DEQ BASE WATER STREAMS

Points, nodes, lines, and areas conform to topological rules. Lines intersect only at nodes, and all nodes anchor the ends of lines. Lines do not overshoot or undershoot other lines where they are supposed to meet. There are no duplicate lines. Lines bound areas and lines identify the areas to the left and right of the lines. Gaps and overlaps among areas do not exist. All areas close.

Points, nodes, lines, and areas conform to topological rules. Lines intersect only at nodes, and all nodes anchor the ends of lines. Lines do not overshoot or undershoot other lines where they are supposed to meet. There are no duplicate lines. Lines bound areas and lines identify the areas to the left and right of the lines. Gaps and overlaps among areas do not exist. All areas close.

The completeness of the data reflects the content of the sources, which most often are the published USGS topographic quadrangle and/or the USDA Forest Service Primary Base Series (PBS) map. The USGS topographic quadrangle is usually supplemented by Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQs). Features found on the ground may have been eliminated or generalized on the source map because of scale and legibility constraints. In general, streams longer than one mile (approximately 1.6 kilometers) were collected. Most streams that flow from a lake were collected regardless of their length. Only definite channels were collected so not all swamp/marsh features have stream/rivers delineated through them. Lake/ponds having an area greater than 6 acres were collected. Note, however, that these general rules were applied unevenly among maps during compilation. Reaches codes are defined on all features of type stream/river, canal/ditch, artificial path, coastline, and connector. Waterbody reach codes are defined on all lake/pond and most reservoir features. Names were applied from the GNIS database. Detailed capture conditions are provided for every feature type in the Standards for National Hydrography Dataset available online through http://mapping.usgs.gov/standards/. This statement is generally true for the most common sources of NHD data. Other sources and methods may have been used to create or update NHD data. In some cases, additional information may be found in the NHDMetadata table.

Statements of attribute accuracy are based on accuracy statements made for U.S. Geological Survey Digital Line Graph (DLG) data, which is estimated to be 98.5 percent. One or more of the following methods were used to test attribute accuracy: manual comparison of the source with hardcopy plots; symbolized display of the DLG on an interactive computer graphic system; selected attributes that could not be visually verified on plots or on screen were interactively queried and verified on screen. In addition, software validated feature types and characteristics against a master set of types and characteristics, checked that combinations of types and characteristics were valid, and that types and characteristics were valid for the delineation of the feature. Feature types, characteristics, and other attributes conform to the Standards for National Hydrography Dataset (USGS, 1999) as of the date they were loaded into the database. All names were validated against a current extract from the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The entry and identifier for the names match those in the GNIS. The association of each name to reaches has been interactively checked, however, operator error could in some cases apply a name to a wrong reach. This statement is generally true for the most common sources of NHD data. Other sources and methods may have been used to create or update NHD data. In some cases, additional information may be found in the NHDMetadata table.

Statements of horizontal positional accuracy are based on accuracy statements made for U.S. Geological Survey topographic quadrangle maps. These maps were compiled to meet National Map Accuracy Standards. For horizontal accuracy, this standard is met if at least 90 percent of points tested are within 0.02 inch (at map scale) of the true position. Additional offsets to positions may have been introduced where feature density is high to improve the legibility of map symbols. In addition, the digitizing of maps is estimated to contain a horizontal positional error of less than or equal to 0.003 inch standard error (at map scale) in the two component directions relative to the source maps. Visual comparison between the map graphic (including digital scans of the graphic) and plots or digital displays of points, lines, and areas, is used as control to assess the positional accuracy of digital data. Digital map elements along the adjoining edges of data sets are aligned if they are within a 0.02 inch tolerance (at map scale). Features with like dimensionality (for example, features that all are delineated with lines), with or without like characteristics, that are within the tolerance are aligned by moving the features equally to a common point. Features outside the tolerance are not moved; instead, a feature of type connector is added to join the features. This statement is generally true for the most common sources of NHD data. Other sources and methods may have been used to create or update NHD data. In some cases, additional information may be found in the NHDMetadata table.

Statements of vertical positional accuracy for elevation of water surfaces are based on accuracy statements made for U.S. Geological Survey topographic quadrangle maps. These maps were compiled to meet National Map Accuracy Standards. For vertical accuracy, this standard is met if at least 90 percent of well-defined points tested are within one-half contour interval of the correct value. Elevations of water surface printed on the published map meet this standard; the contour intervals of the maps vary. These elevations were transcribed into the digital data; the accuracy of this transcription was checked by visual comparison between the data and the map. This statement is generally true for the most common sources of NHD data. Other sources and methods may have been used to create or update NHD data. In some cases, additional information may be found in the NHDMetadata table.