U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey 2006 Indiana GIS Conference March 8, Indianapolis Charles Hickman USGS National Geospatial Program Office

Disciplines of the U.S. Geological Survey  Geology (GD)  Water Resources (WRD)  Biological Resources (BRD)  Geography and Mapping (National Geospatial Program Office)

National Hydrography Dataset A comprehensive set of digital spatial data that contains information about:  naturally occurring and constructed bodies of water  natural and artificial paths through which water flows  related hydrographic entities.

National Hydrography Dataset  Stream network – streams, canals, other paths: 80%  Water bodies – lakes, reservoirs, other areas: 14%  Landmarks – dams, bridges, geysers, other items: 6%

National Hydrography Dataset  National program  Combine hydro spatial data programs of  USGS DLG  EPA RF3  USFS CFF  other national, state, and regional partners  Coordinate update efforts

Seamless Data  Not quad based  Online access  GIS ready  Variable-resolution  Feature-level metadata  Update features as needed by transactions  Versions  Stable identifiers

Reach Files – RF1, RF2, RF3, NHD

100K NHD and 24K NHD

Main Components  Features  Reaches  Flow relationships  Geographic names  Level paths  Coordinates and measures  Metadata

Features  Represent bodies of water, paths through which water flows, and related hydrographic entities  Contain the information found on USGS topographic maps:  Stream network – streams, canals, other paths: 80%  Water bodies – lakes, reservoirs, other areas: 14%  Landmarks – dams, bridges, geysers, other items: 6%  Classified by feature type using:  A five-digit feature code  Text aliases for the feature code in a lookup table

Reaches  Segments of surface water with similar hydrologic characteristics  Unique reach code identifies each reach  Cataloging unit number + sequential number  Three types of reaches implemented  Transport (lines oriented in direction of flow)  Coastline (lines oriented so water is on right)  Waterbody

Reaches in RF3 and NHD From Spoerri, Miller, and Dabolt, 2000

Geographic Names  The proper name, specific term, or expression by which a particular geographic entity is known  An identifier maintains a link to the Geographic Names Information System  Reaches carry the geographic name most often; features only carry the name if they are not part of a reach.

Relationship Between Reaches  Flow relationships link individual transport and coastline reaches to form the surface water drainage network  Flow relationships describe  The network connectivity between reaches  The direction of water flow between transport reaches  The traversal of the coastline along coastline reaches  The order of termini of individual drainage networks along the coastline

Level Paths  The ordered set of transport reaches that trace the main path for a given flow of water  Identifies the main path to which a particular transport reach belongs  Still working on implementation

Coordinates and Measures  Latitude and longitude coordinates based on the North American Datum of 1983  Lengths and areas of features and reaches, computed from a projected coordinate system, supplied for convenience  Elevations of surfaces and the associated stage for some features

Metadata  Metadata, or data about data, describes the content, quality, condition or other characteristics of data  Uses the FGDC metadata standard  In the initial release of the data, there is metadata for  The entire NHD  Collections of features or reaches, normally organized by  quadrangle digital update units for features  cataloging unit digital update units for reaches

NHD – Applications and Related Programs  How is NHD used?  Support inventory, analysis, visualization, mapping, modeling...  Water quality, flooding, fish...

NHD – Applications, Related Programs, and Tools (1)  RIT - Reach Indexing Tool for NHD - georeferencing surface water databases to NHD  BASINS - Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources - integrated watershed environmental modeling  CWAEM - Clean Water Act Effects Model - basic water quality modeling and economic analysis  NAWQA - National Water-Quality Assessment Program  NLFWA - National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories

NHD – Applications, Related Programs, and Tools (2)  WATERS - EPA Water Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results  Section 303d, Clean Water Act  TMDL - Total Maximum Daily Load  Section 305b, water quality assessment  STORET - data STOrage and RETrieval system - water quality data repository

NHD – Applications, Related Programs, and Tools (3)  NRS - EPA National Recreation Survey  NWIS - National Water Information System  NWPCAM - National Water Pollution Control Assessment Model - modeling economic benefits related to water quality  RIMDESS - River Management Decision Support System - modeling point and nonpoint discharges, nutrient routing and decay, and nitrogen loading in rivers and estuaries

NHD – Applications, Related Programs, and Tools (4)  SPARROW - Spatially Referenced Regression of Contaminants on Watershed Attributes  WQSDB - Water Quality Standards Database  USGS Gaging Station info linked to NHD - Dave Stewart of USGS WRD  NHD Flow Volume and Velocity Estimator  NHD Stream Order Tool

