1. How much does it cost me to get maps from the gateway?
  2. Problems with Step 1 & 2. Java applet failure. Display map doesn't appear. Red X in step 1. Quick options do nothing. Get "Error on Page".
  3. My browser is 'freezing up'.
  4. The FTP download files are a different size than the estimate.
  5. The image products did not arrive in the projection I expected.
  6. How do I access the new TeleAtlas Dynamap data?
  7. Where is the Major Land Use Resource Areas (MLRA) map?
  8. Where can I find a Plant Hardiness Zone map?
  9. Enhanced Digital Raster Graphic (EDRG) images requested in UTM NAD83 display in ArcMap as UTM NAD27 and are slow.
  10. How can I find out the dates of specific quarter quads (DOQQ) used to create ortho mosaics?
  11. What is the difference between APFO and NRCS DOQ mosaics?
  12. Why did I receive watershed boundary data or national hydrography data for a different geographic area than I ordered?
  13. Where can I get metadata for Soil Survey (SSURGO) version 2.1?
  14. Why do I get the error 'Our records indicate that you have already placed an order for these maps in the last five days.'
  15. Why is the DVD option grayed out?
  16. Raster files display in the wrong projection.
  17. How do I display adjacent MrSid images with transparent background?
  18. Why do I get "Invalid raster dataset. Failed to create raster layer." with NAIP 2005 and later?
  19. How do I order NAIP imagery data on media?
  20. Why is the menu not listing all the data layers I see on the Status Map?
  21. What are the access and use constraints of data delivered from the Gateway?
  22. Why are there images missing from the NAIP county mosaic?
  23. Why did the Gateway return an item with the status of "Success (Nothing Found)"?
  24. FTP downloading problems. 'Page not found' errors.
  25. How can I find the SSURGO soils completion dates?
  26. Where can I find a boundary file for Agricultural Statistics Districts?
  27. Why do I get a winzip panel with no files when I press 'Download Now'?
  28. Why is the projection of EDOQ USDA terraserver maps not recognized by ArcMap versions prior to 9.2?
  29. Why is only one-half of the CLU available for the county?
  30. Why do the values in the WBD ACRES field differ from the values of calculated acres?
  31. What is the procedure for making a color infrared from the NAIP 2008 4-band image?
1. How much does it cost me to get maps from the gateway?

FTP download is free. CD's are free for USDA personnel and $US 50 for all others. DVD's are free for USDA personnel and $US 100 for all others. DLT is $US 500 as a special order.
2. Problems with Step 1 & 2. Java applet failure. Display map doesn't appear. Quick options do nothing. Get "Error on Page".

REVISED: 13-DEC-06
You must install the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.5 to use the Gateway java applets in step one and two.

To determine if you have the JRE installed, in Internet Explorer go to "Tools/Internet Options/Advanced", make sure there is a 'Java(Sun)' entry. The JRE version will be listed in the check box below this entry. You may also run a test to see what JRE you have installed by clicking Here.

Security settings on Internet Exporer may block the test to see which JRE you have installed or generate an error. To fix this, change the settings in Tools/Internet Options/Security [TAB]/Custom Level [Button]. Choose Prompt or Enable if available for all choices under the ActiveX Controls and Plugins section. You will have to restart your browser for these changes to take effect. There will then be several prompts for running this test which must be answered with Yes in order for the test to run.

The JRE can be downloaded and installed Here.

After confimation that you have Sun JRE version 1.5 installed, check the following:
  • Ensure the link is http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov (no 'www.').
  • In Internet Explorer, go to "Tools/Internet Options/Delete Files", check 'Delete all offline content' and click OK.
  • In Internet Explorer, go to "Tools/Internet Options/Advanced", Under Java(Sun) CHECK 'Use JRE 1.5 ...' and click OK.
  • Close and restart your browser (required for changing java options) or close your browser and reboot your computer and try again.
  • Make sure that you don't have any firewalls that prevent the JRE from running.

    PLEASE NOTE: The previously recommended "msjavax86.exe" is no longer an option to run the Gateway java.
    3. My browser is 'freezing up'.

