delivery. Databases provide considerable advantages over 

spreadsheets and other means of storing raw data, particularly 

for long-term data management. These advantages include the 

following:

•	 Facilitation of data integration from multiple sources

•	 Data queries and manipulation by using Structured 

Query Language (SQL)

•	 Data integrity support

•	 Scalable methods for data updating

In addition, the emergence of spatially enabled relational 

databases (geodatabases) provides additional functionality. 

A geodatabase is a spatially 

enabled database that 

is capable of handling 

spatial and nonspatial 

data. A geodatabase 

provides a framework and 

an interactive tool to aid in 

the understanding of spatial 

and temporal trends in 

data. Also, geographically 

referenced data can be 

visualized and manipulated 

by using a GIS to produce 

maps and relational database 

queries and provide a 

foundation for various types 

of spatial analysis.

Data Management Capabilities of the USGS Texas 

Water Science Center

The U.S. Geological Survey Texas Water Science Center 

(USGS TXWSC) 

supports the USGS 

mission by providing 

reliable, impartial, 

timely data and information that are needed 

to understand the 

Nation’s resources. The 

staff of the TXWSC 

comprises geographers, 

hydrologists, geologists, 

and information 

technology specialists 

with data management 

capabilities and delivery 

method expertise.

Data and Information Management Capabilities:

•	 Data inventory and assessment/reconciliation

•	 Data integration

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2011–3038

May 2012

Sound Data Management as a Foundation for Natural Resources 

Management and Science

Printed on recycled paper

Introduction—A Business and Scientific Case for 

Data Management

Effective decision making is closely related to the quality 

and completeness of available data and information (Burley and 

Peine, 2009). Data management helps to ensure data quality in 

any discipline and supports decision making. Managing data 

as a long-term scientific asset helps to ensure that data will 

be usable beyond the original intended application. Emerging 

issues in water-resources management and climate variability 

require the ability to analyze change in the conditions of natural 

resources over time. The availability of quality, well-managed, 

and documented data from the past and present helps support 

this requirement (fig. 1).

Sound data management encompasses the activities 

associated with planning, acquisition, dissemination, 

documentation, and ongoing maintenance of data. Included 

in these activities are the planning, implementation, 

documentation, and administration of the systems necessary for 

maintaining data in a usable and accessible format. Most if not 

all environmental, scientific, and natural resources-management 

organizations collect and create data in some form (fig. 2). 

Such data are valuable scientific assets resulting from dedicated 

resources (time, money) associated with their creation.

Electronic data collection and management, resulting in 

increasingly larger datasets and data-management costs, have 

grown more complex with the emergence of new formats 

and technology. The emergence of geographic information 

systems (GIS), along with geospatial data, has created 

additional complexity (Burley and Peine, 2010). The U.S. 

Department of the Interior estimates that about 80 percent of 

all government information has a geospatial data component, 

such as an address or latitude and longitude coordinates; 

in addition, up to 80 percent of GIS costs are related to the 

collection and management of geospatial data (U.S. General 

Accounting Office, 2003) (fig. 3). The considerable growth of 

data acquisition 

tools and geospatial 

technology 

has made data 

management a 

moving target. 

Front-end planning 

is necessary 

to minimize 

lost data utility 

resulting from data 

mismanagement.

What Can 

Databases Do for You?

Database technology provides a sound infrastructure 

for managing spatial and nonspatial data in support of data 

integration, cutting-edge science, and data and information 

Figure 3. Shaded relief image of Texas. 

Figure 1. Access to organized and 

documented data and information increases 

knowledge.

DATA INFORMATION

DOCUMENTATION ENTATION

KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE

Figure 2. A scientist studying 

trees (photograph by National Park 

Service). 
•	 Database and geodatabase design

•	 Database administration

•	 Programming/custom tools

•	 Quality assurance/quality control 

•	 Virtual and/or on-site training

•	 Tutorial and standards development

•	 Standardized metadata (design and training)

•	 Web mapping/data visualization

•	 Web services

•	 Publication-quality cartography

•	 Database hosting

•	 Direct transfer to client

Recent Activities and Reports

Design and Compilation of a Water Resources 

Geodatabase for the Rio Grande Basin—San Acacia, 

New Mexico, to Fort Quitman, Texas

The USGS TXWSC, in cooperation with the New Mexico 

Interstate Stream Commission, has built a geospatial waterresources database, or geodatabase, to meet the need for an 

integrated and comprehensive data compendium for the Rio 

Grande Basin. Well-organized and accessible data increase 

abilities to identify management priorities and project areas, 

develop and evaluate management strategies, and monitor and 

document water-quality improvement and degradation. The 

end products of this effort are a water-resources geodatabase 

that enables the visualization of primary sampling sites for 

surface discharges, groundwater altitudes, and water-quality and 

associated data for the study area as well as repeatable methods 

and tools for refreshing the geodatabase with 24 static and 

updatable data sources.

