Geographic Information System Applications 
 for Water Distribution Asset Management 
 
 
 
 
 
by 
 
Michael D. McNinch 
 
 
 
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements 
 
for the Degree of  
 
Master in Science of Engineering 
 
in the 
 
Civil and Environmental Engineering 
 
Program 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY 
 
August, 2009 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Geographic Information System Applications 
 for Water Distribution Asset Management 
 
Michael D. McNinch 
 
 
I hereby release this thesis to the public.  I understand that this thesis will be made 
available from the OhioLINK ETD Center and the Maag Library Circulation Desk for 
public access.  I also authorize the University or other individuals to make copies of this 
thesis as needed for scholarly research. 
 
 
Signature: 
 _____________________________________________________________ 
 Michael D. McNinch, Student                                          Date 
 
 
Approvals: 
 
 _____________________________________________________________ 
 Dr. Scott Martin, Thesis Advisor                                                           Date 
 
 
 _____________________________________________________________ 
                  Dr. Shakir Husain, Committee Member                                              Date 
 
 
 _____________________________________________________________ 
                  Dr. Hans Tritico, Committee Member                                        Date 
 
 
 _____________________________________________________________ 
                    Peter J. Kasvinsky, Dean of School of Graduate Studies & Research Date 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 iii 
 
ABSTRACT 
 
Water system information has traditionally been represented on physical map 
sheets, map books, ledger books and index cards.  Because of the level of detail required, 
a water system map could be hundreds or thousands of pages long.  The map, ledger 
books and index cards can be extremely unwieldy and present difficulty in trying to find 
specific information.   
A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer mapping and analysis 
system that allows features to be displayed graphically in layers using a coordinate 
system and linked to attribute data.   By linking information electronically, data can be 
sorted, combined, and analyzed in ways that would have been impossible previously. 
This thesis illustrates the potential usefulness of a GIS applied to manage the 
assets of a water distribution system, with specific application to the City of Youngstown 
Water Distribution System.  The downtown area of Youngstown, Ohio was chosen for a 
pilot study. Geodatabase layers and attribute tables were developed for water lines and 
hydrants. Several applications of the GIS for distribution system maintenance were 
demonstrated. The ability to obtain global position system (GPS) coordinates and to 
incorporate into the GIS was also shown to be possible. 
 This study shows that, using existing personnel and available technology, a GIS 
can be implemented for asset management at the daily operations level and also at the 
budgeting and planning level.  The initial cost for equipment totals $48,000 and can be 
implemented for daily operations immediately with no increase in personnel costs with a 
project payback time of 50 weeks. 
 
 iv 
 
 
DEDICATION 
 
For Amanda, Connor and Rowdie
 v 
 
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
 
  
 I would like to thank the personnel of the Youngstown Water Department and 
specifically Lou Joseph and Ed Tyrrell for their diligent record keeping during their 
careers.  I would also like to thank the Mahoning County GIS Department for their help 
and advice in using their website to obtain the information used for the base layers of the 
GIS. 
 Thanks also to Dr. Scott Martin and Linda Adovasio of the Youngstown State 
University Civil Engineering Department for their help and advice throughout this 
endeavor.  I would also like to thank Dr. Hans Tritico and Dr. Shakir Husain for their 
input and advice during this process. 
 vi 
 
Table of Contents 
 
           PAGE 
 
ABSTRACT iv 
 
DEDICATION v 
 
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS vi 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS vii 
 
LIST OF TABLES viii 
 
LIST OF FIGURES ix 
 
CHAPTER 
 
 1. INTRODUCTION 1 
 
 2. BACKGROUND 3 
  
  2.1. City of Youngstown Water Distribution System 3 
   
  2.2. Geographic Information Systems 8  
 
  2.3. GIS Software 11 
 
  2.4. Global Positioning System Data 12 
 
  2.5. Applications of GIS in Infrastructure Management 15 
 
 3. METHODS AND PROCEDURES 16 
 
  3.1. Selection of GIS Software 16 
 
  3.2. Selection of Sample Area 19 
 
  3.3. Base Map Development 21 
 
  3.4. Development of Water Main Layer 23 
   
  3.5. Development of the Fire Hydrant Layer 29 
   
  
 vii 
 
 4. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS 38 
 
  4.1.  Selecting Hydrants by Manufacturer 39 
 
  4.2.  Hydrant Flow Rate 40 
 
  4.3. Water Main Size 42 
 
  4.4. Water Main Material 43 
 
  4.5. Water Main Selection Using Logical Expressions 45 
 
  4.6. Water Main Selection Using Multiple Criteria 47 
 
  4.7. Generating Reports Based on Selection Criteria 48 
 
  4.8. Report Generation Producing Exact Results 54 
 
  4.9. Assessment Using Seasonal Differences 58 
   
  4.10. GIS for Daily Operation 63 
 
  4.11. Combining GPS with GIS 66 
 
  4.12. Feasibility 70 
   
 5.  CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 74 
 
 REFERENCES 76 
 APPENDIX 79 
 
     
 viii 
 
 
LIST OF TABLES 
 
TABLE   PAGE 
 
Table 3-1. Fields in Water Main Attribute Table 26 
 
Table 3-2. Inventory Worksheet Row 27 
 
Table 3-4. Fire Hydrant Attribute Table 29 
 
Table 3-5. Fire Hydrant Information 29 
 
Table 4-1. Water Mains Over 75 Years Report 53 
 
Table 4-2. 8” Cast Iron Mains Over 75 Years Old 56 
 
Table 4-3. Winter Water Main Breaks Report 60 
 
Table 4-4. Summer Main Breaks 62 
 
Table 4-5. Vogt Hydrant Locations 65 
 
Table A-1. Water Main Attribute Data Types 92 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ix
 
