The NHDPlus High Resolution (NHDPlus HR) is a scalable geospatial hydrography framework built from the high resolution National Hydrography Dataset, the Watershed Boundary Dataset, and elevation data, primarily ⅓ arc-second 3D Elevation Program data. The NHDPlus HR allows for modeling and assessment at a local, neighborhood level, while nesting seamlessly into the national context. Similar to the medium resolution NHDPlus version 2 (NHD Plus V2), the NHDPlus HR is comprised of a network of stream reaches, elevation-based catchment areas, flow surfaces, and value-added attributes (VAAs) that enhance stream network navigation, analysis, and data display. NHDPlus HR VAAs provide attributes such as stream flow, velocity, temperature and precipitation distributions, and cumulative drainage areas. NHDPlus HR VAAs also allow the selection of more generalized stream networks, as well as upstream or downstream navigation. Complementing and enhancing the various spatial datasets, the NHDPlus HR VAAs provides greater detail than the NHDPlus V2, thereby supporting national, regional, or local analysis and modeling, while retaining the spatial accuracy of the highest-resolution, nationally available datasets.

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Ariel Doumbouya - USGS NGTOC
Hayley Thompson - USGS NGTOC
GIS in the Rockies
September 20, 2018
Hydrography Overview
and
NHDPlus High Resolution
Value Added Attributes

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Presentation Overview
■ Hydrography Data Overview
■ NHDPlus High Resolution (NHDPlus HR)
■ Navigation & Network Analysis Attributes
■ NHDPlus HR Flowline VAA Basics
■ Where to Find More Information

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Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)
■ The drainage basins at 8 scales of a nested
hierarchy; defines the areal extent of
surface water drainage to a point
National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)
■ The drainage network with features such as
rivers, streams, canals, lakes, ponds, and
stream gages
NHDPlus
■ Incorporates features of the NHD, WBD
and 3DEP elevation data to create a
networked hydrography framework that
incorporates the entire landscape
USGS National Hydrography Datasets
Hydrologic networks, units, catchments, and more…

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■ Seamless baseline drainage
area dataset for the Nation
■ Boundaries defined by
hydrographic and topographic
criteria with no regard for
administrative boundaries
■ Delineated in a nested multi-
level, hierarchical drainage
system.
■ Each level assigned a
progressive 2-digit Hydrologic
Unit (HU) code which
describes where the unit is in
the country and the “level” of
the unit
■ Complete for the US to HU12
Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)

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National Hydrography Dataset
Water network for mapping and modeling
■ National drainage
network of streams and
lakes, plus other hydro
info, in a GIS format
■ Currently 1:24K or better
(1:63K – 1:24K in AK)

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Flow Direction
A key piece of intelligence

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The basis for analysis
Navigation

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Linear Referencing
Stream addresses
100
0
50
75
25
14010002000421

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Streamgage
Dam
Blue River
Artificial Path
(Blue River)
Green Mountain
Reservoir
Downstream
Upstream
Connecting the streamgage…
…to the network!

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■ Brings together NHD,
WBD and elevation data
to incorporate the
landscape as a part of
the stream network
■ Creates a national
framework for water-
related information and
enhance modeling
capabilities
■ Medium Resolution
completed for CONUS
(1:100,000), High
Resolution in work
(1:24,000)
NHD
WBD
Elevation
NHDPlus Completes the Framework

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NHDPlus 101
NHDPlus is a digital stream network for hydrologic modeling
with catchments and a suite of related geospatial data
■ Includes:
■ Value Added Attributes that enhance stream network navigation, analysis and
display
■ An elevation-based catchment area for each flowline in the stream network
■ Catchment characteristics, including mean annual precipitation, mean annual
temperature, and mean annual runoff, and mean latitude
■ Cumulative drainage area characteristics
■ Mean annual flow (1971-2000) and velocity estimates for each flowline
■ Flow direction, flow accumulation, elevation, and hydro-enforced elevation rasters
■ Headwater node areas
■ Flowline min/max elevations and slopes

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■ The result of building NHDPlus HR is a set of value
added geospatial layers and hundreds of attributes.
■ Many of the attributes are computed from the
analysis of the NHD network.
■ These attributes are designed to make the NHD
network more powerful and easier to use.
NHDPlus Value Added Attributes
(VAAs)

