New NHD, USGS interface

[jbensman]

Has anyone seen and figured this new interface out yet:

http://nationalmap.gov/viewers.html

Here is the new viewer but I have not figured out how to get data from it yet:

http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/

And then there is this:

http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/example/easy_extract.html

I am not sure if this is just a demo of if it actually works.  It is pretty simple to use and I tried to download some data.  It looked like it worked but I have not recieved any email notifications yet.

This looks like this will make map making much easier.


So has anyone else looked at this yet and figured it out?

[maps4gps]

I got as far as the second one in August.  It took very very long to load and none of the four NHD options corresponded to obtaining shape file of subbasins or groups of subbasins.   I used the old interface to get what I needed.

I have not seen the third one before, but it looks like it may be useful.  Interesting that NHD by basin is not an option.  Regions can be up to 3.2Gigabytes.  I also noticed that the larger the output file size the longer it would take for the old system to build it.  Hopefully this new system with be faster (much faster).

[maps4gps]

Got a file from the third 'site' in about 1/2 hour.  No email that it was being worked on.
Requested road, structures, and hydro of the Denver West, CO 100k quad.
File was 2Mb, only had roads and structures?  Data was for a 100k quad in Wyoming bordering Montana - off in both long and lat.  The road data says the source is 2008 TIGER; the point structures FEMA HAZUS.

[jbensman]

I looked closer and that first one was a demo.  Hope they get it that easy!

It seems to be sending different things seperately.  I got it to send me hydrology.  I was trying to get it to send me it by a 100K Quad-I did something wrong and got the full extent of what I was viewing. 

It would appear this new site and interface will make things much easier.  Would not it be great if we could simply select a 100K quad and get the data for it?

Hopefully others will work on figuring this out!

[Seldom]

I think the middle site is the one we'll have to learn to live with.  It has popout windows when you click the arrows on the left and right of the frame.  Left arrow lets you select data types.  Right arrow is a "shopping cart". 

Once you have an item selected, you get a drop down menu that lets you select a data type.

I just successfully added a sub basin to my shopping cart and checked out.  Having problems adding a second sub basin.

[maps4gps]

An email saying the NHD file (7Mb) was ready for download came 11 hours after the one for the roads/structures.  The data is for the same incorrect 100k quad.  On the interface, step 3: selected item says quadname is Denver West and mrc_code is 39104-e1 (which is Denver West).

[maps4gps]

Left arrow lets you select data types.  

A month ago there were four NHD choices: NHD maintence, old quad format, single subbasin?, ??
None of which seamed appropriate nor as 'good' as the old interface where you could select up to 10 subbasins at a time (if you could get them in a polygon which would not include unwanted subbasins).

Would be nice if you could select LULC by type, like forest.

[jbensman]

I also got some emails for some 100K Quads nowhere near where I asked for them in the demo.

However, I did get the high res NHD for what I had showing on the map in about 1/2 hour.  I liked that better than dealing with selecting the basins, you still have to crop the map.  I like that way beter than the old way.  But I would really like to be able to select by 100K quad and download it.  I can select the NHD in the 100K Quad, but I can find no way to download it. 

Hopefully people will continue to mess with it and someone can figure it out.  It looks like it is under development and may not be fully functioning yet.  If this gets working better, it will likely be very neat.

Did anyone else find the links to where you can see all the data in GoogleEarth? 

[jbensman]

I THINK I have it figured out and it appears to be real simple.  Go to the viewer:

http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/

Zoom into the general area

Click on the download data (upper right). 

Select 100K Quad.

Then the 100K quads show.

Click on the quad you want to download data for

Then it turns green and an A appears

Click on the A and it brings up a interface that allows you to select the data for the 100K quad.  You can select hydrology, elevation, etc. 

I have ordered some of the data and I am waiting for it to see if it works

You can also select by state, county, 24k quad
 
Check it out and see what all you can get.

[jbensman]

It took  a couple of hours, but selecting a 100K Quad that way works.  I got the high res NHD shapefiles for the correct quad.  This is much easier than the old interface!  It also looks like you can get the DEM files like this too. 

[-Oz-]

So it does work... that is really good to know.  This should speed everything up. I'll have to experiment and update the tutorials.

[-Oz-]

Well, i finally used it for my update for New Mexico and I like it.  it is a lot of clicks but it makes the tracking a lot easier. 

The DEM is still a rather slow process; still have to wait for them all to load.

[-Oz-]

Tutorial updated! http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-create-garmin-topo-maps---part-3---water-data/

Make sense to everyone?

[Indrid Cold]

Tutorial updated! http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-create-garmin-topo-maps---part-3---water-data/

Make sense to everyone?

Looks good to me.

[jbensman]

The tutorial looks good to me.

Has anyone else used the freeware MapWindow GIS:

http://www.mapwindow.org/

Not only will it change projects (State Plane to a geographic projection gpsmapedit can use), I use it to sort and select parts of shapefiles.  I use it for the NHD files.  I will open the Area file and slect the proper parts and saving them to a new shapefile.  For the flowline, I will select the intermitent water and save it to a shapefile and then the regular water to a shapefile.  Then I will take the water bodies and select the wetlands and save to a new file, lake to another file, etc.  Its pretty simple and sounds easier than the ways in the tutorial.

Nonetheless, I use it all the time.