Integration and Relationship Among Entities

This data and technology standard outlines nine entities typically applicable to environmental review or permit processes and how they relate to one another - see below Entity Relationship Diagram. Additionally, the data and technology standard defines a set of properties associated with each entity.

Generally, a “Project” (e.g., construction of a bridge) involves one or more related “Process” (e.g., review under NEPA, construction permit, or interagency consultation). Each “Process” will involve multiple steps or “Case Events” that involve the creation or issuance of “Documents” (e.g., Notice of Intent (NOI)). A “Project” generally also has a relationship with one or more types of “GIS Data” that defines the project’s anticipated physical footprint and area(s) of analysis. In general, each entity supports nesting (e.g., an over-arching project that may have several sub-components) to accommodate the variety of ways agencies may track these concepts.

This data and technology standard establishes the relationships between each of these entities by using identifiers (IDs) and cross-references. In implementing these data and technology standards, agencies should adapt the nesting and cross-reference structure to the way that they typically classify these entities.

Entity Relationship Diagram:

This diagram illustrates how the entities defined in this data standard relate to one another in the context of software system architecture.

Figure 1. Entity Relationship Diagram

The types of relationships between entities can also be summarized as:

• Project → Process: One-to-many relationship.
• Process → Documents: One-to-many relationship.
• Documents → Public Comments: One-to-many relationship.
• Process → Public Engagement Events: One-to-many relationship.
• Process → Case Events: One-to-many relationship.
• Project, Process, Document, Case Event, Engagement Event, and Comment → GIS Data: One-to-many relationship.
• GIS Data → GIS Data Element : One-to-many relationship.
• Process Model → Process : One-to-many relationship.
• Process Model → Decision Elements : One-to-many relationship.
• Process → Decision Payload : One-to-many relationship.
• Decision Element → Decision Payload : One-to-many relationship.
• Legal Structure → Decision Element : One-to-many relationship.
• Legal Structure → Process Model : One-to-many relationship.
• Process → Project, Process, Document, Case Event, Engagement Event, and Comment → GIS Data: One-to-many relationship.
• GIS Data → GIS Data Element : One-to-many relationship.

This diagram illustrates an example project-process-document structure. For more examples, see Sample Project - Process - Document Relationships.

Figure 2. Project - Process - Document Relationship Diagram