    As you surf the Web, your browser downloads all the graphics, text and other bits of information from the sites you visit, and then stores these files temporarily on your computer. These temporary files are referred to as a Cache (if you're using Netscape) or as Temporary Internet Files (if you're using Internet Explorer or AOL). If you are having connection or freezing problems, you will want to clear out your cache and make sure it's adjusted to prevent any future caching problems.
      Internet Explorer
    1. Go to the "Tools" menu.
    2. Select "Internet Options."
    3. The middle section of the window that pops up will be titled "Temporary Internet Files." Click on the "Delete Files" button in this section and click OK.
    4. Click on the "Settings" tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section.
    5. In the Settings window, you ideally want to have "Automatically" checked for how often it should check for newer versions of stored pages.
    6. In the Settings window, you also need to look at the bottom of this window to the section under "Temporary Internet files folder." Where it says "Amount of disk space to use:" You should have approximately 128 MB of disk space allocated for use. Often this is set to 1MB or a very small amount, which can cause lag in your browser. If it set too large, the browser spend more time looking at the cache than it takes to download a file.
    7. Click "OK."
    8. Click on the "Advanced" tab.
    9. Scroll to the java section and uncheck all items except Java Console"
    10. Click "OK," close and restart your browser.
    11. NOTE: The Java settings for IE5 will only be available if you chose to install the Microsoft Virtual Machine when you installed your browser. If you did not choose to install this, you must check "JIT compiler". If your computer came with IE5 already installed, you need not worry about this.

      Netscape
    1. Click "Edit" on the menu bar.
    2. Select "Preferences."
    3. Click on the plus sign in front of the section labeled "Advanced."
    4. Click on the text for Advanced on the left side and make sure that there is a check next to "Enable Java" in the display window.
    5. Click on the text for Cache on the left side.
    6. Press the "Clear Memory Cache" and "Clear Disk Cache" buttons in the display window.
    7. Optimally, you should chose "Once per session" at the bottom of the gray screen for how often the document in cache is compared to the document on the network.
    8. Press the "OK" button at the bottom of the Preferences menu and try again to access the site.

      Firefox
    1. Click "Tools" and select "Options".
    2. Click the "Privacy" icon.
    3. Click "Clear Now" in the Private Data area.
    4. Click "Ok".
    5. Exit and relaunch the browser.
    4. The FTP download files are a different size than the estimate.

    The estimated downloaded size of each product that is shown in step two and four is the size of the maps in megabytes when they are placed on your disk. When you order products via FTP they are compressed into a zip file. Putting the maps into a zip file usually reduces the size, making the zip file much smaller than the estimate. However, products which are produced with enhanced wavelet compression such as ERMapper and MrSid county mosiacs can actually become larger in a zip file.
    5. The image products did not arrive in the projection I expected.

    The choice of projection only applies to vector map products. All image products are delivered in their native projection which is UTM NAD83. Re-projecting image data is a very time consuming process involving image resampling that is best left to image processing sytems and not performed in the midst of map delivery.

    6. How do I access the new TeleAtlas Dynamap data?

    TeleAtlas data is only available to the SCA and USDA agencies that have a current paid subscription. To access this data, users are required to login to the USDA eAuthentication system using the Login option on the Gateway main menu.
    7. Where is the Major Land Use Resource Areas (MLRA) map?

    The Data Gateway has just started serving the MLRA as of December, 2007.
    8. Where can I find a Plant Hardiness Zone map?

    Information on a Plant Hardiness Zone map can be found Here.
    9. Enhanced Digital Raster Graphic (EDRG) images requested in UTM NAD83 display in ArcMap as UTM NAD27 and are slow.

    The native projection of virtually all EDRGs is UTM NAD27, but .tfw world files are available to display the images in UTM NAD83. The images display correctly in ArcView 3.x, but a bug in the 8.x and 9.x versions of ArcMap causes the software to ignore the world file. As a temporary fix, ESRI suggests:

    Alternative 1: “Use the ArcInfo Workstation CONVERTIMAGE command and specify TIFF as the output format. The new image will be a GeoTIFF, but the tags will describe the same location as the .tfw world file. Use the Arc command:
          CONVERTIMAGE oldimage.tif newimage TIFF
    If this does not work, you may have to bring the TIFF image into a third party application, such as Adobe Photoshop, and save the image out as a TIFF. ArcMap should then be able to view the image.”

    Alternative 2 (Preferred): The problem is most apparent when the initial file added to the ArcMap table of contents, perhaps an ortho mosaic, does not have adequate georeferencing information. The data frame is set to “unknown” even though the mosaic is in UTM NAD83. Enhanced DRG TIFF images with UTM NAD83 world files will not be properly aligned with this base image. ArcMap ignores the world file and relies on the NAD27 geotiff header for georeferencing. The user should immediately use ArcCatalog to define the spatial reference properties of the ortho mosaic and any other data not having defined coordinate systems.