LIST OF FIGURES 
 
FIGURE  PAGE 
 
Figure 2.1. Mueller Company Fire Hydrant 5  
 
Figure 2.2. ODOT Steel Price Index 7 
 
Figure 2.3. Mercator Projection of the Earth 8 
 
Figure 2.4. Service Index Card 12 
 
Figure 3.1. Study Boundary Map Centered on Mahoning River 20 
 
Figure 3.2. Base Map 22 
 
Figure 3.3. Linen Map Showing Repairs 23 
 
Figure 3.4. Youngstown Water Map K-19 24 
 
Figure 3.5. Water Main Layer 28 
 
Figure 3.6. Pete the Penguin Fire Hydrant 31 
 
Figure 3.7. Magellan Explorist 300 34 
 
Figure 3.8. Google Earth 35 
 
Figure 3.9. YSU Hydrant 72 36 
 
Figure 3.10. GIS for Section of Sample Area, Showing Base Map  37 
   with Waterlines and Hydrants Layers  
 
Figure 4.1. Fire Hydrants Color Coded 39 
 
Figure 4.2. Hydrant Flow Rate in Gallons per Minute 41 
 
Figure 4.3. Water Main Size in Inches 42 
 
Figure 4.4. Water Main Material 44 
 
Figure 4.5.  ArcMap Water Main Logical Expression Closeup Display 45 
 
Figure 4.6. ArcMap 75 Year Old Water Main Display 45 
 
 
 x
 
Figure 4.7. ArcMap Display of Main Breaks in 2007-08 that were on Mains 47 
   Older than 75 Years 
 
Figure 4.8. ArcMap 24” Mains Display 48 
  
Figure 4.9.  ArcMap Print Layout for 24” Water Main Map 50 
 
Figure 4.10. Water Main Length Report 51 
 
Figure 4.11. Water Mains Over 75 Years Map 52 
 
Figure 4.12. Eight Inch, 75 Year Old Cast Iron Mains Map 55 
 
Figure 4.13. Winter Water Main Breaks Map 59 
 
Figure 4.14. Summer Water Main Breaks Map 61 
 
Figure 4.15. Vogt Hydrant Map 64 
 
Figure 4.16. Remote Hydrant Aerial Photo 67 
 
Figure 4.17. GPS Query Display 68 
 
Figure 4.18. Hydrant Identify Display 69 
 
Figure 4.19. Magellan Mobile Mapper 71 
 
Figure A.1. Download Screenshot 81 
 
Figure A.2. ArcView New Map Screen 82 
 
Figure A.3. Roadcl.shp Screen 83 
Figure A.4. Mahoning County Roads 84 
Figure A.5. YSU Layers 85 
Figure A.6. Address Display 86 
Figure A.7. Base Layers Closeup 87 
Figure A.8. Sewerline Layer Screen 89 
Figure A.9. Sewerline Delete Screen 90 
Figure A.10. Waterline Layer Additions 93 
 xi
 
Figure A.11. Layers Available for Editing 94 
Figure A.12.   Waterline Creation 95 
Figure A.13. Complete Waterline Layer 97 
Figure A.14.  Creating Hydrant Fields 98 
Figure A.15.   Hydrant Placement 100 
Figure A.16. GIS Layers 101 
Figure A.17. Hydrant Attribute Table 102 
 
 1 
 
CHAPTER 1 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 
A water distribution system is one of the most critical components of the 
infrastructure of a community.  Whether used for drinking, sanitation or industry, flowing 
water is a necessity for civilization.  From the aqueducts of ancient Rome to the wooden 
water mains of early America to the ductile iron and plastic water mains of today, each 
advance in technology enabled an advance in civilization. 
The advancement of computer technology is providing the next step in water 
distribution management.  Water system information has traditionally been represented 
on physical map sheets, map books, ledger books and index cards.  Because of the level 
of detail required, a water system map could be hundreds or thousands of pages long.  
The map and ledger books can be extremely unwieldy and present difficulty in trying to 
find specific information.  Index cards containing information can be so voluminous that 
whole rooms can be dedicated to their storage. 
With this traditional approach, the efficient, cost-effective management of a water 
distribution system is very challenging. To determine the length of water mains in the 
system, each pipe must be measured on a map sheet and then multiplied by the map scale.  
Information such as installation date, number of pipe breaks, and condition of pipe must 
be obtained by manually searching through the paper archives.  This is tedious and time 
consuming.  Water main extensions or repairs must be drawn after the old water main has 
been erased. After decades of use, physical maps become worn and illegible.  Finding 
specific information such as the number of turns on a valve also presents problems.  
 2 
 
Some assets may not have a street address, making it difficult to locate in the Water 
Department filing system.  
The advent of the Geographic Information System (GIS) will lead to the next step 
in evolution of water system management.  A GIS is an electronic mapping system that 
allows information to be grouped graphically and displayed by using a coordinate system.  
By linking information electronically, data can be sorted or combined in ways that would 
have been impossible previously, allowing the user to make much more efficient and 
effective decisions based upon the data. 
This thesis illustrates the potential usefulness of a GIS as applied to water 
distribution systems in general, and specifically to the City of Youngstown water 
distribution system.  The objectives of this study are to show that: 
1.  Physical maps can be converted to an electronic format by drawing by hand or 
tracing over scanned images of existing maps.    
2.  Attributes or qualities of objects on the electronic map can be linked to a 
searchable database forming a GIS. 
3.  The GIS can be used in both day to day operations and budgeting and 
engineering analysis, providing cost savings. 
4. Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates can be readily obtained and 
incorporated into the GIS. 
5.  Current technology is available and affordable, replaces manual data storage 
and retrieval and can be implemented immediately using existing personnel. 
 
