DATABASE NAME

     WATER: National Waterway Network (Version 1.1)

DATABASE DESCRIPTION

     A geographic and topological network database of the U.S.
     navigable inland and off-shore waterways.

ORIGINATING AGENCY

     U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with Government Consortium (see
     DISCUSSION)

AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING DATA

     Bureau of Transportation Statistics

CONTACT

     National Transportation Atlas Databases
     Bureau of Transportation Statistics
     U.S. Department of Transportation
     Washington, DC  20590
     (202) 366-DATA
     Internet:  info@bts.gov

SOURCE

     Inland Network:
          1:100,000 USGS Digital Line Graphs (DLGs) supplemented
          by editing performed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory
          and Vanderbilt University
     Off-Shore Network:
          Created by Vanderbilt University using NOAA
          Navigational Charts and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
          Waterway Link Network

ACCURACY

     Varies

TYPE OF GIS DATABASE

     Line database with nodes and links

FILES/SIZE/NUMBER OF RECORDS

     Two ASCII files

     1)   wway_v11.pnt   node file contains node locations and
                         attributes
     2)   wway_v11.lin   link file contains link attributes and
                         shapes for links

     Approximate size of files:    3,249,000 bytes
     Approximate number of nodes:  5600
     Approximate number of links:  6250

FILE STRUCTURE

     The files are ASCII-comma delimited.  Character fields are
     enclosed in quotation marks.

     The Node File

     FIELD               TYPE      COMMENTS

     Node Number         NUM       annnns
                                        where a:  0 = Corps
                                                  1 = Oak Ridge
                                                  2 = Vanderbilt
                                                  3 = Vanderbilt
                                           nnnn:  ID number
                                              s:  unused

                                   Nodes follow the same basic
                                   numbering scheme as links. 
                                   Node numbers are 6-digits. 
                                   Digit 1 is '0' for Corps
                                   nodes, '1' for nodes added by
                                   ORNL, and '2' or '3' for nodes
                                   added by Vanderbilt.  Digits
                                   2-5 are the Corps node number,
                                   or a 4-digit code assigned by
                                   ORNL or Vanderbilt.  In
                                   Version 1.1, digit 6 is always
                                   '0'.

     Longitude           NUM       decimal degrees; implicit
                                   decimal point; six places

     Latitude            NUM       decimal degrees; implicit
                                   decimal point; six places

     Port ID             CHAR(6)   C    Corps 4-digit port code
                                        (Waterway code from WCSC
                                        Master_port_waterway
                                        file)
                                   P    ORNL assigned
                                   Q    ORNL assigned

                                   Nodes with other letters, or
                                   lower case, are not intermodal
                                   transfer points for the CFS.

                                   Nearly 200 Corps ports are
                                   represented, including the Top
                                   150.  Corps port ID's begin
                                   with "C", and contain the
                                   4-digit port code from the
                                   Corps Master Port Waterway
                                   database.  Corps port 1234
                                   would be represented as
                                   "C1234", for example.

                                   Additional ports were added
                                   for use in the Commodity Flow
                                   Survey (CFS).  These ports are
                                   designated by "P" or "Q"
                                   ("P1234", for example).

                                   Ports with other codes, or
                                   lower case letters, are not
                                   intermodal transfer points for
                                   the CFS.  For example, if
                                   Corps port 1234 was not used
                                   in the CFS, its designation
                                   would be "c1234".

     Port/Node Name      CHAR(29)

     State               CHAR(2)      

     Modify              CHAR(3)   first character:
                                   V    Vanderbilt addn
                                   R    Oak Ridge addn
                                   J    guessed
                                   H    screen digitization from
                                        DLGs or TIGER
                                   Q    digitized from USGS quad
                                        maps
                                   A    digitized from NOAA
                                        charts

                                   second character:
                                   0    original
                                   1    94 May
                                   2    94 June
                                   3    94 July
                                 blank  after July 1994

                                   third character:
                                   R    attributes modified by
                                        ORNL

                                   Indicates modifications to
                                   original link.  The field
                                   contains up to three
                                   characters.  The first
                                   character indicates: (1) who
                                   made the modification or (2)
                                   what source was used to make
                                   the modification (digitization
                                   from 1:100K DLGs, for
                                   example).

                                   The second character indicates
                                   the modification date (0=
                                   original link, 1 = May 1994, 2
                                   = June 1994, 3 = July 1994). 
                                   If the modification occurred
                                   after July 1994, the second
                                   character is blank.

