North American Atlas - Hydrography

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title: North American Atlas - Hydrography
Abstract:
A joint venture involving the National Atlas programs in Canada (Natural Resources Canada), Mexico (Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática), and the United States (U.S. Geological Survey), as well as the North American Commission for Environmental Co-operation, has led to the release (June 2004) of several new products: an updated paper map of North America, and its associated geospatial data sets and their metadata. These data sets are available online from each of the partner countries for download. This data has been revised and re-released in 2006.
The North American Atlas data are standardized geospatial data sets at 1:10,000,000 scale. A variety of basic data layers (e.g. roads, railroads, populated places, political boundaries, hydrography, bathymetry, sea ice and glaciers) have been integrated so that their relative positions are correct. This collection of data sets forms a base with which other North American thematic data may be integrated. Any data outside of Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America included in the North American Atlas data sets is strictly to complete the context of the data.
The North American Atlas - Hydrography data set shows the coastline, linear hydrographic features, and area hydrographic features in North America. This data has been revised and re-released in 2006. This data set was produced using digital files supplied by Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Supplemental_Information:
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). The CEC was established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. The Agreement complements the environmental provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Further information on the CEC is available from <http://www.cec.org/> or from >Commission for Environmental Cooperation 
393, rue St-Jacques Ouest
Bureau 200
Montréal (Québec)
H2Y 1N9 Canada

Telephone: 514 350 4300
Facsimile: 514 350 4314
Electronic mail: info@ccemtl.org
All North American Atlas data sets are available in three data formats: Arc/INFO Export format (e00), ArcView Shapefile, and Geography Markup Language (GML).
Although these data are distributed in geographic coordinates, the North American Atlas Map uses a Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area projection. The following parameters were used for the map: 
Longitude_of_Projection_Center: -100.00
Latitude_of_Projection_Center: 45.00
False_Easting (metres): 0.0
False_Northing (metres): 0.0
Semi-major_Axis: 6370997.0
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 1.0
Ellipsoid_Name: Sphere
Units: metres
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, and U.S. Geological Survey, 200608, North American Atlas - Hydrography: Government of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: 152.0
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: 4.0
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 90.0
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: -5.0

  3. What does it look like?

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Calendar_Date: Aug-2006
    Currentness_Reference: publication date

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • Complete chain (11536)
      • GT-polygon composed of chains (4015)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Hydrographic line
    A line representing a hydrographic feature. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    FID

    Shape
    The representation of the entity in the data. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    Polyline1-dimensional element that may or may not surround a 2-dimensional element.

    HYDRO_

    UIDENT
    The unique identifier. A unique number that is assigned to each feature in the North American Atlas. The last two digits of the identifier are a suffix indicating the map layer. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1052901
    Maximum:2178101

    TYPE
    The type of hydrographic line. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    ValueDefinition
    15The line represents the coastline.
    16The line represents the shoreline of a lake.
    17The line represents a river or stream.
    18The line represents an intermittent stream.
    89The line represents the hemisphere dividing line.

    COUNTRY
    The country in which the hydrographic feature exists. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    ValueDefinition
    CANThe feature is in Canada.
    MEXThe feature is in Mexico.
    USAThe feature is in the United States of America.
    FNThe feature is outside of Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.
    CAN USAThe feature coincides with a political boundary.
    MEX USAThe feature coincides with a political boundary.
    MEX FNThe feature coincides with a political boundary.

    NAMEEN
    The official name of the hydrographic feature in English. If the feature has an official name in two languages, both names are included in the third name field. For example: St. Lawrence River (NameEn), flueve St-Laurent (NameFr), and St. Lawrence River/flueve St-Laurent (NameSp). (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:The Canadian Geographical Names Data Base
    Codeset Source:The Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:Geographic Names Information System
    Codeset Source:U.S. Board on Geographic Names

    NAMEFR
    The official name of the hydrographic feature in French. If the feature has an official name in two languages, both names are included in the third name field. For example: St. Lawrence River (NameEn), flueve St-Laurent (NameFr), and St. Lawrence River/flueve St-Laurent (NameSp). (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:The Canadian Geographical Names Data Base
    Codeset Source:The Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names

    NAMESP
    The official name of the hydrographic feature in Spanish. If the feature has an official name in two languages, both names are included in the third name field. For example: St. Lawrence River (NameEn), flueve St-Laurent (NameFr), and St. Lawrence River/flueve St-Laurent (NameSp). (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:Toponymic data set 1:4,000,000
    Codeset Source:Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática (INEGI)

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada
    Atlas of Canada Client Services
    Room 650-615 Booth Street
    Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E9
    Canada

    +01 613 947 2410 (FAX)
    info@atlas.gc.ca

Why was the data set created?