 
 3 
 
CHAPTER 2 
BACKGROUND      
 
2-1 City of Youngstown Water Distribution System 
The City of Youngstown was founded in 1796 and incorporated in 1867 (City of 
Youngstown, 2009).  The city has grown and now maintains a water distribution system 
that services 175,000 people and uses 750 miles of pipelines to deliver over 18 million 
gallons of water each day (City of Youngstown Water Department, 2007).  The water 
system has been an integral part of the growth of the city from the beginning, with cast 
iron water mains dating to 1872 (Breslin, 2006) and fire hydrants dating to 1893.  These 
water mains and hydrants have been in constant use since the time of their installation.  
The water mains range in size from 4” distribution mains to 42” transmission mains.  The 
distribution mains are used to deliver water directly to neighborhoods and the 
transmission mains are used to transport bulk water from pumping stations to storage 
tanks.  The water mains are comprised of various materials that have evolved throughout 
the years.  Wooden water mains were used at one time to transport water in Youngstown, 
and the remains are occasionally unearthed during construction projects in the downtown 
area.  The piping material that is currently used is a combination of cast iron pipe, ductile 
iron pipe, transite (asbestos reinforced concrete), and reinforced concrete. 
The system is comprised of many other individual components, including 16,036 
valves to control the flow and direction of water and 7,447 fire hydrants (City of 
Youngstown Water Department, 2008). There are several types of valve used, including 
gate valves and butterfly valves.  Gate valve sizes range from 4 inch to 36 inch.  The four 
 4 
 
inch valves can be operated by one person and take nine turns to open or close.  The 36 
inch valves must be turned 288 times to operate.   
The fire hydrants in the system are from six different manufacturers.  The oldest 
hydrant still in use, a Vogt, has a manufacturing date of 1893.  There have been constant 
improvements made in the design of fire hydrants over the years, and the Youngstown 
Water Department (YWD) has many different models from each manufacturer (Mueller 
Company Fire Hydrant shown in Figure 2-1).  This can present difficulties in maintaining 
an adequate supply of replacement parts.  Each fire hydrant has an orange barrel (main 
body) to increase visibility for safety forces.  The caps on each hydrant are color coded to 
indicate the size of water main that the hydrant is connected to.  Water mains six inches 
and smaller have orange colored caps.  Yellow caps indicate water mains of eight or ten 
inches, and water mains twelve inch and larger are shown by white caps.  The color 
scheme allows fire department personnel to connect to the largest possible water source if 
there is more than one hydrant in the vicinity of a fire.  Each hydrant is operated at least 
once a year to ensure that it functions correctly.  Record keeping for hydrant operation is 
a simple check list with hydrant information on it. 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 2-1. Mueller Company Fire Hydrant. (Mueller Company, 2009) 
 
The YWD has a budget of $27 million for 2009.  This budget includes the 
purchase of water, employee costs and infrastructure improvement and repair.  There are 
78 employees dedicated solely to the construction, repair and maintenance of the system.  
Heavy construction equipment plays a vital role in the daily operations of the water 
department.  There are six backhoes, six dump trucks, a front loader and a heavy flat bed 
truck with a hydraulic lift used to transport water mains. There is also a fleet of service 
vans and meter reading trucks.  The water department has a full time garage staff of five 
mechanics to keep all the vehicles operational.   
The Water Department budgets $3.9 million each year for infrastructure 
improvement, maintenance and repair.  Improvements include erecting new water towers, 
 6 
 
upgrading water pumps, installing new water mains to replace old ones or to increase the 
pipe size, and installation of backup electrical generators.  Operation of mainline water 
valves, rebuilding water pumps and operation of fire hydrants are examples of the 
maintenance performed by the water department.  Due to the age of the water system, the 
water mains experience frequent breaks that must be repaired.  Fire hydrants are 
occasionally damaged and must be rebuilt.  Water towers must be repainted every 15 to 
20 years.   The personnel cost totals $4.3 million.  The personnel costs are negotiated 
with the union representing the employees and traditionally increases 3% each year. 
Ductile iron pipe has an expected life of 100 years (DIPRA, 2009).  The YWD 
has many pipes that are exceeding their life span and will need to be replaced in the near 
future.  Water main supplies and repair materials have increased dramatically over the 
past several years, as indicated by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Steel 
Price Index shown in Figure 2-2.  This chart shows the gross index price per ton of steel 
on the American Metals Market.  The ductile iron pipe which is used for water mains by 
the City of Youngstown has shown a similar increase in cost.   
Efficient management of water department assets will become more critical as 
costs increase.  A GIS enables decisions to be made quickly and efficiently optimizing 
the resources available to the YWD. 
 7 
 
 
 
$0.00
$50.00
$100.00
$150.00
$200.00
$250.00
$300.00
$350.00
$400.00
$450.00
Apr
-01
Oc
t-01 Apr-02
Oc
t-02 Apr-03
Oc
t-03 Apr-04
Oc
t-04 Apr-05
Oc
t-05 Apr-06
Oc
t-06 Apr-07
Oc
t-07 Apr-08
 
Figure 2-2. ODOT Steel Price Index (Ohio Department of Transportation, 2008) 
 8 
 
 2-2 Geographic Information Systems 
GIS “integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, 
and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information” (ESRI, 2009a).  A 
GIS is a map with layers of information placed upon it.  The power of a GIS is the ease 
with which information can be displayed, manipulated, combined and used for making 
decisions.  For a GIS to work, each layer must use the same frame of reference or 
coordinate system.  At the city level, there is no distortion converting the real world to a 
two dimensional surface.  As you expand to larger distances, the curvature of the earth 
begins to cause errors.  It is difficult to accurately portray a round three dimensional 
surface onto a two dimensional map.  When a two dimensional map is produced, it is said 
to be “projected” from the three dimensional surface.  Every projection has inherent 
inaccuracies because it “distorts the spatial properties of shape, area, distance, or 
direction in some combination” (Ormsby et al., 2004).  This becomes evident in the 
Mercator Projection of the Earth shown in Figure 2-3 (UWSP, 2009).  This common 
projection shows Greenland as being larger than Africa.  In reality, Greenland is 836,000 
square miles and Africa is 11,668,000 square miles.  There are many different projections 
that can be used to minimize certain aspects of the map distortion, but because the surface 
of the Earth is not a perfect sphere it is impossible to completely eliminate all 
imperfections. 
The sample area used in this study is small enough that these distortions will be 
minimal but may be of concern during full scale county wide implementation. 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 2-3. Mercator Projection of the Earth. 
 
