Summer 2001 National Data Request

(1997/99 Study Units)

Guidelines for Preparing SW GIS Data for National Synthesis

6/19/01

WHAT'S NEW: Please send only new, updated or missing basin boundary coverages and metadata files for fixed, bed sediment and tissue, synoptic and/or reservoir coring basins in your study unit. The current NAWQA basins for each study unit are posted at
ftp://sun2didbse.wr.usgs.gov/pub/maupin/fy9799tarfiles/SUID.tgz
where SUID is the study unit abbreviation.

Purpose

Timetable

Scope

At this time, any new, updated or missing basin coverages and metadata are being requested for basic or intensive fixed-sites, bed sediment and tissue sites in the occurrence and spatial distribution surveys, reservoir coring sites, and significant synoptic sites .

Not all study units will have reservoir coring sites; only those study units who have collected samples according to Pete VanMetre's specificiations will need to compile basin boundary coverages for those sites. Currently, study units with coring sites include COOK, GRSL, NECB, OAHU, and SANA.

A "significant synoptic site" will include ALL sites where samples were/are collected according to NAWQA protocols (chemical and biological). As for any remaining synoptic sites, it is up to the study units' discretion to decide whether a site qualifies as "significant". However, studies that contribute to results that yield archival-quality data should be seriously considered. This is to distinguish the synoptic studies from recon and other exploratory studies that are difficult to compare to others. If the synoptic site exists in the network file, and data are being collected and stored in NWIS and are aggregated by the autoaggregation process, a coverage will be expected. If synoptic coverages are missing, please give an explanation of which ones are missing and the anticipated date of completion in a "README" file that is included in the final package.

With the exception of a few sites that have noncontributing drainage areas associated with them, only one basin boundary coverage per site is requested. Two coverages are required for those sites that have contributing areas that provide additional drainage under certain conditions: 1) a coverage of the contributing drainage area under normal conditions, and 2) a coverage of the total potential drainage area (contributing + noncontributing). The second coverage might include those areas that provide flow during storm conditions, or when certain man-made conditions are in effect. For sites that have drainage areas that are larger under special conditions, the second coverage (contributing + noncontributing), or total potential drainage area, will be used to compile a separate set of ancillary data to aid in hydrologic analyses of water-quality during high-flow conditions.

The area derived from a basin boundary coverage will be compared to the NWIS drainage area for that site. Differences greater than 10% between the two areas will require additional verification and checking. Also, the location of the sampling station and the basin boundary will be checked to make sure the stations falls within the coverage.

One metadata file is requested for each basin boundary coverage. Metadata requirements are explained below.

Guidelines

If you manage your data in shapefiles, please convert the shapefiles to coverages with the requested projections. Send the coverages; please do not send shapefiles.

1. Coverage name:

	STAID				COVERAGE NAME
	04087000			b04087000
	040863075			b04086307
	435426488092701			b43542641
	435426488092702			b43542642
	02334080                        r02334080

2. Projection parameters:

	PROJECTION ALBERS
	UNITS METERS
	DATUM NAD83
	PARAMETERS
	29 30 00
	45 30 00
	-96 00 00
	23 00 00
	0.0
	0.0

Projection parameters for COOK:

	PROJECTION ALBERS
	UNITS METERS
	DATUM NAD83
	PARAMETERS
	55 00 00
	65 00 00
	-154 00 00
	50 00 00
	0.0
	0.0

Projection parameters for OAHU:

	PROJECTION ALBERS
	UNITS METERS
	DATUM NAD83
	PARAMETERS
	08 00 00
	18 00 00
	-157 00 00
	00 00 00
	0.0
	0.0

3. Polygon attribute table template:

	AREA		4  12   F  3
	PERIMETER	4  12   F  3
	Bxxxxxxxx#	4   5   B           or Txxxxxxxx# or Rxxxxxxxx#
	Bxxxxxxxx-ID	4   5   B 	    or Txxxxxxxx-ID or Rxxxxxxxx-ID
	STAID          15  15   C

Additional attributes are optional as long as they are explained in the metadata. Please keep the definition of attributes as they are defined here. If, for some reason, STAID is defined as anything other than character, then leading zeros will be dropped and consequently STAID will no longer match other data files.

Please make sure that all polygons coverages have topology; that means you need to build coverages before submitting them to Molly.

Please prepare an ASCII file of FGDC-compliant metadata for each drainage basin coverage. Name the metadata file covername.met, where covername would be the same as bxxxxxxxx, or txxxxxxxx, or rxxxxxxxx. See metadata tools for complete help on how to get metadata files created using various tools and versions of ArcInfo. If you are using Arc8 and have metadata stored in ArcCatalog, you can export and check the data with the mp aml. See the section (in the link above) called "Managing metadata", or use the command:

It is important to include any informatin about how the basin was delineated. Include possible constraints on the use of the data within the metadata file in the section called "Use_constraints".

5. QAQC:

	a). Basin boundary coverages exist for each fixed, bed-sediment and 
	    tissue, reservoir coring site, and "significant" synoptic basin 
	    site that are identified in the station-network (netsite.suid) 
	    file. For example, if you send a coverage, but the STAID isn't 
	    listed in the netsite file then you'll be asked to provide the 
	    network code for the site.

	b). A README file exists to explain sites for which a basin boundary 
	    coverage is not available or applicable (e.g. the site is an outfall 
	    of a sewage treatment plant, or the site is along a conveyance channel).

	c). STAID is correctly populated and defined in the covername.PAT 
	    infofile of each basin boundary coverage,
	
	d). The coverages have been BUILT and have polygon topology.

	e). Projections of the coverages comply with the national projection 
	    parameters.

	f). The location for the sampling site are located near the basin-boundary 
	    line. Coverages are draw using the coverages as the map extent. If 
	    sites are located noticeably within, or outside of the coverage 
	    boundary, questions will be asked. Sites are plotted using the 
	    latitude and longitude coordinates from the sites file that is 
	    created from the NWIS database. If you have coordinates that are 
	    collected from NAWQA fieldwork that differ from NWIS C009 and C010 
	    values, a note in the README file would be appropriate.
	
	g). The basin boundary coverage drainage area and NWIS drainage area are 
	    within 10%.

	h). FGDC-compliate metadata for each basin boundary coverage are provided 
	    in ASCII format using correct naming convention.
	
	i). CHECKDATA.aml has been run and ALL errors have been corrected. 
	    See next section.

Run the CHECKDATA.AML program to perform a final check to ensure basin boundary coverages are free of potential ARC-related problems. Please correct any errors or missing data identified by CHECKDATA.AML. Syntax for the CHECKDATA.AML program is as follows:

		Arc:checkdata {NOREPORT | REPORT_FILE}

6. Submit coverages and metadata:

Copy all basin coverages and their associated ASCII metadata files into an empty directory, cd to the new directory, and archive (tar) and compress (gzip) the entire directory. Then copy the compressed archive file into your anonymous ftp area. The syntax for the UNIX tar commands is as follows:

tar -cf - * | gzip -c > /var/ftp/pub/suidsw.targz

(NT users can get tar and gzip utilities from here.

Please do not use WinZip to archive ArcInfo datasets. If you do not have gzip available on NT, you can get it from

THANK YOU!

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Maintainer: Molly Maupin Privacy Statement || Disclaimer URL: http://idaho.usgs.gov/webwork/mamaupin/guidance/su9799_swgis2001.html