    ArcMap resolves the misalignment problems once adequate georeferencing files are available for all data in the frame. World files (.tfw or .sdw), ArcMap .aux files, and vector .prj files allow the software to reproject the various layers on the fly; permitting all data to be correctly aligned in the display.

    All mosaics delivered through the gateway include a fully defined .aux georeferencing file.

    Alternative 3: If all data are known to be in the UTM NAD83 coordinate system, the user can set the data frame properties to UTM NAD83 before adding any data to ArcMap. All data will align properly regardless of error messages stating an image is missing spatial reference information. Even though this solution will work, it is not the preferred solution because all users of the data must understand the problem and remember to manually apply the solution.

    Alternative 4: ESRI also notes that the registry key can be editted to so that ArcGIS allows the world file to be used instead of the internal georeferencing of a raster (internal georef of a Grid, IMG, or georef tags of a GeoTiff). Perform the following edit using the command line and the regedit command:
          Registry Location = HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ESRI\Raster\Preferences
          Key = filepref.favor_world_file
          Setting = true

    Please also note that the translation of the .tfw files to NAD83 also causes a performance hit in ArcMap when plotting. As far as the reproject in ArcMap goes, the projection could be set to NAD27 like the geotiff source and not NAD83. The idea of reprocessing all EDRG files that cover North America into NAD83 as geotiff has been discussed, but the NRCS-NRI group has a legacy with NAD27, so for now, we can not do that.
    10. How can I find out the dates of specific quarter quads (DOQQ) used to create ortho mosaics?

    Available metadata is not as comprehensive as it needs to be because not all image dates for a mosaic are recorded in the metadata. Some metadata reflect the dates the mosaics were created, and this is obviously misleading. Other metadata reflects a range of image dates used to create the mosaics. While this is better, users still can’t determine image dates for specific areas in the mosaics. Over time these deficiencies will be resolved.

    The Service Center data centers in Salt Lake City, Utah and Fort Worth, Texas understand user frustration with this problem. As soon as possible, the data centers will begin delivering a complimentary product, a shapefile, with DOQQ boundaries and attributes to include file names and image dates.
    11. What is the difference between APFO and NRCS DOQ mosaics?

    APFO has USDA responsibility for generating and delivering orthoimagery mosaics to the service centers. In the absence of the APFO mosaics being available, NCGC has generated mosaics to meet NRCS field office needs. Duplicate mosaics are created when APFO later completes the 'official' county mosaics required by the service center agencies.

    APFO and NRCS MrSID mosaics are more alike than different. The differences between the mosaics are often subtle. All mosaics are reprojected to the dominant UTM zone, unless otherwise agreed to by the service center agencies, and tone balanced to minimize checkerboard patterns across the imagery.

    The primary difference between APFO and NCGC mosaics is that APFO uses SOCETSET software to mask the seamline in image overedge areas. This seaming minimizes the number of individual fields from being divided between images.

    Many program activities require the most current imagery. Users can generally assume the latest mosaic contains the most current imagery. Accompanying metadata can be useful when determining which mosaic contains the most current imagery.

    Note: A white paper is being developed by APFO and NCGC to clearly explain which image product is suitable for the different program activities.
    12. Why did I receive watershed boundary data or national hydrography data for a different geographic area than I ordered?

    Watershed and national hydrography boundaries do not follow state and county boundaries. Users are generally interested in obtaining all data for a complete watershed or group of watersheds for an area of interest, such as a county. Processing logic when ordering data by county is:

    WBD12 (24k) – All wbd12 polygons and lines in hydrologic unit sub-basins (8-digit HUC) that are inside or cross the county are delivered. 8-digit sub basins that are inside or touch a county are all delivered when ordering a county.

    WBD8 (24k) – All wbd8 polygons and lines in hydrologic unit regions (2-digit HUC) that are inside or cross the state are delivered. 2-digit regions (only the portions already completed at 1:24,000) that touch the state are all delivered when ordering a county.

    HUC8 (250k) – All huc8 polygons in hydrologic unit regions (2-digit HUC) that are inside or cross the state are delivered. 2-digit regions touching the state are all delivered when requesting a County.

