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DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW GIS-BASED STORM WATER DATABASE UPDATING 
SYSTEM: FROM FIELD DATA COLLECTION TO GEODATABASE CREATION 
Ming Xie, John M. White, P.E. and Buz Rhees 
Environmental Storm Water Management Division, Department of Pubic Works, City of Norfolk, VA 
2233 Mckann Avenue, Norfolk, VA, U.S. 23509 
Tel: (757) 823-4000; Fax: (757) 441-2402 - Ming.Xie@Norfolk.gov 
ISPRS Commission VII, WG VII/4 
KEY WORDS: GIS, Database, GPS, Storm Water, Database Updating 
ABSTRACT: 
This paper presents our efforts in the updating of the Storm Water (SW) Database using Global Positioning System (GPS), direct 
survey and measurements of the Storm Water structures (or called Manhole) in GIS database management. The main task 
assignments include (1) Designing a data structure, which becomes an effective geodatabase structure to represent the storm water 
structures and the corresponding pipes; (2) Updating the existing Drainage Inventory Abbreviations, which includes verifying all the 
existing drainage inventory abbreviations, updating, simplifying, and adding additional abbreviations; (3) Creating Structure picture 
database, which is linked with structure type to ensure the type is used correctly; (4) Collecting field data by using GPS, which 
includes the collection of storm water spatial and attribute data respectively. Each Structure’s latitude, longitude and elevation is 
determined by using GPS; each Structure’s attribute data include Structure type, lid size, invert, pipe count, pipe’s material, shape, 
size, invert, etc. (5) Implementation using ArcObject Language combining with Visual Basic in ArcGIS 9.1, which includes seven 
functional modules: entering field data; editing field data; linking GPS data with SW data to calculate pipe elevation; creating 
structure and pipe layers based on collected data; connecting created new pipes with existing data; data quality control; and updating 
existing database; (6) Data Quality control, which ensures the created data’s quality by editing field data or the created Structure’s 
attribute data, adding lost or missing structures, changing pipe flow direction, breaking in pipe segments, connecting two structures, 
etc. The functions from field data collection, geodatabase creation, to final the database updating are included in the Storm Water 
Database Updating System (SWDUS), which is a highly practicable and easy operating GIS application system. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
The City of Norfolk is an urban center of 249.4 km 2 located on 
the eastern seaboard of the United States with a population of 
234,000 (2000 census residents). It is developed into a major 
port, shipbuilding, tourism, and commerce center, and is also 
the home to the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet and one of NATO’s 
headquarters. Norfolk serves as the cultural and business center 
for the Hampton Roads region of Virginia that has a population 
exceeding 1.7 million, Hampton Roads boast one of the largest 
port facilities on the east coast of the United States and is a port 
of call to many ships from all over the world. 
Norfolk has maintained a separated storm drainage 
infrastructure for most of the 20 th Century. The separated 
storm water system ranges from complex urban 
infrastructure in downtown including flood control walls, 
gates and a 340 m 3 per minute flood control pumping 
station to more suburban areas with roadside and off road 
ditch systems. The storm water system has gown as the City 
expanded and now consists of more than 570 km of pipes, 80 
km of ditches and in excess of 27,000 structures. 
In the early 1970’s the City of Norfolk undertook a major 
survey and inventory of its existing storm water drainage 
system. Every pipe, structure and outfall was surveyed and 
checked. The result of the survey data was drafted on more 
than 200 maps. The drainage data was also modeled at that 
time producing hydraulic grades lines for much of the system. 
This data has been mostly lost with the advent of advanced 
technology and time. The current GIS layer of the City’s storm 
water drainage system is a digitized version of the paper maps 
from 1970’s. The associated database was converted from a 
“Word Perfect” file to DBF format. Updates from 1974 have 
been very sporadic that generally involved digitizing as built 
drawings. Significant redevelopment and growth throughout the 
City has made substantive changes and additions to the storm 
water system. Thus, updating the system is a high priority in the 
Environmental Storm Water Management Division of Public 
Works at the City of Norfolk. 
In 2002 the City decided to bring the 1970’s data up-to- 
date. It was determined that the most effective means of 
doing this task was by using sub-centimeter GPS, 
traditional surveying, and a new geodatabase in ArcGIS. 
The City formed a partnership between the 
Environmental Storm Water Management Division and 
the Survey Division to accomplish this task. However, a 
particular challenge that was realized early in the process 
was how to manage the data being collected by two teams 
so that it could be efficiently incorporated into the 
geodatabase. This paper reports our efforts in the 
updating of the Storm Water database using GPS, direct 
survey and measurements of the Storm Water structures 
in GIS database management. 
2. ANALYSIS OF THE DATABASE UPDATING 
REQUIREMENTS 
2,1 Overview the Data Updating Requirements