Plant Health Information System (PHIS)

PHIS is fully integrated through business rule development with the systems listed below. Each of these systems provides an essential functionality to the objective of PPQ and relies on PHIS to manage the process of how information in these systems is related.

Integrated Survey Information System (ISIS)

ISIS provides an environment and process to gather quality survey information in a timely or “real-time” manner, and make that information available to key regulatory partners and stakeholders. Flexibility within ISIS allows for transfer of summary data to public sites such as NAPIS as well being able to provide a complete survey data set for analysis or basic research. ISIS allows strict control of access to data. Most importantly, ISIS offers the capability of providing immediate information to managers in the field who are responding to plant pest problems.

Pest Identification Database (Pest ID)

Pest ID is a component of AQAS and supports collection and dissemination of diagnostic results. Pest ID will provide PHIS with diagnostic functionality. These functions require the collection of pest data, determination of the quarantine status and reports on pest identification results. Pest ID supports the National Identification Staff (NIS), and works closely with the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) to provide conclusive confirmation of pest diagnostic information. The ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory (SEL) team manages the “SELIS” database that interfaces with the Pest ID database to assist with the pest identification.

Emergency Action Notification (EAN)

EAN is an application used in all plant health emergencies responded to by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) for reporting on miscellaneous products, infectious plants, plant products, animal products and animal by-products, including meat and meat products in cargo to notify individuals or companies to take an action, such as the treatment of articles, cargos, or carriers or the destruction of articles or cargos within a specified period of time. This form is issued to the owner (or owner’s agent) of the article, cargo, or carrier.