Procedure Library for Converting SDTS files to ArcView Shapefiles

The purpose of this procedure library is to convert USGS SDTS data into a format usable by ArcView. The USGS uses the SDTSm

Prepared by Andy Freed (freed@cc.wwu.edu) on March 4, 2001.Required: ArcView, ArcInfo, MasterDD files for USGS SDTS, sdts2cov.aml script, and the entdef.e00 file (both available on saldata\avutil\.

Procedure:

1. Create a working folder with a simple name, and copy the sdts data that has been decompressed into it. The folder in this example will be dlg2info. Copy the hydrology files into a folder named hydrology, copy the masterdd files into a folder called masterdd, and copy the script sdts2cov.aml, and arcinfo defiition file entdef.e00 into the folder as well.

2. Open Arc from Start>Programs>ArcInfo Users 7.21>Arc

3. Set the workspace by typing w and the directory path at the prompt. For example: w d:\temp\andy\assn_3\dlg2info

4. The prompt is similar to a unix command line, so many unix commands like –ls will work.

5. The first part requires setting the format for the file converstion type. At the prompt, type: import info entdef.e00 entdef

6. To run the actual conversion will require a script named sdts2cov.aml. This file will convert both the geometry and the attribute information into format that ArcView will recognize.

7. At the prompt, type: &run sdts2cov.aml then the name of the folder that the files are in, a slash \, and the first prefix from the dlg files. Then type the name of the output file and type –define to execute. For example: &run sdts2cov.aml hydrology\Hy01 hydro – define

8. In the working directory, 3 folders will have been created. Hydroyx , hydroy, and info will have been created.

9. Now the hydrology information will be available to ArcView.

Additional information is available on saldata\avutil\sdts_converters\.