The North American Atlas data are intended for geographic display and analysis at the national and continental level. These data should be displayed and analyzed at scales appropriate for 1:10,000,000-scale data. No responsibility is assumed by Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, or the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    10M Coastline (source 1 of 13)
    U.S. Geological Survey, Unpublished material, North American Coastline.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Internal file
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial information

    7.5M USA Hydro (source 2 of 13)
    U.S. Geological Survey, Unpublished material, 1:7,500,000 Hydrography: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, USA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Internal file
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 7,500,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    7.5M CA Reference (source 3 of 13)
    Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, 2002, 1:7,500,000 National Atlas Reference Map Series: Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 7,500,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    4M Mexico (source 4 of 13)
    Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, 200407, Conjunto de Datos Vectoriales Topográficos escala 1:4,000,000: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI), Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico.

    Type_of_Source_Media: CD-ROM
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 4000000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    10M CA Reference (source 5 of 13)
    Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, 1985, 1:10,000,000 National Atlas of Canada Reference Map Series: Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial information

    NA_Hydro04 (source 6 of 13)
    U.S. Geological Survey, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, and Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, 200406, North Americia Atlas - Hydrography: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, USA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Digital
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    HY0301 (source 7 of 13)
    U.S. Geological Survey, 200301, Streams and Waterbodies of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, USA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 2,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    1:100,000 maps (source 8 of 13)
    U.S. Geological Survey, various, 1:100,000 scale USGS topographic sheets: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, USA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 100,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    1:250,000 maps (source 9 of 13)
    U.S. Geological Survey, various, 1:250,000 scale USGS topographic sheets: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, USA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 250,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    NA_Hydro04_Mexico_Names (source 10 of 13)
    Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, unpublished, North Americia Atlas ? Hydrography ? Mexican Names.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Internal file
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Attribute information

    NSFH_2003 (source 11 of 13)
    Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, 2003, National Scale Frameworks Hydrology - Drainage Network, Canada.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 1:1,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Attribute information

    7.5M CA Reference (source 12 of 13)
    Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, 2002, 1:7,500,000 National Atlas Reference Map Series.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 1:7,500,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    NA Map 2004 (source 13 of 13)
    Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, 2004, CANADA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: 2003 (process 1 of 11)
    For the U.S. portion of the map, linework from the 1:7,500,000 Hydrography file was generalized and fitted to the coastline by cartographers at the National Atlas of the United States. The attribute for the country was added to the data.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • 7.5M USA Hydro
    • 10M Coastline

    Date: 2003 (process 2 of 11)
    For the Canadian portion of the map, linework from the 1:7,500,000 National Atlas Reference Map Series was fitted to the coastline by cartographers at the Atlas of Canada. The attribute for the country was added to the data.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • 7.5M CA Reference
    • 10M Coastline

    Date: 2003 (process 3 of 11)
    Linework from the 1:4,000,000 Topographical Dataset for Mexico was selected, generalized and fitted to the coastline by cartographers at the Atlas of Canada. The attribute for the country was added to the data.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • 4M Mexico
    • 10M Coastline

    Date: 2003 (process 4 of 11)
    Drainage needed to extend features to the map extent was compiled from the 1:10,000,000 National Atlas of Canada Reference Map Series data set. Linework was fitted to the coastline. The attribute for the country was added to the data.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • 10M CA Reference
    • 10M Coastline

    Date: 2004 (process 5 of 11)
    Linework was cartographically adjusted along country boundaries to ensure correct connection of adjoining hydrographic features.

    Date: 2004 (process 6 of 11)
    Because the linework came from many different sources and scales, a final cartographic review was done to the full hydrographic file to ensure cartographic compatibility at 1:10,000,000 scale. A quality control of the linear hydrography data was done in order to ensure topological consistency within each country and across country boundaries. Polygon topology was created so the area hydrography features could be shown as polygons and an area fill could be used for cartographic representation. Each country then performed a final cartographic check to verify the selection and position of the linework. The attributes were also verified.

    Date: 2004 (process 7 of 11)
    Using the original 1:10,000,000 hydro files (NA_Hydro04) the USA hydro feature lines (lakes and rivers) were refined using the 1:2,000,000 hydro data files (HY0301) as a guide. Some spatial features were added and others were corrected. Names were taken from the 1:2,000,000 data (HY0301), then researched and tagged to the geometry based on 1:100,000 scale base maps. For Alaska, the names were taken from the 1:250,000 scale sheets.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • NA_Hydro04
    • HY0301
    • 1:100,000 Maps
    • 1:250,000 Maps

    Date: 2004 (process 8 of 11)
    Using the original 1:10,000,000 hydro files (NA_Hydro04) the Mexican hydro feature lines (lakes and rivers) were tagged with names taken from the Mexico source data.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • NA_Hydro04
    • NA_Hydro04_Mexico_Names