A coordinate system is used as a reference to determine location in any mapping 
system.  The most widely recognized is latitude and longitude.  The longitude of a 
position is the angle in the horizontal plane to the Prime Meridian.  The Prime Meridian 
has been arbitrarily chosen to run through Greenwich, England.  The latitude is the angle 
of a position in reference to the Equator.  In both cases, the vertex of the angle is the 
center of the Earth. The Equator is the circle that splits the Earth into a north and south 
hemisphere.  The Equator has a latitude of zero degrees and the North Pole has a latitude 
of ninety degrees.  A mathematical correction must be used once a coordinate system is 
in place to relate the idealized version of the Earth as a sphere to the actual Earth.  This is 
referred to as a datum.   
Once a coordinate system and a datum have been determined, relating spatial 
information from the real world to mathematical or visual representations can be done 
 10 
 
with accuracy and precision. Layers of information on many different types of 
geographic features from many different sources can be combined on the same map.  
Features are geographic objects, and can be represented in vector (points, lines or 
polygons) or raster (pixels) format (Ormsby et al, 2004). Features and attributes are 
combined to form geodatabases. Attributes are categories of information about features 
(Ormsby et al, 2004). Attribute data are stored in tables and linked to specific features. 
Attribute examples may include size, average temperature, population, date created, or 
whatever is pertinent to the GIS users. Data can be collected and grouped according to 
common traits.  Geodatabases are powerful because they allow data sets to be used, 
manipulated and referenced to other data sets by using their coordinates as the linking 
factor. 
 
 11 
 
2-3  GIS Software 
There are many vendors of GIS software.  Some are tailored for specific users or 
computer operating systems, but the most commonly used are from Autodesk, Bentley, 
ESRI Inc., GE (Smallworld), Pitney Bowes (MapInfo), and Intergraph (Steniger, 2009). 
Autodesk GIS is designed to run on a server platform and is designed to be 
compatible with the AutoCad family of software.  Bentley Map provides access to Oracle 
database functions and is designed to be run with  MicroStation software.  Smallworld is 
compatable with the General Electric family of control systems.  MapInfo is a Windows 
based platform and is capable of data analysis for marketing decisions. 
The ESRI GIS software family is comprised of the desktop applications ArcView, 
ArcEditor and ArcInfo.  ArcView allows for map creation and editing along with 
database management functions.  ArcEditor permits simultaneous multi-user editing of 
the database and ArcInfo provides advanced modeling and analysis functions.  These 
ESRI programs can be run on a typical office desktop computer (ESRI 2009b).  
ESRI also produces ArcPad which can be used on handheld computing devices.  
ArcPad is compatible with the ESRI desktop applications and allows for maps and data to 
be transferred from one device to another, allowing data collected in the field to be easily 
incorporated into the desktop GIS.
 12 
 
2-4 Global Positioning System Data 
One recurring problem that occurs in trying to locate water department 
infrastructure is that the surroundings change over time.  Traditionally, measurements are 
taken from a landmark considered to be permanent.  Measurements for some assets are 
maintained on index cards, which are filed by street address if possible.  The index card 
in Figure 2-4 shows measurements for the curb stop valve used to shut off water serving 
the building at 927 Mahoning Avenue.  This building is behind the building that fronts 
Mahoning Avenue and the water service is obtained from Rockview.  Utility poles, fire 
hydrants, buildings, main line water valves and property lines are frequently used as 
landmarks.  As this measurement card shows, the landmark for this property is actually 
the curb box for an adjacent property on the side street (66’ from 21 Rockview).  
 
 
Figure 2-4. Service Index Card. 
 13 
 
 Landmarks frequently change.  Fire hydrants can be run over by vehicles and may 
be moved to prevent further damage.  Utility poles can be replaced or eliminated as part 
of an upgrade program.  The City of Youngstown is currently in the process of a 
multimillion dollar demolition program, with thousands of houses being razed in 2007 
and 2008 (Schmitt, 2008).  Roads are frequently repaved and widened (Franco, 2008) 
making measurements taken from curbs or property lines difficult to interpret.  The 
advent of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) allows for the determination of a location 
without using any local landmarks.  The position is determined in degrees of Latitude and 
Longitude. 
 The GPS is a “constellation of 24 operating satellites that continuously transmit 
one-way signals giving the current GPS satellite position and time” (National Space-
Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Coordination Office, 2009).  The 
predominant GPS system is owned by the United States.  The satellites orbit the earth 
every twelve hours in a fixed pattern (United States Air Force, 2008).  The satellites are 
arrayed at a height of 10,400 Nautical miles and spaced so that a minimum of six 
satellites are within line of sight of every position on the earth.  The end user on the 
surface of the earth uses a receiver that calculates the delay in the time signal from each 
satellite.  The delay in the time signal is then used to calculate the distance from that 
specific satellite.  The angles between the satellites are kept constant, and once the 
distance is known from the location of the user to the satellite, the receiving device will 
calculate the position (latitude, longitude, and elevation) of the user. 
The accuracy of the GPS is subject to many variables.  Local terrain, foliage or 
buildings may obstruct or impair the GPS signal.  Atmospheric conditions such as rain or 
 14 
 
snow can also impede the GPS signal.  Solar activity can delay the GPS signal through 
the ionosphere, affecting accuracy.  Because of this, night time or early morning can 
provide the best accuracy (Free Geography Tools, 2008).   
Accuracy is also a function of the capabilities of the receiver itself.  A small hand-
held device used for recreational purposes is capable of accuracy within 10 meters and 
can be purchased for under $150.00.  This is considered acceptable for hiking and 
recreational use.  The highest degree of accuracy is obtained with GPS equipment 
designated “survey grade”.  Survey grade GPS can be accurate to the centimeter level.  
Survey grade GPS is also significantly more expensive, costing tens of thousands of 
dollars per unit.   Survey grade equipment may also require post-processing of data to 
correct any errors that may have occurred during data collection. 
 15 
 
