<HTML xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"><head><META content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" http-equiv="Content-Type">
<META content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type"><meta content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)" name=Generator><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><BODY>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'>Good afternoon,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'>The National Hydrography Dataset 24K database is the federally recognized database of the surface waters of the nation. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has a stewardship agreement with the United States Geological Survey to maintain Florida’s portion of that data. The Florida NHD team, located in Tallahassee, consists of 3 editors, 1 editor/QA manager, and me, the project manager. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'>The Florida NHD data is available from the <a href="http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gis/datadir.htm">FDEP ftp site</a> and is viewable using <span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://ca.dep.state.fl.us/mapdirect/gateway.jsp">MapDirect</a>.</span> This week I am meeting with representatives from USGS to discuss how the NHD is being used in Florida, what works well and what needs improvement. I am requesting feedback from you, the GIS community, to get a better understanding of what we can do to enhance the value of the NHD and better support <span style='color:black'>your needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='color:black'>Whether your primary use of the NHD is supplementary data for maps or water quality sampling, your responses will help paint the overall picture for us. Improvements can be anything from needing additional feature types or subtypes (“secondary artificial path to represent overflow out of a reservoir” or “Canal, construction type earthen or impermeable lining”), to readying it for use with ArcHydro, to wanting a web-based means to submit GPS coordinates of new or improved geometries of features. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='color:black'>In December, we completed a statewide database maintenance effort to improve the existing features within the database. Attribute checks were performed looking for contiguous and non-branched GNIS names, GNIS IDs and reach codes, missing reach codes, artificial paths missing WBComID values, reach codes assigned to multiple features, etc. Topology and network connectivity were also part of the focus. The latest release of the Florida NHD represents a snapshot of Florida’s portion of the National NHD database as of November 2011. An upcoming release will include the final edits on the maintenance lite effort that occurred since November. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='color:black'>The end of our maintenance period also marked an editing hiatus to allow the USGS to upgrade the customized tools and data exchange methods that the stewards use to revise the NHD. Full aerial imagery revision is scheduled to resume when USGS provides the new tools, which we anticipate within the next week or two.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='color:black'>The NHD team welcomes any local knowledge that can contribute to a more accurate database. Of particular interest are new/missing features, updated features and feature names. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please contact me at the email address below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'>Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'>Edwin Abbey<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Edwin A. Abbey<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>NHD Coordinator - Environmental Manager <br>Watershed Data Services Section <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Florida Department of Environmental Protection<br>2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 3526<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Tallahassee, Florida 32399<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>phone: 850-245-8550<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>fax: 850-245-7571<br><a href="mailto:Edwin.Abbey@dep.state.fl.us"><span style='color:blue'>Edwin.Abbey@dep.state.fl.us</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/watersheds/nhd.htm"><span style='color:blue'>www.dep.state.fl.us/water/watersheds/nhd.htm</span></a><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="www.protectingourwater.org"><span style='color:blue'>www.protectingourwater.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></DIV>
<DIV><BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV STYLE="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"><EM><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE="2">Please take a few minutes to share your comments on the service you received from the department by clicking on this link <A HREF="http://survey.dep.state.fl.us/?refemail=Edwin.Abbey@dep.state.fl.us" TARGET="_blank">DEP Customer Survey</A>.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV STYLE="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"><EM><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE="2"></FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV STYLE="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>