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 NHD Tools
    The following tools are provided to assist in the use of NHD data. Any problems encountered when using these tools should be reported to nhd@usgs.gov.

  • NHDView - This tool has been replaced by functionality included in the NHD ArcView Toolkit.

  • PC-Compatible Compression Tools - Winzip (starting with version 8.0) as well as these DOS-based utilities retain all tables within NHD workspaces, including empty tables, as required by tools or applications that work with multiple subbasins (formerly known as cataloging units).

  • Append_NHD - An Arc Macro Language (AML) program that properly combines multiple NHDinARC workspaces into a single workspace.

  • NHD ArcView Toolkit - A collection of ArcView extensions provided to assist in the understanding and use of NHD data and in the development of NHD applications and tools.

Disclaimers:

PC-Compatible Compression Tools

Append_NHD

NHD ArcView Toolkit

 The NHD ArcView Toolkit is a collection of ArcView extensions provided to assist in the understanding and use of NHD data. The Toolkit components are designed to be easily incorporated into user-developed, ArcView-based NHD applications. Currently, the Toolkit contains: (1) NHD Load/Unload Workspace, which loads, symbolizes and displays the themes and tables in one or more NHD workspaces, (2) NHD Navigate which supports the upstream and downstream navigation of the drainage network, (3) NHD Reach Indexing Tool which provides an interactive environment for creating point, line and area events linked to NHD reaches, (4) NHD Event Migration which updates events linked to the NHD as the NHD changes, and (5) NHD Arc2Shape, which converts NHDinARC workspaces (coverage format) into NHDinSHP workspaces (shapefile format).

The NHD ArcView Toolkit runs under ArcView 3.2 (or higher) on Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, or XP. Does the NHD ArcView Toolkit work with ArcView 8?

Downloading and Installing:

Download the NHD ArcView Toolkit installation file (1.95mb) To install the NHD ArcView Toolkit:

  1. Save the installation file to your PC's hard drive
  2. Using the Windows' RUN command, execute nhdtoolkit7_0_0.exe to perform the installation.
To use the NHD ArcView Toolkit, start ArcView (open a new or existing project if one is not open), click on 'File' under the 'Project' interface and select 'Extensions'. The Toolkit extensions have names beginning with 'NHD' and will appear together in the alphabetical list of extensions. To load one or more of the Toolkit extensions, individually click on each one you wish to load. The NHD Tools menu will appear on the project’s ‘View’ menu bar.

Descriptions of NHD ArcView Toolkit Components:
  • NHD Load/Unload Workspace

      Current Version: 1.2.4

      Software Environment: ArcView extension programmed in Avenue

      Purpose: NHD Load/Unload Workspace is designed to assist users in viewing NHD data. It loads themes and tables into the active View and builds links between the themes and tables based on the NHD schema. Multiple NHD workspaces can be loaded. Workspaces can be in Arc/Info coverage format (NHDinARC) or shapefile format (NHDinSHP). NHD Load/Unload Workspace can also be used to load appended workspaces. When a workspace is loaded, the user has control of which themes and tables are loaded and which links are established.

      Using NHD Load/Unload Workspace: Click on the ArcView HELP button, then click on the 'NHD Load/Unload Workspace Help' item to display on-line help for NHD Load/Unload Workspace.

  • NHD Navigate

      Current Version: 1.1.8

      Software Environment: ArcView extension programmed in Avenue and C++

      Purpose: NHD Navigate is designed to assist users in traversing the NHD drainage network through the use of the NHD reach flow relationships. Using Navigate, the user may select a starting point for the navigation which is either a reach or a point along a reach. At the user's option, the navigation proceeds either upstream along the mainstem or upstream along all flow paths or downstream along the mainstem or downstream including all divergent flow paths. Other navigation options include the selection of a maximum distance to travel or the selection of a particular stopping point along the network. NHD Navigate displays the navigation results as a new theme which is added to the active view.

      Using NHD Navigate: Click on the ArcView HELP button, then click on the 'NHD Navigate Help' item to display on-line help for NHD Navigate.

  • NHD Reach Indexing Tool (RIT)

      Current Version: 3.1.0

      Software Environment: ArcView extension programmed in Avenue

      Purpose: The NHD RIT is a tool for associating surface water entities, like trout waters or use-impaired waters, with the NHD by creating reach addresses for these entities. The NHD RIT uses ESRI’s dynamic segmentation model to build event tables which store information about the NHD reaches that define the location of each entity. This approach allows the user to easily link and map surface water attributes without editing the underlying NHD coverage.

      Using NHD Reach Indexing Tool: Click on the ArcView HELP button, then click on the 'NHD RIT Help' item to display on-line help for NHD RIT. For more information about georeferencing surface water information to the NHD visit EPA's georeferencing Web site. You can also download the NHD RIT User Guide and Tutorial from this EPA site.

  • NHD Migrate

      Current Version: 1.0.0b12

      Software Environment: ArcView extension programmed in Avenue and C++

      Purpose: NHD Migrate is designed to provide National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) users with an easy to use tool for migrating tables of point, linear, and areal events to NHD data that has been updated. NHD Migrate is optimized for moving events between NHD of the same version (e.g. from medium resolution NHD to medium resolution), however, it can be used to move from medium resolution NHD to high resolution NHD. When moving from medium to high resolution, especially, there are some cases where the events will not move to the desired location on the reach, however the NHD Migrate QA/QC features will assist the user in locating events that may need adjustment. Future enhancements are planned that will improve the migration from medium resolution to high resolution.

      Using NHD Migrate: Click on the ArcView HELP button, then click on the 'NHD Migrate Help' item to display on-line help for NHD Migrate.

  • NHD Arc2Shape

      Current Version: 1.1.2

      Software Environment: ArcView extension programmed in Avenue

      Purpose: NHD Arc2Shape converts NHDinARC coverages and associated INFO files to NHDinSHP shapefiles and .DBF files, respectively. Reach feature classes and linear landmark feature classes in NHDinARC workspaces become measured shapes in NHDinSHP workspaces. NHD Arc2Shape is intended for ArcView users who may be more comfortable operating with shapefile formatted data rather than coverage formatted data. In addition, shapefiles generally display faster in ArcView than coverage-based feature classes (especially, measured shapes converted from coverage-based route systems).

      Important Details:
      • Individual or appended (using Append_NHD) NHDinARC workspaces can be converted.
      • Only updates to NHDinARC workspaces - not NHDinSHP workspaces -- can be taken back by USGS for incorporation into the central NHD. Reference the Maintenance section for information on user-submitted NHD updates.
      • NHD Arc2Shape will project NHDinARC data to the current View projection if requested by the user.


      Using NHD Arc2Shape: Click on the ArcView HELP button, then click on the 'NHD Arc2Shape Help' item to display on-line help for NHD Arc2Shape.
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URL: http://nhd.usgs.gov/tools.html
Last modified: Tuesday, 17-Aug-2004 14:20:51 EDT
Maintainer: nhd@usgs.gov
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