Download the DSPMT Software 

(Current DSPMT Software is Version 2.428, Dated 31 August, 2010)

View a List of Planned Improvements for the web-based DSPMT and a History of DSPMT Version Modifications

Dam Safety Program Management Tools

            Since authorization and implementation of the National Dam Safety Program, it has become increasingly clear that there are broad information needs required to support dam safety.  These data needs include:

 Satisfying many of these data needs are the Dam Safety Program Management Tools (DSPMT).  The DSPMT is an information collection and management system that is controlled locally by Federal and State dam safety program managers and which interacts with national external cooperative information resources for providing as-requested and periodic information on local dam safety information, program needs, and accomplishments within each organization’s jurisdiction.

 The purpose of the DSPMT is to provide dam safety program managers a tool to collect unbiased data about dams and dam safety programs, check selected data for accuracy, and then utilize the data to achieve an accurate local and national inventory of dams and to help address programmatic questions such as:

 The DSPMT consists of a set of interactive software programs which provide a resource to the dam safety data owners, managers, and data providers.  The DSPMT includes three distinct, complementary, and interoperable software programs:

Dam Safety Program Performance Measures

 The performance measures, or indicators, use unbiased data to assess effectiveness of dam safety programs and organizations.  Performance measures have been defined and implemented in the following seven key areas:

 These broad performance measures are supported by detailed spreadsheets which are targeted at individual aspects of the performance measures.  The following detailed additional spreadsheets are currently available within the DSPMT:

These spreadsheets allow graphics of data to be generated that provide insight into the capabilities and challenges faced by the organization.  For example, the following histogram shows the number of available staff and associated experience levels within the Corps of Engineers dam safety program since 2005:

The full database of DSPMT information for USACE Districts and Divisions was initially utilized to support and generate the 2005 USACE biennial report to FEMA and it was updated and utilized again in 2007 and again this past year to support and generate the 2009 USACE biennial report.

 Performance measure output at each level in an organization can be used individually and/or collectively to evaluate the “health and progress” of the program at that level. These same data can then be used at the next higher level to evaluate program performance or program “health and progress” on broader and broader scales (e.g., district, division, Agency, State). The performance measures can be used by organizations such as the ASDSO, the NDSRB, the ICODS, and the FEMA to evaluate the “health and progress” of dam safety programs on National scales. Historical data sets will allow establishment of baselines for each organization or State from which comparisons can be made to measure degree of change or improvement and to generate timelines of data from which trends may be observed.

 NID Electronic Submittal Workflow

The NID Electronic Submittal Workflow software is a natural extension of the NID and part of the DSPMT to help users provide a consistent, error-checked electronic submittal of inventory information.  The NID Electronic Submittal workflow is graphically represented in the User Interface form shown below:

By performing data submittal workflows at the state and agency level, those most familiar with the data and most qualified to make any changes, specifically the data owners, managers, and data providers, are kept in the loop by the program as it highlights areas in the data that potentially need attention, modification, or double-checking.  By performing these workflows at the state and agency level, and by using the original data from the day-to-day dam inventory management tools, the data quality and accuracy of the submittal is significantly enhanced.

In 2006, the states and federal agencies were requested to provide dam inventory data to update the next NID, developed in Spring 2007.  The following graphic shows the individual dams provided by each of the NID contributors which were included in the final NID, with high hazard potential dams shown in Red, significant hazard potential shown in Yellow, and low hazard potential dams shown in Black.

This data collection effort built upon the tools and experience gained during the publication of previous National inventories of dams.  By utilizing and applying the knowledge gained during these past duplicate resolution efforts, future efforts should be significantly reduced.  The near-term goal is to be able to publish the NID every two years.  As a result, the states and federal agencies will again be requested to provide dam inventory data in early 2008.  Although not yet achieved, the long-term goal is to have a “living” NID in which electronic contributions from the states and federal agencies can be incorporated in near real-time to when they were submitted, meaning that whenever changes are made in a state or federal agencies local inventory and sent to TEC, that those changes will be reflected in a current, ongoing NID within a timeframe of a few days.

Dam Safety Program Reporting Tools to National Oversight Organizations

Utilization of DSPMT data collection and reporting capabilities provides insight into the contributing organization’s dam safety program, both individually and collectively.  Electronic reporting of dam safety program information is being used to help determine whether program improvements are occurring and how a program stands relative to the dam safety programs of other organizations.  This can facilitate the development, documentation, and modification of practices and procedures by supporting performance measures which directly address all aspects of an organization’s dam safety program ranging from legislative authorities, dam safety staff size and relevant experience, the inspection program, identification of deficient dams, remediation needs and accomplishments, training, and emergency action planning and response.

An ongoing concern among the National oversight organizations has been how to continue to maintain high levels of State participation in providing requested data in an environment of ever increasing requests for additional data.  In the past, states had been asked for data to support inventory update requests from the NID, State Evaluation Criteria Report data from the NDSRB, annual survey data from the ASDSO, and annual dam safety program information from the Community Rating System (CRS) in support of the National Flood Insurance Program.  These requests for data occurred at differing times of the year and varied in terms of their complexity.  The DSPMT has been modified to support a combined reporting workflow so that all of the data requests can be satisfied with an annual one-time-only electronic data report.  The electronic reporting interface is enhance by utilizing the most recently published NID for providing  recommendations on responses, where possible, to the combined dam safety program questions.  For example, the NID information can be used to providing data on numbers of dams, numbers of EAP’s, numbers of inspections, etc.  This should function to improve the accuracy and quality of the data being reported to the National oversight organizations.

In 2007, state program performance information was again collected from the state regulatory organizations and provided to the NDSRB and ASDSO.  Summaries graphics of compliance with the recommended ASDSO model state dam safety program were generated and are illustrated below:

 Green indicates that the state has all of the characteristics of the model program, blue indicates that the state has most (more than half) of the characteristics, yellow indicates that it has some (less than half) of the characteristics, red indicates that the state has no characteristics of the model program, and white indicates that the state did not respond to any of the questions.  The greatest degree of compliance is in the area of enforcement and the least degree of compliance is in the area of public relations.

The state program performance data has been collected from the state regulatory organizations since 1998, and enough data has been collected to observe trends in the collective National dam safety program.  Trend graphics can be generated for numerous aspects of the collective dam safety program, the following graphic shows the trend in EAP completion percentage for high hazard potential dams:

Summary and Conclusions

Use of the DSPMT by federal agencies and the states is illustrated in the information flow overview shown below.  An organization’s local inventory of dams, in a variety of data formats, can be imported into the DSPMT and used as the local inventory of dams for numerous functions, including performance measure data submittals, NID data submittals, generation of the FEMA State Evaluation Criteria Report, the ASDSO annual survey, and providing incident information to the National Performance of Dams program.

With continued reductions in budgets and staffing, both federal and non-federal dam safety programs are in need of continuous efficiency and effectiveness improvements. In addition, there is an ever-increasing need for performance-based reporting internally and to FEMA, Congress, and State Legislatures. The DSPMT provides the tools necessary for evaluating dam safety programs, for reporting accomplishments, and for expressing program needs to others. As a working tool, it implements true one-time-only data entry, provides assistance to program managers in achieving continuous program improvement, is a self-evaluation tool and an internal and external reporting tool, and encourages results-oriented management practices. By using the DSPMT, states and federal agencies will be assured of a more consistent, error-checked submittal of inventory and performance measure information provided on a periodic or as-needed basis.