Minnesota River Basin USGS Water Quality Sampling Stations (usgsqw)

Metadata for the

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These metadata were created using the Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines .


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1. Identification Information
2. Data Quality Information
3. Spatial Data Organization Information
4. Spatial Reference Information
5. Entity and Attribute Information
6. Distribution Information
7. Metadata Reference Information

Section 1

Identification Information
Originator US Geological Survey, Division of Waters
Title Minnesota River Basin USGS Water Quality Sampling Stations
Abstract The Minnesota River Basin (usgsqw) contains the US Geological Survey water quality monitoring stations for the Minnesota River Basin. The data file consist of point locations and station identification numbers for these sites.
Purpose These data were acquired to provide locations for US Geological Survey surface water monitoring stations in the Minnesota River Basin.
Time Period of Content Date Unknown
Currentness Reference None
Progress Unknown
Maintenance and Update Frequency Unknown
Spatial Extent of Data 12 major watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin.
Bounding Coordinates -97.364
-93.087
46.231
43.345
Place Keywords Minnesota River Basin, Blue Earth River Major Watershed, Chippewa River Major Watershed, Cottonwood River Major Watershed, Hawk Creek - Yellow Medicine River Major Watershed, Le Sueur River Major Watershed, Lower Minnesota River Major Watershed, Lac qui Parle River Major Watershed, Middle Minnesota River Major Watershed, Pomme de Terre River Major Watershed, Redwood River Major Watershed, Upper Minnesota River Major Watershed, Watonwan River Major Watershed, Big Stone County, Blue Earth County, Brown County, Carver County, Chippewa County, Cottonwood County, Dakota County, Douglas County, Faribault County, Freeborn County, Grant County, Hennepin County, Jackson County, Kandiyohi County, Lac qui Parle County, Le Sueur County, Lincoln County, Lyon County, McLeod County, Martin County, Murray County, Nicollet County, Otter Tail County, Pipestone County, Pope County, Ramsey County, Redwood County, Renville County, Rice County, Scott County, Sibley County, Steele County, Stevens County, Swift County, Traverse County, Waseca County, Watonwan County, Yellow Medicine County.
Theme Keywords Monitoring Site
Theme Keyword Thesaurus None
Access Constraints None
Use Constraints By accepting this data, the user agrees not to transmit this data or provide access to it or any part of it to another party unless the user shall include with the data a copy of this metadata.
Contact Person Information Cis Berg, GIS Director
Water Resources Center
184 Trafton Science Center S
Mankato, Minnesota 56001
Phone: (507) 389-5492
FAX: (507) 389-5493
E-mail: cecilia.berg@mankato.msus.edu
Browse Graphic File Name None available
Browse Graphic File Description Not applicable
Associated Data Sets

Section 2

Data Quality Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Attribute Accuracy Unknown
Logical Consistency Data are topologically correct within ArcInfo 7.1.2.
Completeness Unknown
Horizontal Positional Accuracy Not available
Lineage Not available
Source Scale Denominator Unknown

Section 3

Spatial Data Organization Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Native Data Set Environment Unknown
Geographic Reference for Tabular Data
Spatial Object Type Point
Vendor Specific Object Types Label
Tiling Scheme Major Watershed

Section 4

Spatial Reference Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Horizontal Coordinate Scheme UTM
Ellipsoid GRS80
Horizontal Datum NAD83
Horizontal Units Meters
Distance Resolution
Altitude Datum Not applicable
Altitude Units Not applicable
Depth Datum Not applicable
Depth Units Not applicable
UTM Zone Number 15E

Section 5

Entity and Attribute Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Entity and Attribute Overview The data file represents point sampling station features.
Attributes are STATION_ID, NAME, LAT, LONG, MAJOR2, MINOR5, MAJOR-NAME, COUNTY, TOWNSHIP, TWP, RNG, SEC, PEDIGREE, PEDYEAR.
Entity and Attribute Detailed Citation USGS Surface Water Monitoring Stations for the Minnesota River Basin include the following list of attributes:


Point attribute table:   usgsqw.pat

ITEM NAME WIDTH OUTPUT TYPE DEC DESCRIPTION OF ITEM CONTENT
AREA 8 18 F 5 Area = 0 for a point.
PERIMETER 8 18 F 5 Length = 0 for a point.
USGSQW# 4 5 B - Internal sequence number.
USGSQW-ID 4 5 B - User ID.
STATION_ID 15 15 C - Station number.   A unique number for each station
NAME 51 51 C - Station name.   The location of the station with respect to the cultural and physical features in the vicinity.
LAT 6 6 I - Latitude of station; degrees, minutes, and seconds.
LONG 7 7 I - Longitude of station; degrees, minutes, and seconds.
MAJOR2 2 2 I - Minnesota unique two digit major watershed ID number.
MINOR5 5 5 I - Minnesota unique five digit minor watershed ID number.
MAJOR-NAME 50 50 C - Major watershed name.
COUNTY-NAME 17 17 C - Name of the county in which the station is located.
COUNTY-NO 2 2 C - Minnesota unique two character county ID number.
TOWNSHIP 20 20 C - Name of the political township in which the station is located.   Incorporated areas, such as municipalities, are not distinguished from the political township.
TWP 3 3 I - PLS Township number in which the station is located.
RNG 2 2 I - PLS Range number in which the station is located.
SEC 3 3 I - PLS Section number in which the station is located..
PEDIGREE 12 12 C - Acronym that identifies the organization responsible for point features and attributes.
USGS U.S. Geolorical Survey.
MSUWRC Minnesota State University, Mankato
Water Resources Center.
PEDYEAR 4 4 I - Year in which the polygon feature was created or last updated.



Look at heading STATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS

Downstream Order System and Station Number

Since October 1, 1950, the order of listing hydrologic-station records in U.S. Geological Survey reports is in a downstream direction along the main stream. All stations on a tributary entering upstream from a mainstream station are listed before that station. A station on a tributary that enters between two main-stream sections is listed between them. A similar order is followed by listing stations on first rank, second rank, and other order ranks of tributaries. The rank of any tributary on which a station is situated with respect to the stream to which it is immediately tributary is indicated by an indentation in a list of stations in front of the report. Each indention represents one rank. This downstream order and system of indention show which stations are on tributaries between any two stations and the rank of the tributary on which each station is situated.

As an added means of identification, each hydrologic station and partial-record station has been assigned a station number. These are in the same downstream order in this report. In assigning station numbers, no distinction is made between partial-record stations and other stations; therefore, the station number for a partial-record station indicates downstream-order position in a list made up of both types of stations. Gaps are left in the series of numbers to allow for new stations that may be established; hence, the numbers are not consecutive. The complete eight-digit number for each station such as 05041000, which appears just to the left of the station name, includes the two-digit part number "05" plus the six-digit downstream order number "041000."



Numbering System for Wells and Miscellaneous Sites

The eight-digit downstream order station numbers are not assigned to wells and miscellaneous sites where only random water-quality samples or discharge measurements are taken.

The well and miscellaneous site numbering system of the U.S. Geological Survey is based on the grid system of latitude and longitude. The system provides the geographic location of the well or miscellaneous site and a unique number for each site. The number consists of 15 digits. The first six digits denote the degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude, the next seven digits denote degrees, minutes, and seconds of longitude, and the last two digits (assigned sequentially) identify the wells or other sites within a one-second grid. See figure 6. Each well site is also identified by a local well number which consists of township, range, and section numbers, three letters designating �, �, � section location, and a two-digit sequential number.



Station Manuscript

The manuscript provides, under various headings, descriptive information, such as station location; period of record; historical extremes outside the period of record; record accuracy; and other remarks pertinent to station operation and regulation. The following information, as appropriate, is provided with each continuous record of discharge or lake content. Comments to follow clarify information presented under the various headings of the station description.

LOCATION.--Information on locations is obtained from the most accurate maps available. The location of the gage with respect to the cultural and physical features in the vicinity and with respect to the reference place mentioned in the station name is given. River mileages, given for only a few stations, were determined by methods given in "River Mileage Measurement," Bulletin 14, Revision of October 1968, prepared by the Water Resources Council or were provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Section 6

Distribution Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Publisher Water Resources Center, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Publication Date 1999
Contact Person Information Cis Berg, GIS Director
Water Resources Center
184 Trafton Science Center S
Mankato, Minnesota 56001
Phone: (507) 389-5492
FAX: (507) 389-5493
E-mail: cecilia.berg@mankato.msus.edu
Distributor's Data Set Identifier None
Distribution Liability These data have been used by the Water Resources Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato.   No warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the Water Resources Center as to the accuracy of the data, the related maps or analysis created from such data; nor shall the fact of distribution constitute any such warranty.
Transfer Format Name ARC/INFO Export file and ArcView shape file.
Transfer Format Version Number ARC/INFO7.1.2 ArcView3.1
Transfer Size
Ordering Instructions These data are freely downloadable from the Minnesota River Basin Data Center Web Site. http://mrbdc.mankato.msus.edu
Online Linkage None Available

Section 7

Metadata Reference Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Metadata Date 05/30/1999
Contact Person Information Cis Berg, GIS Director
Water Resources Center
184 Trafton Science Center S
Mankato, Minnesota 56001
Phone: (507) 389-5492
FAX: (507) 389-5493
E-mail: cecilia.berg@mankato.msus.edu
Metadata Standard Name Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines
Metadata Standard Version 1.2
Metadata Standard Online Linkage http://www.lmic.state.mn.us/gc/stds/metadata.htm
This page last updated 12/29/1998.

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