2-5  Applications of GIS in Infrastructure Management 
Many providers of public utilities are utilizing GIS as a tool in their asset 
management plans.  The City of Norfolk, Virginia uses GIS to manage the 1,500 miles of 
pipe that comprises its water and wastewater system (Edralin, 2008).  The Norfolk 
system is based on ESRI ArcSDE hosted on dedicated GIS servers.  The City of Fontana, 
California is using GIS to manage the traffic signs used by its road department.  The 
reflective qualities of signs are mapped using ArcMap (Field, 2008). 
The Wilmington Delaware Public Works department began implementing an 
improvement project in 2003 to upgrade its water system.  Wilmington created an asset 
management system developed on a GIS platform.  Using the GIS, the most vulnerable 
components were identified and selected for renewal (Nayer, 2009). 
The Dupage Water Commission located in Dupage, Illinois combined a GIS with 
water modeling software.  Aerial photographs were used as a GIS layer and a water line 
layer was created using the photograph layer as a template. Once the water line layer was 
finished, the water modeling software was used to link as built drawings to individual 
lengths of pipe.  By selecting a length of pipe the actual as built drawings would be 
displayed (Frelka, 2008). 
 16 
 
CHAPTER 3 
METHODS AND PROCEDURES 
 
3-1   Selection of GIS Software 
The initial step for creating a GIS for the Youngstown water distribution system 
was to determine a GIS software package to use.  Key factors in the decision making 
process were:   
1. Long term compatibility with other government agencies to facilitate integration 
if regionalization were to occur. 
2. Initial cost. 
3. Expandability and portability. 
 The Youngstown Water Department is predominantly situated within Mahoning 
County, Ohio.  The Mahoning County Commissioners established a GIS policy board in 
2001 to determine the needs of the County and create the GIS department (Mahoning 
County, 2009).  The Mahoning County GIS uses ESRI’s software to run their GIS 
system.  The version that they use enables them to publish their maps to the Internet.  The 
County GIS department currently has 76 layers available for use.  The layers range from 
local interest such as property lot numbers to the national information included in the 
Federal Emergency Management Association flood plain data.  The software enables 
users to select which layers are of interest and display them.  It also allows for layers to 
be searched for specific information and have that information displayed to any internet 
capable device.  ESRI software is also the dominant software in use worldwide with 78% 
of GIS professionals using it (GISJobs, 2009).  
 17 
 
 
 The initial cost of a single user license of ESRI ArcView was $1200 on June 5, 
2008.  MapInfo has a cost of $1500 (SGSI, 2009). The ESRI price included the ArcMap, 
ArcCatalog, ArcToolbox and Modelbuilder modules.  ArcMap is used to display and 
manipulate maps.  The interface allows the user to determine the appearance of the map 
and which layers of information to display.  ArcCatalog is used to create and edit 
geodatabases.  ArcToolbox allows for the analysis and combination of data in 
geodatabases  
 ESRI enables purchasers of their products to upgrade to the next levels of 
software ArcEditor or ArcInfo.  ArcEditor allows multi user editing of geodatabases, and 
spatial data creation from scanned maps.  ArcInfo includes all of the other options plus 
publication quality mapping and advanced data analysis and modeling.  ESRI also 
produces a software program called ArcPad.  ArcPad is used by field personnel to 
“integrate GPS, rangefinders, and digital cameras into GIS data collection”(ESRI, 
2009c). This increases efficiency.  A field technician can download necessary GIS 
information into their field equipment, collect data, make necessary changes or additions 
and then transfer the data back to the GIS database at the end of the workday.  This 
replaces the traditional approach of carrying cumbersome field books and surveying 
equipment into the field, logging all information by hand and then manually entering the 
data into the central GPS system. 
Because ESRI ArcView is compatible with Mahoning County GIS, costs less than 
other platforms and is able to be expanded if necessary it was determined to be the best 
 18 
 
solution for the initial entry into the GIS field.  The software was purchased and installed 
on a desktop PC running Microsoft Windows Professional. 
 19 
 
3-2  Selection of Sample Area 
The Youngstown Water Department is comprised of many physical assets, 
including 750 miles of water mains, 7,447 fire hydrants, valves, 8 pump stations, 8 
storage tanks/water towers and over 55,000 curb stops.  In order to provide an effective 
demonstration of the capabilities of an applied GIS for a water distribution system, the 
scope of this project was limited to the downtown area of Youngstown, Ohio.  This 1.74 
square mile area provides a sample of 376 water mains and 259 fire hydrants to exhibit 
the capabilities of a GIS without being overly cumbersome.  The area chosen is bounded 
by US interstate 680 to the south, US highway 62 to the east, US highway 422 to the 
north, and Ohio route 193 to the west, as shown in Figure 3.1..  The boundary limits are 
marked in green. This sample area includes a variety of water main piping materials, 
piping sizes, fire hydrant types and fire hydrant flow rates.   
 
