User Manual: Tips for Successful Data Queries
Water and Sediment Query Form Explained
Specific Site Query
Specific Parameter Query
Multiple Sites and/or Multiple Parameter Query
Water and Sediment Results Explained
Column Headings
How to Perform a New Search
Exporting Data to Microsoft Excel
Selected Parameters
Auxiliary Datasets Explained
Rainfall Datasets
Streamflow Datasets
There are three options for performing a search query. The first option should be used if you are interested in retrieving data for one specific site (sampling location). All data available for the sampling location will be returned in the results. The second option should be used if you are interested in retrieving data for one specific parameter (i.e. E coli). All data available, regardless of where it was collected, will be returned in the results. The final query option should be used if you are interested in querying multiple sites and/or multiple parameters. With this option you may further define your search criteria by specifying a date range or value range.
Query Form Page showing the three different ways to perform a query
Use this option for retrieving available data for one specific sampling location. To select a sampling location, click once on the site name. To retrieve all available data for this sampling location, click on the continue button at the top or bottom of the query form. To retrieve only the data is that outside the acceptable range (click here to view acceptable ranges) for a given parameter, check the box next to “choose this to show only those values outside the acceptable range.”
Specific Site Query Page
Use this option for retrieving available data for one specific parameter at different sampling locations. To select a parameter, click once on the parameter name (the parameter will be highlighted dark blue). Water and sediment samples are considered separate queries. Water tests are grouped together alphabetically at the top of the list, followed by the sediment samples.
To retrieve all available data for a parameter, click the “continue” button. To retrieve only the data is that outside the acceptable range (click here to view acceptable ranges) for the parameter, check the box next to the “choose this to show only those values outside the acceptable range.”
Specific Parameter Query Page
With this query option you can retrieve data on one or many sampling locations, or one or many parameters. You can also specify date or value ranges to further refine your search criteria. To select one sampling location, click on the sampling location name. To select multiple sampling locations, hold down the control key (Ctrl) and click on each sampling location individually. The same procedure applies to selecting test names. For the test names, water and sediment tests are considered separate. For example, if you are interested in all E. Coli data for a given site, you would have to click on both the “E. Coli (water)” and “E. Coli (sediment)” test names. Water tests are grouped together alphabetically at the top of the list, followed by sediment tests.
To retrieve all available data for given parameters, click the “continue” button. To retrieve only the data is that outside the acceptable ranges (click here to view acceptable ranges) for the parameters, click the check the box next to the “choose this to show only those values outside the acceptable range.”
Selecting a date or value range is not required to perform a search. If you are interested in further defining your query by selecting a date range, click on the down arrow next to the day/month/year field and click on the desired date/month/year. To select a value range, click in the text box next to “above” or “below” text and type in the desired value.
Multiple Sites and/or Multiple Parameter Query Page
You can move between the “query form” and the “results” section by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page.
Results are returned based upon the criteria selected in the query form. Results are displayed in a series of columns and data can be interactively sorted by the user. To sort the results by a specific column heading (SiteID, TestID, Date, Result), click once on the heading to sort the data in ascending order, and click again to sort in descending order.
Results Page
Below is a table describing each column heading on the results page.
#
The column is generated by the database for sorting purposes. Number assignment is arbitrary.
SiteID
Site name. Click on the site name to get additional sampling location information including a map showing the site location.
TestID
Test name followed by the test medium (water, sediment) in parentheses.
Date
Date and time the sample was collected.
Result
Measured test value.
Unit
Measurement unit of the test type.
Bar
The bars are based upon test performed. The length of the bar visually displays the measured result. The < or > above the bar indicates the lower and upper limits of the acceptable range for a given parameter. Click here for lower and upper limit descriptions.
Table Icon
Additional information for each row entry can be accessed by clicking on this icon.
When using either the specific site or specific parameter query, you can select a different sampling location/parameter without having to return to the query page by clicking on the down arrow next to the sampling location/parameter name and then clicking on the desired sampling location/parameter. When using the multiple sampling locations and/or multiple parameters query, you cannot change your query search criteria from the results page. To change your search criteria, return to the query form by clicking on the “query form” tab located at the top of the page.
The “Export” button in the upper and lower right hand corner of the results page can be used to export your current query result to a Microsoft Excel document. This function is just another way to view and manipulate the data, no new information is provided. To use this function, you must have Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Excel Viewer (available from the Microsoft Download Center, Excel Viewer 2003) installed on your computer. After clicking on the “Export” button, will be prompted to login again. This is necessary for the site to connect you to your query and results.
NOTE: Data for most parameters are available through the Query Form. Additional data for ‘Selected Parameters’ (i.e., conductivity, dissolved oxygen, flow, pH and temperature) are available from Flow and Rainfall as described near the bottom of this page.
Additional data is available for some of the sites. This data can be access through the “Flow and Rainfall” page. Rainfall and USGS datasets are the two available types.
Flow and Rainfall Page containing rainfall and USGS datasets
Six sites have rainfall data. To view site information, including site location, please visit the Sampling Locations Page.
To access data click on the site name and choose to either “open” the file from the current location or “save” the file to your local computer.
Note: Data for ‘Selected Parameters’ (i.e., conductivity, dissolved oxygen, flow, pH and temperature) are available through Flow and Rainfall Datasets; and additional Selected Parameters data are available through Data Retrieval as described near the top of this page. You will need Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Excel Viewer (available from the Microsoft Download Center, Excel Viewer 2003) installed on your computer to access the data. In the Excel file there are three tabs located across the bottom of the page: Flag Descriptions, Rainfall, and Chart-Rainfall. Click on each of these tabs to access the relevant information.
Example Precipitation Data in Microsoft Excel
Example Precipitation Data (Chart View) in Microsoft Excel
Many of the sampling locations are located at or near USGS monitoring sites. To view site information, including site location, please visit the Sampling Locations Page. For more information on sampling events, please visit the Wet/Dry Sampling Dates Page.
To access the USGS data for these sampling locations, click on the “x” of the corresponding site and Wet or Dry Weather Event and choose to either “open” the file from the current location or “save” the file to your local computer. You will need Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Excel Viewer (available from the Microsoft Download Center, Excel Viewer 2003) installed on your computer to access the data. In the Excel file there are many tabs located across the bottom of the page. Click on each of these tabs to access the relevant information.
Example USGS Temperature Data in Microsoft Excel
Example USGS Temperature Data (Chart View) in Microsoft Excel