                                   An "R" in the third character
                                   field indicates that ORNL
                                   modified attributes, but the
                                   basic link shape was retained.

     Date Modified       CHAR(6)   Date of last modification
                                   (DDMMYY)

     Node Source         CHAR(2)   V1   Digitized from NOAA
                                        Charts
                                   V2   Digitized from 1:100K
                                        USGS Quads
                                   V3   Imputed from ORNL port
                                   V4   Imputed from Corps port
                                   V5   Digitized from 1:100K
                                        DLGs
                                   O1   Oak Ridge estimate
                                   C    Corps
                                   M    Missing / Unknown

     The Link File

     FIELD               TYPE      COMMENTS

     Link Number         NUM       annnnss
                                   where a:  0 = Corps 
                                             1 = Oak Ridge
                                             2 = Vanderbilt
                                             3 = Vanderbilt
                                      nnnn:  ID number
                                        ss:  Sublink section

                                   Link numbers are 7-digits. 
                                   The first digit is '0' for
                                   Corps links, '1' for links
                                   added by ORNL, and '2' or '3'
                                   for links added by Vanderbilt. 
                                   Digits 2-5 represent the Corps
                                   link I.D. or a 4- digit code
                                   assigned by ORNL or
                                   Vanderbilt.  Digits 6 and 7
                                   comprise a link subdivision
                                   code.  Subdivisions are
                                   numbered in order from A-Node
                                   to B-Node.  For example, if
                                   Corps link 1234 is divided
                                   into three segments, the three
                                   new link numbers might be
                                   '0123410', '0123420', and
                                   '0123430'.

                                   The Corps waterway network is
                                   a subset of the National
                                   Waterway Network.  In many
                                   cases, Corps links were split
                                   by adding new nodes to more
                                   appropriately represent true
                                   shipping patterns.  Where
                                   Corps links were split, the
                                   Corps link I.D. number was 

     A Node              NUM       annnns
                                   where a:  0 = Corps
                                             1 = Oak Ridge
                                             2 = Vanderbilt
                                             3 = Vanderbilt
                                      nnnn:  ID number
                                         s:  unused

     B Node              NUM       annnns
                                   where a:  0 = Corps
                                             1 = Oak Ridge
                                             2 = Vanderbilt
                                             3 = Vanderbilt
                                      nnnn:  ID number
                                         s:  unused

     Link Name           CHAR(35)  From Corps
                                   Master_Port_Waterway database,
                                   where possible

     A Milepoint         NUM       Inland Corps links only

     B Milepoint         NUM       Inland Corps links only

     Length              NUM       in miles

     Length Source       CHAR(1)   V    Vanderbilt
                                   G    Geographic; calc. from
                                        shape pts
                                   M    Milepoints

                                   Lower case to indicate
                                   exception condition (per ORNL)

                                   The "Length Source" field
                                   indicates how the length was
                                   calculated:

                                   "V"  Vanderbilt; length was
                                        calculated by Intergraph
                                        MGE software
                                   "G"  Geographic; length was
                                        calculated by ORNL from
                                        shape points
                                   "M"  Milepoints; length was
                                        calculated by subtracting
                                        'B' milepoint from 'A'
                                        milepoint


     Shape Source        CHAR(2)   DN   Digitized from NOAA
                                        Charts
                                   DD   Digitized from 1:100K
                                        DLGs (CD-ROM)
                                   DQ   Digitized from 1:100K
                                        USGS Quads
                                   CM   Corps Milepoints
                                   M    Missing / Unknown
                                   Other values: see MODIFY field
                                   descriptions

                                   NOTE: an 'R' in the second
                                   character field (i.e., 'JR',
                                   'VR', 'RR', etc.) indicates
                                   that ORNL modified a shape. 
                                   The first character represents
                                   the original source. 
                                   Therefore, 'VR' would
                                   represent a link that
                                   Vanderbilt originally created,
                                   and ORNL modified.

                                   Version 1.1 contains data from
                                   a variety of sources,
                                   including:

                                   1. NOAA Navigational Charts
                                   (various scales)
                                   2. USGS Quad Maps (1:100,000)
                                   3. 1:100,000 DLG-3 hydrography
                                   (shoreline) files
                                   4. Corps milepoint data

                                   The "Shape Source" attribute
                                   indicates the data source used
                                   for each link (see above for
                                   listing of values).


     Draft               NUM       Link draft, in feet.  Corps
                                   links only

     Control Depth       NUM       Control depth of link, in
                                   feet.  Corps links only.