 20 
 
 
Figure 3-1.  Study Boundary Map Centered on Mahoning River (Yahoo, 2009) 
 21 
 
3-3 Base Map Development 
Once the geographic scope was determined, development of the underlying map 
framework was necessary.  In order to eliminate unnecessary work and ensure 
compatibility with local government agencies, the Mahoning County GIS roads, property 
lines and property features layers were used.  These layers were downloaded using the 
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) system from the Mahoning County GIS website, 
http://gis.mahoningcountyoh.gov/PublicFT/.  These layers provide maps with street 
names, property lines and property addresses.  Each layer has many other fields that were 
not of direct interest to this demonstration, but have potential for future use by the Water 
Department, such as the owner’s name and zip code.  These layers use the GCS North 
American 1983 Geographic Coordinate System with the D North American 1983 datum.  
The projected coordinate system for the map is 
NAD_1983_StatePlane_Ohio_North_FIPS_3401_Feet.  These layers provided the base 
map for the GIS and enabled creation of the geodatabase for the Youngstown Water 
Department distribution system. 
The specific layer files used for this model were: Buildings_ExportCAD.DWG, 
Property Lines.zip, Road Centerlines.zip, Property Lots.zip and Sewer Features.zip.  
Creating a new GIS map and installing these layers enabled specific attributes to be 
displayed.  By selecting the street name and the address attributes, drawing the water line 
and hydrant layer was made much simpler because an easy reference was visible.  The 
step by step procedure is included in the Appendix.  Figure 3-2 illustrates the GIS base 
map with the street name, address and building outline displayed. 
 22 
 
 
Figure 3-2. Base Map. 
Legend:  Road Centerline  -  Blue Line 
    Lot Boundary  - Purple Line 
  Lot Address - Number 
 23 
 
3-4   Development of Water Main Layer 
Water main information is currently stored on maps made of linen or Mylar film. 
The linen map close up shown in Figure 3-3 is over 50 years old and has been repaired 
numerous times, as can be seen by the dark brown strips. The maps have a coordinate 
system developed by the YWD.  The map centered on the downtown square is designated 
Youngstown Water Map K-19 (Figure 3-4).  Figure 3-4 displays a scaled area of 26.5 in 
by 26.5 in.  The map scale is 1 in = 100 ft and each map covers .25 square miles.  The 
sample area used for this demonstration required 10 map sheets.  The maps used as 
designated by the YWD are J-17, J-18, J-19, J-20, K-17, K-18, K-19, K-20, L-19, and L-
20. 
 
 
Figure 3-3. Linen Map Showing Repairs. 
 
 24 
 
 
Figure 3-4. Youngstown Water Department Map K-19. 
 
Once the limits of the GIS were established, it was decided to separate the fire 
hydrants into one layer (named “hydrants”) and the water mains into another layer 
(named “waterlines”).  There are several reasons this is advantageous.  The first is that 
the fire hydrants are most easily represented as a distinct point on a map, while water 
mains are easily represented as a line.  The second reason for splitting into two layers is 
that it enables the GIS user to display only the parts of the map that are relevant to the 
 25 
 
situation at hand.  The third reason is that it enables the geodatabase for the specific data 
type to be updated without changing the whole GIS. 
Each map feature is linked to a table of attributes in the geodatabase.  For each 
water main, some of the attributes chosen were Street Name, Pipe Length, Pipe Size and 
Pipe Material. Street Name is the location of the water main, Pipe Length is the linear 
distance of pipe in feet, Pipe Size is the diameter of the pipe in inches, and Pipe Material 
is the composition of the pipe.  The fields in the attribute table provide detailed 
information about the corresponding feature. The attributes are stored in the GIS database 
and can be accessed from the GIS map feature by selecting it.  The full list of attribute 
fields chosen for the waterlines layer is shown in Table 3-1. 
 
 26 
 
Table 3-1. Fields in Water Main Attribute Table   
Field Name Description 
Street Name Street water main is on 
Street Direction N,S,E,W    ex. N. West Ave. 
Pipe Length Length of main in feet 
Pipe Size Pipe diameter in inches 
Pipe Type Pipe material,  cast or ductile iron 
Pipe Grade General Condition of Pipe, 1 to 5 
Pipe Year Year Pipe was installed 
Pipe Value Cost per linear foot 
Lat Latitude for GPS coordinates 
Lon Longitude for GPS coordinates 
Pipe Maintenance Field to describe last maintenance action 
Repair Cost Cost of repairs to water main 
Break Date Date of last water break 
 
The information for all attributes except Lat and Lon are stored in a Microsoft 
Excel spreadsheet at the YWD.  Lat and Lon can be determined with survey grade GPS 
equipment.  
Water line attributes were compiled in a report for the Congressional District 6 
Public Works Integrating Committee to categorize the state of infrastructure assets and 
assign a monetary value to them. A sample is shown in Table 3-2 (City of Youngstown 
Water Department, 2007). 
 27 
 
 
Table 3-2. Inventory Worksheet Row 
Street           Year Inst.          Size  Length            Value           Repairs      
Armstrong 1932 16”  270  LF $19,305.00 $3,861.00 
Arrowae 1932 6” 901 LF $24,777.50 $4,995.50 
Artmar 1946 6” 862 LF $23,705.00 $4,741.00 
Ascot Ct. 1946 6” 700 LF $19,250.00 $3,850.00 
      
 
In the original spreadsheet, the Pipe Size and Pipe Length information were 
included in the same Excel cell.  The format in the cell was with the pipe size first and 
then the pipe length – e.g., 16" 270 LF.  To separate the information, the formula 
=LEFT(D105,3) was used to extract the pipe size.  This operator will take the three 
leftmost characters in the cell.  In this example, 16” was taken from cell D105.  The pipe 
length was extracted using the formula =MID(D105,4,5).  This operator will start at the 
fourth character in the cell and take the next 5 characters.  This results in 270 linear feet.  
The pipe value field is calculated by dividing the pipe cost contained in the cell labeled 
Value by the length of pipe in that pipe segment that was previously determined.  This 
would produce a result of cost per linear foot for that pipe segment.  In this example the 
cost would be  
$19,305 / 270 linear feet = $71.50 per linear foot. 
The Repair Cost is a numeric field that will hold the cumulative repair costs for 
each section of water main. Break date is the date of the most recent repair on that section 
of water main.  This only signifies the latest occurrence and does not indicate the 
possibility of multiple incidents or cumulative breaks over time.  The break date 
 28 
 
information is currently stored separately by the YWD in an Excel spreadsheet.  Using 
the data from the Inventory Work Sheet previously described, the data attributes for the 
water main just drawn are entered.  The final waterlines layer included 376 lengths of 
pipe and is shown in Figure 3-5. 
  
