Page | 1
Instructions: How to Upload Geospatial Files in ATTAINS
Version: 6/29/2019
Purpose: This document explains how to upload geospatial (or GIS) files representing Assessment Unit locations
and extents to ATTAINS for processing. The uploaded files will be processed to National Hydrography Dataset
Plus (NHDPIus) catchments using an automated Catchment Indexing Process (CIP) Tool. The relationship
between each Assessment Unit and associated catchment(s) will be provided in an output table (catchment
crosswalk table), that can then be used in conjunction with geospatial analyses.
Things to Know Before You Get Started
The geospatial files that are uploaded to ATTAINS must meet some requirements. Shapefiles and Geodatabase
files are allowed, but they must be zipped for upload. The Catchment Indexing Process uses shapefiles, so any
geodatabase feature classes will be converted to shapefiles before processing. Only one zipfile is allowed per
form submission. If multiple zipfiles need to be submitted, submit one form for each zipfile.
Tribes may provide a .CSV file or Excel table of Latitude and Longitude coordinates and Assessment Unit
IDs to represent point Assessment Units if they do not have geospatial files. Zip the file and upload the
zipfile using the Upload GIS form. EPA will convert the Latitude/Longitude coordinates to point features
before processing them to catchments.
For the first new cycle, please submit geospatial files representing all the Assessment Units in the state. For
future cycles, you may submit geospatial representations for either the full state, or you may choose to submit
just the Assessment Units that have changed (new Assessment Units, or Assessment Units that have changed
lengths from the prior cycle, or been split or merged).
1. Each Assessment Unit needs a geospatial representation (i.e., its location and extent) in ATTAINS.
a. Streams should be represented as linear features.
b. Lakes, reservoirs and ponds, should be represented as polygon features. For this type of file, on
the submission form, select that it is a waterbody polygon.
c. For watershed Assessment Units represented as polygons (where the assessment conclusions
apply to all the waters in the land area boundary), select the land area type polygon submission.
d. The waterbody and land area type polygon files must be submitted using separate form
submissions because these two types of polygon files are processed differently.
2. Assessment Unit Identifier: Each geospatial file (shapefile or feature class) must contain a single
column that contains the full Assessment Unit ID, and that identifier must exactly match the
Assessment Unit ID used in ATTAINS. (If the IDs do not match, it will not be loaded to ATTAINS.) The
user must designate the exact name of the column in the geospatial file that contains the Assessment
Unit ID, so that the files can be processed correctly and connected to attribute data in ATTAINS.
a. If the geospatial file contains most of the Assessment Unit ID except the state prefix, but
ATTAINS has a state prefix for the Assessment Unit ID, those do not exactly match. Add a
column to the geospatial data and calculate it to include the state abbreviation so that the full
Assessment Unit ID is contained in a single column before you submit the geospatial data.
b. For geodatabase files: The Assessment Unit ID column must be inside the feature class itself. It
cannot be stored in a related table.
-------
Page | 2
3. Only state/territory/tribal users with Assessment Units Administrator privileges or an EPA Regional
user with appropriate privileges may upload geospatial data.
4. Determine who the contact should be if there are questions while processing the geospatial data. That
contact could be the person who is uploading the geospatial data, or an alternate contact.
Uploading Geospatial Files
1. Login to production ATTAINS (https://attains.epa.gov/attains). To upload geospatial (GIS) data, you
must be a state, territory, or tribal user who has Administrator privileges for the Assessment Units
module or an EPA Regional user with appropriate privileges.
2. Click on the Assessment Units module. Then click on the Menu button.
« li
-o m
Home Assessment Units Assessments Actions Reports Priorities Administration
©
Assessment Units
Create Assessment Unit
— Menu
3. From the Menu, click on Upload GIS.
e Assessment Unit
= Menu
Upload Assessment Units
Export Assessment Units
Manage Assessment Units
Show Additional Filters
Reset Filter
Upload GIS
Download GIS
Help
Contact Information: Provide a contact for questions that may arise when processing the geospatial
files. The form asks: "Is the Contact for the GIS files different from the Assessment Unit
Administrator?"
a. If you are the person who should be contacted about geospatial questions, then select "No" (the
GIS contact is not different than the Assessment Unit Administrator).
Contact Information
Is the Contact for the GIS files ® No O Yes
different from the Assessment Unit
Administrator?
b. If the contact for geospatial questions is different than the user who is uploading the geospatial
files, select "Yes" and provide the contact information for that person.