For more information: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1331/

Historical Data Recovery for a Streamflow-Gaging 

Station with More Than 100 Years of Data

In addition to streamflow measurements, field notes, 

photographs, slides, and other physical records exist as 

historical records of how the landscape has changed over time. 

A data rescue and recovery project is underway to improve and 

increase accessibility to ancillary USGS water data stored in 

Federal archives. This project also addresses the risk of data 

and information loss from obsolete media such as deteriorating 

slides, punch cards, and floppy disks. More than 100 years of 

photographs, measurements, reports, charts, maps, and other 

data for one USGS streamflow-gaging station are now stored 

in a database and available online. The methods developed and 

lessons learned during this effort have been documented and are 

now being applied to other USGS streamflow-gaging stations. 

For more information: http://txpub.usgs.gov/ltm/

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Watershed 

Characterization

The USGS TXWSC, in cooperation with the Texas 

Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), has developed 

a library of geodatabases that contain basin delineations and 

characteristics for more than 3,000 water-quality monitoring 

stations in Texas. The TCEQ collects and analyzes water-quality 

References

Burley, T.E., and Peine, J.D., 2009, NBII-SAIN data management 

toolkit: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009–1170, 96 p. 

(Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1170/.) 

Burley, T.E., and Peine, J.D., 2010, The future of geospatial data 

management—A natural resource perspective: GeoWorld, v. 23, 

no. 7, p. 20–23. (Also available at http://www.geoplace.com.) 

Ferderer, David, Skinner, Chris, and Gunther, Gregory, 2001, Central 

Energy Resources Team data management—A data management 

life-cycle: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2000–0163. (Also 

available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs163-00/.) 

U.S. General Accounting Office, 2003, Geographic information 

systems—Challenges to effective data sharing, statement of 

Linda D Koontz, Director, Information Management Issues: 

GAO-03-874T, 20 p. (Also available at http://www.gao.gov/new.

items/d03874t.pdf.) 

—Thomas E. Burley

For additional information, contact 

Director, USGS Texas Water Science Center

http://tx.usgs.gov/

gs-w-txpublic-info@usgs.gov

Publishing support provided by

Lafayette Publishing Service Center

data at surface-water monitoring stations throughout Texas 

to ensure compliance with applicable State environmental 

standards. When the water quality at any given station does 

not meet State standards, a plan for remediation is developed. 

Such plans require detailed basin characterization information, 

including average rainfall, altitude, slope, land-use or landcover statistics, and total drainage area. The databases will 

facilitate displays of geographic information and streamline 

data analysis, which will help the TCEQ make remediation, 

policy, and resource allotment decisions based upon consistently 

characterized watershed information.

For more information: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1077/

Spatially Pooled Depth-Dependent Reservoir Storage, 

Elevation, and Water-Quality Data for Selected 

Reservoirs in Texas

The USGS TXWSC, in cooperation with Texas Tech 

University, constructed a selected storage, elevation in feet 

above datum (hereinafter referred to as reservoir elevation), and 

water-quality dataset for selected reservoirs in Texas. Data were 

acquired from existing databases, spreadsheets, delimited text 

files, and hard copy reports. Primary data sources include the 

USGS National Water Information System, the TCEQ Surface 

Water-Quality Information Management System (SWQIMS), 

and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) monthly 

reports on reservoir conditions. Lastly, USGS Texas Annual 

Water Data Reports, containing data that do not currently (2012) 

exist within the NWIS database, were used. The data product 

for this report is a collection of delimited text files of sourceaggregated, spatially pooled, depth-dependent, water-quality 

data as well as instantaneous, daily, and monthly storage and 

elevation reservoir data.

For more information: http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/594/