Figure 3-5. Water Main Layer. 
 29 
 
3-5   Development of the Fire Hydrant Layer 
Once the waterlines layer was complete, the hydrants layer was developed.  The 
first step was deciding which attributes of the fire hydrant information were pertinent to 
this GIS application.  The fields listed in Table 3-4 were chosen. 
 
Table 3-4. Fire Hydrant Attribute Table 
Field Name Description 
Hydrant Number YWD ID Number 
Make Manufacturer and Model 
Main_Size Size of Attached Main 
Addnum Nearest Address 
Adddir Street Direction 
Addstreet Street Name 
Nearstreet Nearest Cross Street 
Flow Flowtest in GPM  
Stat Static Pressure in GPM 
Resid Residual Pressure in GPM 
Lat Latitude in Degrees 
Lon Longitude in Degrees 
 
 30 
 
The YWD maintains fire hydrant information in Microsoft Word format (e.g., 
Table 3-5) 
 
Table 3-5. Fire Hydrant Information 
 
      
The Hydrant Number is assigned by the YWD.  The Water Department has 
classified each hydrant based upon the district of the local fire department.  Local fire 
departments with jurisdiction include Youngstown City, Austintown Township, 
Boardman Township, Liberty Township and Canfield Township.  Each hydrant number 
begins with the letter of the department with jurisdiction.  The larger districts are further 
divided into sections.  Youngstown has 10 districts, Austintown has 4 districts, Boardman 
has 3 districts, while Canfield and Liberty Townships each have one.  The individual 
hydrant number then follows.  For example, the hydrant at the corner of Front and 
Champion is designated Y1-213.  The only exception to this numbering scheme is for the 
 31 
 
fire hydrants on or directly adjacent to the Youngstown State University (YSU) campus.  
These fire hydrants are designated district YSU with the hydrant number following.  The 
fire hydrant at 144 W. Wood St. is YSU-5.  The YWD, with the approval of the 
Youngstown Fire Department, allows YSU to paint these hydrants to resemble Pete the 
Penguin, the YSU mascot (Figure 3-6): 
                   
Figure 3-6. Pete the Penguin Fire Hydrant. 
 
The Make field is populated with the name of the fire hydrant manufacturer along 
with the model number if applicable.  For instance, hydrant Y1-213 was manufactured by 
the Darling Company and is a model B62B.  The Main_Size field is the diameter of the 
water main that the fire hydrant is connected to.  This is in inches and can range from 4” 
to 42”.  The next three fields are interrelated and when combined give the street address 
 32 
 
for a fire hydrant.  The three fields are: Addnum, Adddir and Addstreet.  The address for 
hydrant Y1-193 is 335 E. Boardman St.  The 335 would be placed in Addnum, the 
direction E would be placed in Adddir and Addstreet would contain Boardman St.  By 
splitting the address into its component parts, the sort function of the GIS software can be 
used to organize the hydrants by street name.   
Some fire hydrants are located in places without a nearby building that has a street 
address.  To help in locating and distinguishing one hydrant from another, the Nearstreet 
field is used.  This is a text field and may or may not have a value for a specific hydrant. 
Flow, Static and Residual are determined in a field flow test for each fire hydrant.  
Flow is the flow rate in gallons per minute (gpm).  Each hydrant will have 3 caps that 
allow connection to fire hoses.  The largest cap on the front of the hydrant is referred to 
as the “steamer’ cap.  This name is derived from the period when steam driven fire 
pumps would be connected during a large fire.  This nozzle is 4 ½” in diameter.  The two 
smaller nozzles are referred to as the hose nozzles.  These are 2 ½” in diameter.   
Flow test information is maintained by the YWD in a Visual dBase (by Borland 
Software) database.  The flow test is usually performed by two Water Department 
personnel at the request of a customer, insurance company, local fire department or 
engineering company doing design work for a future project.  The information entered 
into the database includes the static and residual pressures, flow rate, water main type, 
location, party requesting the flow test, persons performing the flow test and any 
miscellaneous comments.   
 33 
 
The Lat (latitude) and Lon (longitude) data attributes have not been determined 
for any YWD assets. Since fire hydrants are readily visible, it is feasible to obtain 
coordinates by GPS and include them in the GIS.  
A list of all the hydrants in the sample area was printed out.  The GIS mapping 
function was utilized to provide a map of all the hydrants that did not yet have a Lat and 
Lon entry in the data field.  A route was then planned to enable all data points to be 
collected using a hand-held GPS device - a Magellan Explorist 300 (Figure 3-7).  This 
device is considered an entry level GPS device and is not used in cases where extreme 
accuracy is required.  The manufacturer lists the accuracy as less than 3 meters 
(Magellan, 2009). Most fire hydrants should be visible if the user is within 3 meters 
(about 10 feet).  The unit was configured to provide location in decimal degrees of 
latitude and longitude.  The unit was then powered up and allowed to acquire signals 
from the tracking satellites of the GPS network.  Most hydrants were accessible by car.  
Some hydrants were located in positions that were previously dedicated roadways that the 
city has vacated.  The hydrants in the core of YSU fall into this group.  These hydrants 
had to be reached by traveling on foot.  
 34 
 
                                
Figure 3-7. Magellan Explorist 300. (Magellan, 2009) 
 
Once the location of a hydrant was reached, the GPS receiver was placed either 
on or adjacent to the hydrant and allowed to determine the position.  The position was 
then recorded on the hydrant printout.  For example, the hydrant in front of Kilcawley 
Center on the Youngstown State University campus was designated YSU-72, and 
recorded as 41.10659 Latitude and -80.64866 Longitude.   
After all the data were collected, it was necessary to verify the accuracy of the 
results.  Google Earth was used as an external reference.  Google Earth is an internet 
program that can be downloaded free of charge.  It links aerial photographs to physical 
addresses or latitude and longitude coordinates.  It can be run on any personal computer 
using a current version of Microsoft Windows.  The manufacturer recommends that the 
personal computer have a processor speed of 4.2 GHz, free hard disk space of 2GB and 
an internet connection of 768 Kbits/sec. The program can be obtained from the internet 
site http://earth.google.com/. 
 35 
 
Once the software is installed, a Google Earth icon appears on the computer 
desktop.  Clicking on this icon opens Google Earth (Figure 3-8).  
 