    Date: 2004 (process 9 of 11)
    Using the original 1:10,000,000 hydro files (NA_Hydro04) which had the names for the hydro features in Mexico added, the data for the USA was replaced with the revised and named American data. Hydro features were adjusted along the border in Canada to match the changes in the USA. Then the Canadian hydro feature lines (lakes and rivers) were tagged with names taken from the 1:1,000,000 National Scale Frameworks Hydrology file (NSFH_2003), the 1:10,000,000 paper map and the 1:7,500,000 reference map data. The quality control of the data was performed in order to check the attributes and geometry, and to make corrections before release.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • NA_Hydro04
    • NSFH_2003
    • 7.5M CA Reference
    • NA Map 2004

    Date: 2009 (process 10 of 11)
    Used ArcCatalog 9.2 to import the text metadata that shipped with the data. Unfortunately, the text file had to be edited fairly extensively in Microsfot WordPad version 5.1 to get all the elements to import correctly, so there may still be some errors or missing pieces. This editing involved modifying the lineage and process steps formatting; adding the attributes FID, Shape, and HYDRO_, as well as making all the other attribute labels upper-case letters so that the metadata would import correctly. In addition, the references in the attribute section to the polygon attributes had to be deleted.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    VeeAnn A. Cross
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Marine Geologist
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • hydrographyenglish_linevmod.txt

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • hydro_l.shp.xml

    Date: 2009 (process 11 of 11)
    Used ArcCatalog 9.2 - ArcToolbox - Data Management Tools - Projections and Transformations - Define Projection to define the projection as Geographic, NAD83. The dataset had the coordinate system defined as Geographic, and all the parameters for NAD83. To make the dataset more compatible with loading into ArcMap, the coordinate system name needed to reflect the one recognized by ESRI. All the "define projection" did was alter the Geographic coordinate system name from "Geographic" to "GCS_North_American_1983".

    Person who carried out this activity:

    VeeAnn A. Cross
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Marine Geologist
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • hydro_l.shp

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • hydro_l.shp

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    Where possible, attribute data were quality controlled by creating symbolized digital displays or hard copy plots, which were visually verified with digital or hard copy reference data. Attribute data that could not be verified in such a manner were interactively queried to check for anomalies such as duplication of data in fields requiring unique values and incorrect feature coding. Data for areas outside of Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America are only provided for context; Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, and the U.S. Geological Survey assume no responsibility for the completeness, accuracy, or presentation of this data.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Positional accuracy of the data is unknown. Positions are dependent on the accuracy of the source data and on the result of the generalization and integration processes. Data for areas outside of Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America are only provided for context; Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, and the U.S. Geological Survey assume no responsibility for the completeness, accuracy, or presentation of this data.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    This data set includes hydrography for all of North America as shown at 1:10,000,000 scale. The data completeness reflects the content of the source data, the integration done by the cartographers, and the quality control of the content performed by each country.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    Topology was built and a quality control of the hydrography polygon data was done in order to ensure topological polygon structure. A quality control of the linear hydrography data was done in order to ensure topological consistency within each country and across country boundaries.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
All data for Canada and other areas outside of Mexico and the United States of America are covered by the Geogratis User Agreement for Digital Data; see <http://geogratis.gc.ca/e_license.html>. No use constraints are applied to data for Mexico and the United States of America. Acknowledgment of the North American Atlas, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, Natural Resources Canada, and (or) the U.S. Geological Survey would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 3)

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

    The user must be capable of uncompressing WinZip files. Once uncompressed, the user must have software capable of displaying ESRI shapefile format.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 2 of 3)

    INEGI
    c/o Jose Luis Ornelas de Anda
    Avenida Héroe de Nacozari Sur 2301
    Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes 20270
    Mexico

    52 449 910 5300 ext 5856 (voice)
    jose.ornelas@inegi.gob.mx

    Hours_of_Service: 8:30 - 16:00 (CST)
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 3 of 3)

    EROS Data Center, U.S. Geological Survey
    47914 252nd Street
    Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198-0001
    USA

    800 252 4547 (voice)
    605 594 6589 (FAX)
    custserv@usgs.gov

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although these data have been processed successfully on computer systems at Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, and the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made by these agencies regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. No responsibility is assumed by these agencies in the use of these data.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: Aug-2006
Metadata author:
Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada
c/o REQUIRED: The person responsible for the metadata information.
Atlas of Canada Client Services
Room 650-615 Booth Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E9
Canada

+01 613 947 2410 (FAX)
info@atlas.gc.ca

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:

Generated by mp version 2.9.6 on Wed Nov 04 14:23:43 2009