                                   NOTE: control depth = -1 where
                                   unknown

     Waterway Code       NUM       4-digit waterway code from
                                   Corps Master_port_waterway

     Geographic Class    CHAR(1)   G = Great Lakes
                                   O = Ocean / Offshore
                                   I = Inland, non-domestic
                                   J = Inland, domestic
                                   ? = undetermined

     Functional Class    CHAR(1)   N    no traffic, non-navigable
                                   S    shallow draft (i.e., no
                                        deep draft ocean vessels)
                                   D    deep draft
                                   B    both
                                   U    special vessels only
                                        (fishing, pleasure craft,
                                        etc; normally no freight
                                        traffic)

     Waterway Type       NUM       1    Harbor (including harbor
                                        channels), Bay
                                   2    Intracoastal Waterway
                                   3    Sealane
                                   4    Sealane with separation
                                        zone
                                   5    Open water
                                   6    River, creek,
                                        thoroughfare, lake
                                   7    Estuary
                                   8    Channel (not including
                                        harbor channels)
                                   9    Canal
                                   10   Great Lakes direct link
                                        (major ports)
                                   11   Great Lakes indirect link

     Heading             CHAR(1)   N,S,E,W

     State               CHAR(2)   State/Canadian
                                   Province/Country

                                   A leading lower case character
                                   indicates international waters
                                   for purposes of the CFS.  A
                                   leading upper-case or blank
                                   for territorial waters.

                                        o = ocean
                                        a = Atlantic
                                        c = Caribbean
                                        g = Gulf of Mexico
                                        p = Pacific
                                        AK/ak = Alaska
                                        PN = Panama
                                        PQ = Quebec

     Chart ID            CHAR(15)  4- or 5- digit NOAA chart
                                   number or 15-character 1:100K
                                   USGS Quad Map ID 

     Modify              CHAR(3)   first character:
                                   V    Vanderbilt addn or
                                        modification
                                   v    Vanderbilt shape
                                        modification
                                   R    Oak Ridge addn
                                   J    guessed or rough shape
                                   H    screen digitization from
                                        DLGs or TIGER
                                   M    shape from mile point
                                        locations
                                   N    National Atlas shape
                                   Q    digitized from USGS quad
                                        maps
                                   A    digitized from NOAA
                                        charts

                                   second character:
                                   0    original
                                   1    94 May
                                   2    94 June
                                   3    94 July
                                 blank  after July 1994

                                   third character:
                                   R    attributes modified by
                                        ORNL

                                   Indicates modifications to
                                   original link.  The field
                                   contains up to three
                                   characters.  The first
                                   character indicates: (1) who
                                   made the modification or (2)
                                   what source was used to make
                                   the modification (digitization
                                   from 1:100K DLGs, for
                                   example).

                                   The second character indicates
                                   the modification date (0 = 
                                   original link, 1 = May 1994, 2
                                   = June 1994, 3 = July 1994). 
                                   If the modification occurred
                                   after July 1994, the second
                                   character is blank.

                                   An "R" in the third character
                                   field indicates that ORNL
                                   modified attributes, but the
                                   basic link shape was retained.

     Date Modified       CHAR(6)   Date of last modification
                                   (DDMMYY)

     Number of Points    NUM       Number of coordinate pairs to
                                   follow

     Coordinate Pairs              (Longitude, Latitude), in
                                   decimal degrees, with implicit
                                   decimal point; six decimal
                                   places

DISCUSSION

     The National Waterway Network (NWN) is a geographic database
     of navigable waterways in and around the United States, for
     analytical studies of waterway performance, for compiling
     commodity flow statistics, and for mapping purposes.

     The National Waterway Network is comprised of a link
     database and a node database.  Links are line strings, which
     consist of beginning and end points (nodes) with
     intermediate vertices (shape points).  Links represent
     either actual shipping lanes (i.e., channels, Intracoastal
     Waterways, sealanes, rivers) or serve as representative
     paths in open water (where no defined shipping paths exist). 
     Nodes may represent physical entities such as river
     confluences, ports/facilities, and intermodal terminals,
     USACE nodes, or may be inserted for analytical purposes
     (i.e., to facilitate routing).

