS.
ASDWA’s Weekly Update – this is an electronic newsletter that goes out to subscribers every Friday, covering all of the significant happenings in drinking water for that week. All of the newsletter content originates from ASDWA’s main news blog, The Source. Starting in 2018, subscribers can add sections to their Update covering additional subjects of interest from ASDWA’s subject-specific news blogs – this is a great option to track SDWIS Prime updates on a weekly basis, without cluttering up your inbox with more notifications. Follow the instructions at https://www.asdwa.org/blogs/ to learn more about adding SDWIS Prime to your ASDWA Weekly Update.

Concerning the options outlined above, it’s important to note that, other than the email distribution lists, all of the content in the News Blog, RSS, Twitter, and Weekly Update is the same and you only need to choose one option. If you have questions or need help determining the best option to meet your needs, feel free to contact Anthony of ASDWA.