    Because watershed boundary polygons are delivered that touch or cross a county or state, the resulting map(s) that are delivered may be for a county or state that you did not select. Please use the "Status Maps" option on the home page to see the area of coverage.
    13. Where can I get metadata for Soil Survey (SSURGO) version 2.1

    Documents and a complete description of the attributes in the SSURGO 2.1 can be found Here.
    14. Why do I get the error "Our records indicate that you have already placed an order for these maps in the last five days."?

    If you attempt to place an order for the same data set that you've ordered within the last 5 days, you will receive this error as an effort to reduce unneccessary duplication of data orders. Sometimes there is a need for reordering such as ordering in a different delivery format. If this is the case, contact the Gateway using the contact option from the main menu and request to have your current order deleted. The alternative is to wait 5 days and order again.
    15. Why is the DVD option grayed out?

    The DVD option on the shipping page will not be available when the amount of data is one CD or less. In addition, the DVD option will not be available in a multi-county order when the average size of each county will fit on a CD. When you use a multi-county order, the site in effect creates an order for each county and begins a new labeled set of CDs/DVDs with each county.

    An alternative is to select by Minimum Bounding Rectangle to get as many maps on a Cd or DVD as possible.
    16. Raster files display in the wrong projection.

    ArcGIS 9.2 introduced some bugs with raster projections. Older MrSID files that have a datum of NAD83 are incorrectly read as NAD27. A work around to this problem is to edit the map's Spatial Reference properties in ArcCatalog:

    1. In ArcCatalog, bring in the MrSID file. Go to File > Properties > When the Properties Box appears, scroll down to “Spatial Reference” and hit the Edit button. Use either the “Select” button or “Import” button to change from NAD27_UTM to NAD83_UTM, with applicable Zone, and then the “Apply” button, then “OK”.

    2. Leave ArcCatalog open. Open a new ArcMap session. Before you bring in the above raster, in the new ArcMap session, go to Tools > Options > Raster, and uncheck the "Use world file to define the coordinates of the raster."

    3. Now bring in the MrSID file by dragging from ArcCatalog into the ArcMap table of contents.

    The mosaic should now display correctly.

    17. How do I display adjacent MrSid images with transparent background?

    Users often need to display two or more orthophoto or digital raster graphic mosaics without having no data areas block out overlap areas. ArcGIS, rather than ArcView, software must be used to display transparent no data areas. The following procedures work best with LizardTech’s MrSID images.

    For each map:
    -Right click on the layer to get the layer properties
    -Click Symbology Tab
    -Check “Display Background Value”
    -Click “No Color”
    18. Why do I get "Invalid raster dataset. Failed to create raster layer." with NAIP 2005 and later?

    The USDA Aerial Photography Field Office (APFO) contract for 2005 NAIP imagery specified LizardTech's MrSID Generation 3 (MG3) format as noted Here. Additional information on MG3 can be found Here.

    ArcGIS 9.x has built-in support for MG3. ArcGIS 8.3 support for MG3 requires ArcGIS Desktop 8.3 Raster Update download and install. Information on downloading and installing the ArcGIS Desktop 8.3 raster update to support MG 3 .sid format, can be found Here.

    Information on updating ArcView 3.x with raster Update to support MG 3 .sid format, can be found Here.
    19. How do I order NAIP imagery data on media?

    NAIP data is only available as an ftp download when ordered through the Gateway. If you would like to order NAIP data on media you must order directly from the APFO. More information, can be found Here.
    20. Why is the menu not listing all the data layers I see on the Status Map?

    Effective 1 February 2006 the USDA SCA Geospatial Data Distribution policy was fully implemented. As a result of this new policy, geospatial data not financed by USDA SCA is no longer available to the public. If you are an authorized USDA user, you must login from the Gateway main menu to see all the data layers. More information about the policy can be found Here.
    21. What are the access and use constraints of data delivered from the Gateway?

    Information presented on this website is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. More information can be found Here.
    22. Why are there images missing from the NAIP county mosaic?

    All the full resolution images that make up a county may not of been available at the time the compressed county mosaic was created which results in holes in the county. NAIP imagery is only flown once a year so these holes will not be filled. Check other calendar years for possible full county data with 'Status Maps' on the gateway home page.
    23. Why did the Gateway return an item with the status of "Success (Nothing Found)"?