NHD – Applications, Related Programs, and Tools (5)  NHD ArcView Tool Kit  NHD Names Update Tool  USGS National Rivers Information Center - prototype  GRT non-point source projects  NPL - water-related National Priority List locations  Aquatic GAP

135 / 332 lakes are connected to the 1:24,000 NHD 197 / 332 lakes are considered seepage lakes Analysis of Isolated Lakes in Michigan

~ 10.2 miles upstream from Lake Michigan Indexing and Analysis of Dams in Michigan

Prototype of Aquatic Invasive Species Habitat

High Resoluton (24K) Status on April 7, 2002

US Forest Service

NHDinARC GeoRelational Model (Use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply an endorsement by the U.S. Government.)

GeoDatabase Model  Participating in the GIS Water Resources Consortium  Sponsored by the Center for Research in Water Resources (CRWR) of the University of Texas at Austin and ESRI  Initial focus is on design of a new GeoDatabase Model for Rivers and Watersheds for ArcGIS version 8  More information is available at (Use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply an endorsement by the U.S. Government.)

Related National Datasets  NED – National Elevation Dataset  EDNA – Elevation Derivatives for National Applications  NWBD – National Watershed Boundary Dataset  NLCD – National Land Cover Dataset  USGS plans for National Map

National Elevation Dataset (NED)

Elevation Derivatives for National Applications (EDNA) [ Formerly National Elevation Dataset – Hydrologic Derivatives (NED-H) ]

National Watershed Boundary Dataset (NWBD)  Integrated with NED and NHD

Hydrologic Units

National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD)  Urban  Farmland  Pasture  Orchard  Row crops  Water  Barren  Forest  …

Homeland Security

Indiana  IDNR  IDEM  USGS WRD & NMD  US Forest Service

Indiana High-Resolution National Hydrography Dataset Indiana High-Res NHD is part of Indiana’s I-Team effort for Framework development.

NHD Stewards The NHD is a living dataset Revision updates needed Quality updates needed Organizations closest to the hydrography are most aware of ground truth Such organizations should have the opportunity to serve as stewards The USGS will assist

NHD Partnerships LocalState Federal

National Geospatial Programs Office  A Unified Approach to the NSDI  Align USGS national geospatial activities and responsibilities  Federal Geographic Data Committee  Geospatial One Stop  National Map  National Atlas  Reaffirm the direction of individual activities  Expand partnership offices  Assess USGS geospatial products and services

A Bold Step for the NSDI: The National Geospatial Programs Office  Coordination, standards, policy – Federal Geographic Data Committee  Discovery and access – Geospatial One Stop  Integrated base data – The National Map Coordination & Standards Data Discovery & Access Consistent & Current Content

The National Map Distributed set of consistent, integrated, continually maintained, basic spatial data for the United States. Serve as the Nation's topographic map for the 21 st century.

The National Map: Data Themes Orthorectified imagery Land cover Elevation Transportation (road, rail, other) Hydrography Structures Boundaries (political & admin) Geographic names

The National Map: Characteristics (1)  Seamless not quad based  Current to days or weeks, not years  Basic spatial data  Foundation for additional data stable feature identifiers as Velcro reach codes, address ranges, linear referencing

The National Map Characteristics (2)  Digital data and paper maps  GIS ready  User friendly  Online access, web accessible, 24-7  Accurate, best available  Public domain, but link to other data  Standardized, consistent, modern datums

The National Map: Characteristics (3)  Integrated themes  Continually maintained  Transactional updates  Feature metadata  Roll back to versions for any point in time  Based on partnerships  Fed by state & local data and knowledge  National coverage  Variable resolution

U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

Ask USGS  Earth Science Information Center (ESIC)   Phone ASK-USGS  Web  Order data using Earth Explorer at

National Hydrography Dataset  National Database  Meets NSDI and FGDC Objectives  Technology Available  Data Standard Meeting Multiple User Needs  Future Applications Support  Feature Based Model  Framework for Additional Data  Flexible  Maintenance Mechanism

Almost Done  Monthly NHD Newsletter  USGS Geodata Liaison for Indiana  Indiana NHD Workshop with Jeff Simley

NHD Home Page and Help Site  National Hydrography Dataset site  NHD Tech Support