     The NWN databases were developed by Oak Ridge National      
     Laboratory (ORNL) and Vanderbilt University, with input from
     the National Waterway GIS Design Committee (NWGISDC).  The
     NWGISDC contains members from several agencies, including
     the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), USDOT Bureau of
     Transportation Statistics (BTS), Volpe National
     Transportation Systems Center (VNTSC), Maritime
     Administration (MARAD), Military Traffic Management Command
     (MTMC), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), U.S. Environmental
     Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Bureau of Census, U.S. Coast
     Guard, and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

     Several data sources were used to create the network. 
     Therefore, network links vary in scale.  A majority of the
     Version 1.1 inland coverage is already at 1:100,000 scale
     (derived from 1:100,000 scale Digital Line Graph files).  By
     the next release of the NWN, all inland links will be at
     1:100,000 scale.  Off-shore links were derived from variable
     scale NOAA Navigational Charts.  Therefore, the off-shore
     links vary in scale, with larger scale NOAA charts used in
     harbor/bay/port areas, and smaller scale NOAA charts used in
     open waters.

     All links in the USACE (non geo-coded) Waterway Link Network
     are represented in the NWN.  The USACE network was used as a
     base for the NWN; "USACE links" form a contiguous subset
     within the NWN, and can be extracted through queries on the
     "link number" field in the link database.  Additional
     (non-USACE) links and nodes were added to the USACE network
     to more realistically represent shipping patterns. 
     Approximately 200 USACE ports are geo-coded in the node      
     database, including the top 150 ports.

     ORNL initially developed databases for the inland waterways;
     Vanderbilt constructed databases for the off-shore
     waterways.  ORNL then merged the inland and off-shore
     databases to form a continuous national network.  Vanderbilt
     revised the inland waterway network through use of USGS
     Digital Line Graph (DLG) files.  Vanderbilt, ORNL, and the
     U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
     Center (WCSC) performed error trapping and network
     validation tasks before release of Version 1.0.

     Version 1.0 of the network was released to NWGISDC members
     in September 1994.  Comments received from the NWGISDC were
     incorporated into the network as revisions, and are
     represented in Version 1.1.

     Data Quality/Accuracy:

     The "shape source" field in the link database, and the "node
     source" field in the node database indicate the data sources
     used to derive link and node placements.  The accuracy of
     each network element is correlated to the data source used
     to derive that element.  For example, links and nodes
     derived from 1:100,000 scale Digital Line Graphs are more
     accurate than links and nodes derived from 1:500,000 scale
     NOAA Navigational Charts.  Elements with an "M" in the
     source field (indicating an unknown or missing source), are
     the least accurate.  Links with unknown/missing sources are
     usually schematic representations of USACE links.  Other
     comments are provided below:

     Off-shore:     NOAA Navigational Charts vary in scale. 
                    Larger scale charts were used in harbor/port
                    areas, while smaller scale charts were used
                    in open water.  For channels, sealanes, and
                    Intracoastal Waterways, shape points were
                    placed as needed to ensure that link segments
                    fall within waterway boundaries.
     Inland:        Links digitized from 1:100,000 DLG files, or
                    large scale NOAA charts are the most accurate
                    representations.  Shape points were placed as
                    needed to ensure that link segments fall
                    between waterway shorelines.

                    Links derived from Corps milepoints have
                    shape points approximately one mile apart. 
                    The Corps milepoints were derived from
                    1:24,000 and 1:100,000 scale maps. 
                    Therefore, the NWN shape points derived from
                    Corps milepoints should be as accurate as
                    shape points derived from 1:100,000 DLG
                    files.  However, line segments connecting the
                    shape points may not accurately represent the
                    curvature of the waterway.

     Coordinate System:

     All network data was originally loaded and/or digitized into
     Intergraph MGE design (graphic) files.  Geographic
     (Longitude, Latitude) coordinates for nodes and shape points
     were derived from the design files and loaded into an Oracle
     database.  The design files from which the node and shape
     point coordinates were loaded have the following coordinate
     system parameters:

     Projection:    Mercator
     Datum:         WGS 84
     Ellipsoid:     WGS 84

     All coordinates in the NWN database files are in a
     geographic (Longitude, Latitude) system.

     Data Processing/Conversion:

     Data from NOAA Navigational Charts:  All NOAA Navigational
     charts used for digitization were in either Mercator or
     Polyconic projections.  Network elements (links, nodes,
     shape points) were digitized into Intergraph MGE design
     files (maps) with projections matching those of the
     navigational charts.  Polyconic design files were then
     converted to Mercator using Intergraph's MGE Map Converter.

     Data from 1:100,000 Digital Line Graph's (DLGs):  DLG files
     are in a Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection. 
     Intergraph's DLG Translator software was used to translate
     the raw DLG data into MGE design files with Mercator
     projections.  The DLG-based design files were then used as
     reference files for "heads-up" digitizing.
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