    If you use the "Quick County(s)" option, the Gateway will create an order of the selected product for every county in your list. If there is no data for a particular county, the order for that county will return a status of "Success (Nothing Found)". The Gateway notifier will state "No Map(s) were found in the area ordered" in the notification email.

    The "Status Maps" link on the Gateway home page will show the counties covered by a particular product. The "Preview Map(s) & Metadata" option in Step 2 will provide a detailed list of all map(s) included with a particular product.
    24. FTP downloading problems. 'Page not found' errors.

    If you get an error opening the ftp server, the likely cause is that you've either entered an incorrect ftp file path or the order has expired and is no longer available. Orders only remain on the system for 5 days. If your order has expired you will need to place it again through the Gateway.

    Make sure you have entered the entire file path. If you are clicking on a link in your email make sure it is complete and not truncated because some of it may be on subsequent line(s). You can always use the Gateway "Check Order" to determine if an order has expired or to ensure the correct ftp file path. After you click on the link click the Save button not Open.

    Please note that products larger than 2.14 GB are not compressed into a single archive. Navigate down to the individual files that comprise the map(s) for this product and download each file.

    The APFO ftp site (for NAIP and CLU imagery) can get extremely busy and will hit its maximum number of connections. IE doesn't see the message that the maximum number of connections has been reached and in turn gives the 'Page not found' error. Please keep trying as this problem is intermittent depending upon the activity levels.

    Another common ftp problem is to receive a timeout error. Depending upon your network configuration and traffic sometimes an ftp download will experience interruptions. A typical web browser such as Internet Explorer will quit as soon as it hits an interruption. An alternative is to use an ftp transport tool that will keep retrying. Information on some shareware ftp transport tools can be found Here. If the ftp tool requires a user/password, use "anonymous" as the user and order number as the password.
    25. How can I find the SSURGO soils completion dates?

    You can find that information by going to The Soil Data Mart homepage and clicking on the "Status Map" link.
    All SSURGO related data questions can be pursued by this contact.
    26. Where can I find a boundary file for Agricultural Statistics Districts?

    The map can be found by going Here and clicking on the "Downloadable Agricultural Statistics District Boundaries" link.
    27. Why do I get a winzip panel with no files when I press 'Download Now'?

    You should get a panel with the choices Open Save or Cancel. Always select Save. To get the default dialog of Open Save or Cancel when downloading a .zip file, use:
    -Windows Exporer/Tools/Folder Options/
    or
    -Start/Control Panel /Folder Options/
    then select File Types tab, find ZIP in Extensions, click Advanced button and finally "Confirm open after download"
    You can also right click and select 'Save Target As' to specify a location and name.
    28. Why is the projection of EDOQ USDA terraserver maps not recognized by ArcMap versions prior to 9.2?

    The EDOQ USDA terraserver maps are delivered in ArcMap 9.2 format. The projection is defined in the *.jpg.aux.xml file. To set the projection in the .aux file for use in ArcMap versions prior to 9.2, or for use in Imagine 8.6 thru 9.1, first view the text of the .jpg.aux.xml file to see the projection values then define the projection to be that of the .xml file.

    If there are several maps, use the batch define projection tool:
    Toolbox>samples>data management>projections>batch define coordinate system
    29. Why is only one-half of the CLU available for the county?

    The Otter Tail,MN (111), Polk, MN (119) and Pottawattamie, IA (155) CLU counties have been split into two parts by the state and are not deliverable for both East and West sides. You will need to purchase the West side from APFO. Contact the APFO Sales Department for pricing.
    30. Why do the values in the WBD ACRES field differ from the values of calculated acres?

    The ACRES field was calculated based on the North America Albers Equal Area Conic projection. Data delivered by the Gateway is either in Geographic, UTM or State Plane. Any area calculations will be based on the map's current projection and therefore will differ from the original ACRES values.
    31. What is the procedure for making a color infrared from the NAIP 2008 4-band image?

    In ArcMap 9.2 SP4 add the map to the legend. Right click for layer properties. Click on the Symbology tab and set the Red channnel to Band_4.

    Or you can permanently set it by:
    -Click the Tools menu and click Options.
    -Click the Raster tab.
    -Under 3 band data source, type the number of the band that will provide the red display values. Type the number of the band that will provide the green values, then type the number of the band that will provide the blue values.
    -For raster datasets with four or more bands, repeat step 3, providing the information under 4 or more band data source.
    -Click OK.