Spatial Water Data Subcommitte Update to the

FGDC CAG

Bob Pierce, DOI

Tod Dabolt, EPA

Vision for aNational Geospatial Surfacewater

Framework - Mission Accomplished?

NED

NHD

WBD

National Hydrography DatasetNational Hydrography Dataset• Seamless National Coverage

• Managed by Hydrologic Units

• National Consistency • Uniform Characteristics

• Advanced Geospatial Model• Relational/Feature Based

• Living Database• Designed for Updates Through Data Stewardship

• Analytical Capabilities• Flow Network/Linear Referencing

Example of National Hydrography DatasetExample of National Hydrography Dataset

Medium Resolution NHDMedium Resolution NHD

High Resolution NHDHigh Resolution NHD

Local Resolution NHDLocal Resolution NHD

Integration of NHD and WBDIntegration of NHD and WBD

• An integrated suite of application-ready geospatial data sets that incorporate many of the best features of the– National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) – National Elevation Dataset (NED)– Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)

• NHDPlus includes -– improved NHD names and networking, – value-added attributes (such as stream order) that enable

advanced query, analysis and display, – elevation-derived catchments that integrate the land surface with

the network, – catchment attributes (such as temperature, precipitation, land

cover), – stream flow volume and velocity estimates for pollutant dilution

modeling, and – associated flow direction and accumulation grids.

• An integrated suite of application-ready geospatial data sets that incorporate many of the best features of the– National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) – National Elevation Dataset (NED)– Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)

• NHDPlus includes -– improved NHD names and networking, – value-added attributes (such as stream order) that enable

advanced query, analysis and display, – elevation-derived catchments that integrate the land surface with

the network, – catchment attributes (such as temperature, precipitation, land

cover), – stream flow volume and velocity estimates for pollutant dilution

modeling, and – associated flow direction and accumulation grids.

What is NHDPlus?What is NHDPlus?

The inset map shows the watershed (white boundary) defining the drainage area upstream from the mouth of Four Mile Run (red dot) and a report of associated watershed characteristics – both produced using NHDPlus.

National Hydrography DatasetNational Hydrography Dataset• The Hydrography component of

The National Map

• Surface Water of the United States

• 1:100,000-scale content - 2001

• 1:24,000-scale content - 2007

• 1:4,800-scale content - ongoing

National Hydrography DatasetNational Hydrography Dataset• The Hydrography component of

The National Map

• Surface Water of the United States

• 1:100,000-scale content - 2001

• 1:24,000-scale content - 2007

• 1:4,800-scale content - ongoing

Combination of U.S. – Canada HydrographySt. Croix Subbasin, Maine-New Brunswick

USGS ALABAMA

KANSAS

MAINE

COLORADO

ARKANSAS

CALIFORNIA NEW YORK

UTAH

U.S.FORESTSERVICE

BureauLand

Management

CITY OF NEW YORK

STATEENGINEER’S

OFFICE

DEPARTMENTENVIRONMENTAL

QUALITY

SAN FRANCISCOBAY ESTUARY

INSITUTE

Stewardship ModelStewardship Model

The Watershed Boundary DatasetDrainage to a point

Drainage boundaries for all surface areas

Impartial to boundaries, projects, programs, or agencies

Meets the National Standards for Spatial Data Accuracy (NSSDA)

Uses DOQQ’s or higher resolution imagery, contours of elevation, stream locations and other data to improve accuracy or currency

And carries a suite of useful attribution

Next year we will have a combined WBD and NHD

A new way of thinking about Hydrography

Watershed Boundary Dataset integration with the National

Hydrography Dataset

Benefits of a joint WBD/NHDNHD and the WBD naturally complement each other

Both are used extensively in hydrology, biology, resource management, and pollution control

Improves interoperability of the two datasets, and for users

A single hydrography geodatabase facilitates all aspects of joint stewardship of the two feature databases-NHD and WBD

Joint data distribution servicesJoint stewardship operationsJoint program managementCombined operations to the extent possible

Many positive outcomes to have WBD become part of The National Map (TNM)

NHD GeoEdit tool could accommodate WBD edits and provide feature level metadata tracking

StewardshipStewardship is a partnership between local, state and federal entities to ensure that WBD and NHD data is current, available, and relevant.

NATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:Provide program leadership and managementWork with state stewards to ensure success of WBD/NHD stewardship objectivesEnsure “certification” integrity is maintained in WBDAssist with technical issuesSupport successful integration of NHD and WBD stewardship

International Border Harmonization

U.S./Mexico

U.S./Canada

Washington coast after the 3-nm NOAA marine boundary was applied for the outer limit of the HU. No nearshore limit was applied

WBD Coastal Modifications

Integration with Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Integration