Computer Software for Converting Ground-Water and Water-Quality Data from theNational Water Information System for Use in a Geographic Information System

摘要

A geographic information system (GIS) is computer software that provides thecapabilities to rapidly display and analyze spatially referenced data. To use a GIS efficiently, software is needed that provides a link between existing spatially referenced data-base systems and the GIS. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stores large amounts of spatially referenced hydrologic data in computerized data-base systems. Currently, these data-base systems are physically located on computers that are installed in many USGS offices nationwide. The report describes software that can be used quickly and easily to convert site-description and water-quality data from these data-base systems to the GIS that is used by the USGS. The software described in the report is designed to be used with the same hardware and software that is available to most USGS personnel.