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
■ A set of value added attributes
(VAAs) to enhance stream
network navigation, analysis
and display (inc. stream order)
■ Catchment characteristics
■ Cumulative drainage area
characteristics
■ Flowline min/max elevations
and slopes
■ Flow volume & velocity
estimates for each flowline in
the stream network

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Value Added Attributes (VAAs)
Basics

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
1. NHDFlowline Attributes
2. Navigation Attributes
3. Analysis Attributes
Categories

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
Enable various forms of network navigation
Navigation Attributes
FromNode ToNode
IsHeadwater (StartFlag) IsNetworkEnd (TerminalFlag)
VPUIn VPUOut
StreamLevel DivergenceCode (Divergence)
HydrologicSequence (HydroSeq) DownstreamMinorHydroSeq
UpstreamMainPathHydroSeq
(UpHydroSeq)
DownstreamMainPathHydroSeq
(DnHydroSeq)
DownstreamDrainageCount
(DnDrainCou)
DownstreamMainPathStreamLevel
(DnLevel)

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
■ A set of nationally unique
identifiers for the node
endpoints of the flowlines
■ There is no actual node
feature class
■ This supports the many
models that use linked node
navigation
Navigation Attributes: FromNode/ToNode

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
■ Unique sequence number that places
NHDFlowline features in hydrologic
sequence
■ Ascending = downstream to up
■ Descending = upstream to down
■ Enables models to process the network
in a tabular manner without using
geometry flowlines
Navigation Attributes: HydrologicSequence
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
■ A flag which defines the major and
minor branches of a flow split
(divergence)
■ This supports downstream
navigation of the network
mainstem
Navigation Attributes: DivergenceCode

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
Navigation Attributes: VPUIn/VPUOut
■ NHDPlus HR datasets are
hydrologically connected drainage
areas with inflows from and
outflows to other Vector
Processing Units (VPUs).
■ VAAs continue throughout these
connections.

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
Designed to support network analysis
Analysis Attributes
StreamOrder StreamCalculator (StreamCalc)
LevelPathIdentifier (LevelPathI) UpstreamMainPathLevelPathID
(UpLevelPat)
DownstreamMainPathLevelPathI
D (DnLevelPat)
PathLength
UpstreamCummulativeStreamKM
(ArbolateSum)
HasReturningDivergence (RtnDiv)

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
■ A surrogate for stream size
■ Smallest tributaries are
referred to as first-order
streams
■ Where 2 first-order streams
come together they form a
second-order stream and so
on.
Analysis Attributes: StreamOrder
1
1
1
1
1
2 2
3
3

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
■ The identifier (HydroSeq) for all
the flowlines on a level path from
mouth to headwaters
■ River Main Stem
Analysis Attributes: LevelPathID

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
Analysis Attributes: LevelPathID
■ LevelPathID in combination with
LengthKM (from NHDFlowline)

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
■ The length from the
bottom of the
NHDFlowline feature to
the end of the network.
Analysis Attributes: PathLength
5594.706 km

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NHDPlus HR VAAs
■ Select NHDFlowline
features using
LevelPathID
■ Use PathLength to plot
data with
MinimumElevationSmooth
ed (another VAA)
Analysis Attributes: PathLength

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Putting it all together
LevelPathID: Selects the Susitna River

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Putting it all together
TerminalPath: Selects everything upstream of the
Susitna River

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Putting it all together
ArbolateSum: 65,491 km

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Putting it all together
TotalDrainageAreaSqKM: 50,623 sqkm

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More Information
NEW Hydrography Website: https://www.usgs.gov/core-
science-systems/ngp/national-hydrography

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More Information
NHDPlus HR Web Page

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Questions/Comments
■ Ariel Doumbouya (atdoumbouya@usgs.gov)
■ Hayley Thompson (hnthompson@usgs.gov)
■ References: NHDPlusV2 User Guide,
https://s3.amazonaws.com/nhdplus/NHDPlusV21/Documenta
tion/NHDPlusV2_User_Guide.pdf