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A hierarchical spatial framework and database for the national river fish habitat condition assessment

January 1, 2011

Fisheries management programs, such as the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP), urgently need a nationwide spatial framework and database for health assessment and policy development to protect and improve riverine systems. To meet this need, we developed a spatial framework and database using National Hydrography Dataset Plus (I-.100,000-scale); http://www.horizon-systems.com/nhdplus). This framework uses interconfluence river reaches and their local and network catchments as fundamental spatial river units and a series of ecological and political spatial descriptors as hierarchy structures to allow users to extract or analyze information at spatial scales that they define. This database consists of variables describing channel characteristics, network position/connectivity, climate, elevation, gradient, and size. It contains a series of catchment-natural and human-induced factors that are known to influence river characteristics. Our framework and database assembles all river reaches and their descriptors in one place for the first time for the conterminous United States. This framework and database provides users with the capability of adding data, conducting analyses, developing management scenarios and regulation, and tracking management progresses at a variety of spatial scales. This database provides the essential data needs for achieving the objectives of NFHAP and other management programs. The downloadable beta version database is available at http://ec2-184-73-40-15.compute-1.amazonaws.com/nfhap/main/.

Publication Year 2011
Title A hierarchical spatial framework and database for the national river fish habitat condition assessment
DOI 10.1080/03632415.2011.607075
Authors L. Wang, D. Infante, P. Esselman, A. Cooper, D. Wu, W. Taylor, D. Beard, G. Whelan, A. Ostroff
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Fisheries
Index ID 70036259
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center; National Climate Adaptation Science Center
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