ERDC/CHL CETN-IV-28
September 2000
Data Manager
The Data Manager is a suite of computer programs embedded in a Geographic Information
System (GIS) and is scheduled for release in October 2000. The Manager allows the user to
organize and view relevant information within a project area. Examples of data residing in the
Manager include digitized bathymetric surveys, aerial photographs, GIS coverages, shoaling
history, and costs. This component gives organization and access to all graphical, numerical, and
narrative information associated with a maintained channel. Interpretative and analytical
applications comprising the Manual and the Analytical Toolbox can take advantage of the data
contained in the Data Manager and its capability to output information in the appropriate format
for use by these tools.
The Data Manager is an extension of the commercially available GIS software package ArcView
(Version 3.1). The user interface of ArcView can be customized to extend the functionality of
the package. These capabilities are leveraged to tailor the extension specifically to the goals of
the DMS. Multiple data formats can be accessed and manipulated within ArcView, such as
CAD drawings, GIS coverages, ArcView shapefiles, georeferenced photography, and ASCII
point data. In combination with the Data Manager User's Guide, the Manager is operated with a
user-friendly interface. Wizards assist users in multistep processes such as development of a
comprehensive project database. The Data Manager also communicates with the Hydraulic
Processes Analysis System (HyPAS) as described in CETN-IV-23 (Pratt and Cook 1999),
another ArcView extension developed to analyze a wide variety of types of data generated by
field measurements or by numerical models. The HyPAS thus becomes part of the Analytical
Toolbox described in the next section.
Data Manager development focuses on seven general functional areas. The first four areas
automate the project setup process, and the remaining areas allow analysis of these organized
data sets to produce consistently formatted output. The Getting Started page introduces users to
the general functionality of the Data Manager and provides direct links to the Coastal Inlets
Research Program and DMS Web sites, help files, and tutorials. The "Project Set-Up Wizard"
assists the initial Data Manager setup phase of a project, producing an organized and
comprehensive project database. The Stationing Tool imports center-line and corresponding
stationing information from user-defined ASCII files for any authorized navigation channels in
the area. The Survey Conversion Tool imports new and historic bathymetric surveys, in multiple
formats, and converts them to a format compatible with the Data Manager's analysis
components. The Station Profile Display comprises the first analysis component. Multiple cross
sections can be displayed at either user-defined areas or along predefined stations. The Volume
Calculator determines volumetric differences between bathymetric surveys or between a survey
and the predefined channel template. Finally, the Dredging Record Center imports, organizes,
and displays past dredging record information. After these data are entered to the comprehensive
relational database, automated queries can be generated through the user interface. It is
anticipated that consistently formatted reports will contribute toward standardizing dredging-
related reports. The Data Manager will be introduced in a CETN scheduled for publication in
October 2000.
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