-------
Page | 3
Contact Information
Is the Contact for the GIS files G No • Yes
different from the Assessment Unit
Administrator?
Name
Contact Name
Email
Contact Email
Phone
Contact Phone
Contact O Organization O EPA Region
Organization
5. Geospatial File Information: You may upload one zipfile perform submission. If you need to submit
multiple zipfiles, then you will need to fill out the form once for each zipfile to be submitted. The zipfile
may contain one or more geometry types. There are two types of Polygon files (polygons representing
waterbodies such as lakes versus polygons representing land area such as watersheds or HUCs), and
those polygon types cannot be submitted together because they are processed differently. Linear and
Point features can be submitted with either type of Polygon submission.
a. Geometry Type(s): You may select one or more geometry types that are included in the zipfile.
Select the checkbox next to each type of geometry that applies to this form submission.
b. Column containing Assessment Unit ID: For each geometry type selected, provide the name of
the column in the geospatial file that contains the Assessment Unit ID. The ID contained in that
field must EXACTLY MATCH the Assessment Unit ID in ATTAINS.
i. Linear: If linear is selected, provide the name of the column in the linear file that
contains the Assessment Unit ID.
Geometry Type(s) 1Z1 Linear Polygon r Point
Provide the column in Linear: AU ID Column Name
the attribute table for
each geometry type that
contains the Assessment
Unit Identifier
Geospatial File Information
Geometry Type (s) ~ Linear u Polygon l Point
-------
Page | 4
Polygon: If polygon is selected, indicate the type of polygon file (either it represents
waterbodies like lakes, ponds or reservoirs, OR it represents land area boundaries such
as a watershed, hydrologic unit or HUC). Then provide the name of the column in the
polygon file that contains the Assessment Unit ID. If you have both types of polygon
files, then use a separate form to submit each type of polygon file.
Geometry Type(s)
Linear ~ Polygon ~ Point
All area/polygon files
that are uploaded
together must represent
only one of these two
types of files
Waterbodies (such as lakes, ponds,
or reservoirs)
Land areas (such as watershed
area, hydrologic units, or HUCs)
Provide the column in Polygon:
the attribute table for
each geometry type that
contains the
Assessment Unit
Identifier
AU ID Column Name
Point: If point is selected, provide the name of the column in the point file that contains
the Assessment Unit ID.
Geometry Type(s) ~ Linear
Provide the column in Point:
the attribute table for
each geometry type that
contains the Assessment
Unit Identifier
Polygon Point
AU ID Column Name
Multiple geometry types may be uploaded using the same form submission, as long as
they meet both of these criteria: 1) they are included in the single zipfile, AND 2) they
do not include both types of polygon files. To upload multiple geometry types using the
same form submission, select all of the appropriate geometry types and provide the
column containing the Assessment Unit IDs for each geometry type.
-------
Page | 5
Geometry Type(s) ki Linear ki Polygon ivi Point
All area^polygon files
that are uploaded
together must represent
only one of these two
types of files
i Waterbodies (such as lakes, ponds,
or reservoirs)
O Land areas (such as watershed
area, hydrologic units: or HUCs)
Provide the column in Linear:
AU ID Column Name
the attribute table for
each geometry type that
contains the
Assessment Unit
Polygon: AU ID Column Name
Identifier Point:
AU ID Column Name
c. Select ZIP File for Upload: Choose a zipfile to upload. This form only accepts a .zip file type. For
shapefiles, be sure to include all the associated files (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj) in the zipfile.
Select ZIP File for Choose File No file chosen
Upload
d. Comments: Provide any comments that may help as your geospatial files are processed.
Note: These comments will be displayed to anyone accessing the Download GIS page.
6. When you have completed the form, click the Submit File button.
Downloading Geospatial Files
The geospatial visualization (mapping) capabilities are not yet available in ATTAINS. However, geospatial files
may be downloaded by any ATTAINS user who can view data for the organization.
To access the geospatial files that were uploaded, go to the Assessment Units module, and select the Download
GIS option from the Menu. Initially, the files that were uploaded for the organization (state/territory/tribe) will
be available. Once your files have been processed, the output files ("Post-CIP Standardized Shapefiles" and
"Post CIP Catchment Assessment Unit Crosswalk File") will also be available for download from the Download
GIS option. Note: The output files correspond to the input files provided. If the input files were a subset of
Assessment Units, then the output files will also contain a subset of Assessment Units.
------- |