 
Figure 3-8.  Google Earth. (Google Earth, 2008) 
 
The top left corner of the program’s main page has a tab marked Fly To.  Clicking 
on this tab, then entering the coordinates for hydrant YSU-72 (41.10659 Latitude and -
80.64866 Longitude) will cause the software to zoom in from a global perspective to a 
local perspective centered on these coordinates.  Figure 3-9 shows the fire hydrant YSU-
72 with reasonable clarity and accuracy. 
 
 36 
 
 
Figure 3-9. YSU Hydrant 72.  
 
The data collected using the hand held GPS device for fire hydrant locations were 
then verified against the Google Earth photo imagery.  Google Earth provided an external 
check of data.  In most cases the coordinates were very similar and used as collected.  If 
the coordinates collected from the hand-held GPS unit were noticeably inaccurate, but the 
fire hydrants were visible using Google Earth, the coordinates obtained from Google 
Earth were used.  Most discrepancies are attributed to the GPS signal being blocked by 
nearby structures.  Google Earth could not be used for all hydrants because some are not 
visible using Google Earth and some have been moved since photograph was taken. 
 37 
 
Once collection of the data for the hydrant attributes was complete, the hydrant 
layer for the GIS could be drawn.  Fire hydrants are best represented as a distinct point on 
a GIS map and this feature shape was chosen when drawing the map. This point is 
represented as an orange star to increase visibility.  There are 259 fire hydrants contained 
within the boundaries of the sample area.  All of the fire hydrants were placed on the GIS 
hydrants layer before proceeding to enter the hydrant attribute data.  The hydrant 
attributes were compiled from the different sources as previously described.  A section of 
the GIS, showing the base layers with the waterlines and hydrants layers active, is 
presented in Figure 3-10. 
 
Figure 3-10. GIS for Section of Sample Area, Showing Base Map with Waterlines 
and Hydrants Layers. 
 
Legend:  Road Centerline  -  Blue Line 
    Lot Boundary  - Purple Line 
  Water Main  - Heavy Blue Line 
 
 38 
 
CHAPTER 4 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
 
4-1 Selecting Hydrants by Manufacturer 
One of the key qualities of a GIS is the ability to represent data visually.  Each 
attribute can be used to differentiate based upon the values contained in the data field.  
Fire hydrants were displayed using a different color for each hydrant manufacturer.  
ArcMap enables the user to automatically color the hydrants.  This was done by clicking 
the hydrants layer in the Table of Contents window, selecting the Symbology tab, 
Categories in the Show box and then selecting the Unique values option.  Make was 
selected from the Value Field drop down menu and then the Add all Values button was 
pressed.  ArcView will then search all values in the Make field, group them and assign a 
specific color to that make.  ArcView determined that there are thirteen hydrant makes 
and displayed each with a different color on the GIS as shown in Figure 4-1. This would 
be of benefit when planning routine maintenance or in the event of a manufacturer’s 
recall.  If a certain hydrant make needed to be upgraded, the location of each hydrant and 
the proximity to the nearest one of the same make is displayed.  This makes planning 
work details and dispatching workers much simpler. 
 
 39 
 
  
Figure 4-1.  Fire Hydrants Color Coded. 
 40 
 
4-2  Hydrant Flow Rate 
The same procedure was followed to display the fire hydrants based upon their 
measured flowrates.  From the Show box in the Symbology tab, the Graduated symbols 
option was selected under the Quantities heading.  By setting the Classification Classes to 
4, the Symbol Size displayed the fire hydrants in increasing size based upon the available 
flow in gallons per minute (Figure 4-2). Displaying fire flow rates in this manner enables 
rapid engineering assessments of the water distribution system.  If adjacent hydrants 
show dramatic differences in the displayed size, it is possible that the hydrant is broken, 
or that there is a water valve partially closed or an obstruction is present.  A maintenance 
crew could then be dispatched to determine the cause.  Displaying hydrants based upon 
flow rates would also be beneficial to fire departments.  There are areas where two 
different pressure zones are contiguous.  The pressure available in a zone will affect the 
flow rate.  By illustrating which hydrant would produce the most flow the fire department 
would be able to extinguish a blaze more quickly. 
 
 41 
 
 
Figure 4-2.  Hydrant Flow Rate in Gallons per Minute. 
 
 42 
 
4-3 Water Main Size 
The waterlines layer can also be used to display differences in pipe characteristics 
that would be useful in asset management.  The waterlines can be displayed using a 
different color for each pipe size (Figure 4-3). This would be extremely valuable at 
locations such as the intersection of West Avenue and Tod Avenue where there are nine 
water mains of different sizes.  If a leak were to occur, it would be much easier to 
determine on the GIS where the shut off valves are located compared to the traditional 
paper map.   
 
 
Figure 4-3.  Water Main Size in Inches.
 43 
 
4-4 Water Main Material 
The type of material that the water main is made of can be used as a determining 
factor for display (Figure 4-4).  This can be a useful tool in day to day operations.  Water 
mains of different materials will have different diameters.  The primary types of water 
mains are cast iron (CIP), ductile iron (DIP), plastic (PLA) and steel (STE).  This 
presents a need for the correct sized repair equipment to be used.  Delays encountered 
replacing the improperly sized repair equipment may cause undue hardship to the water 
customer.  Different tools are also required to work on different pipe materials.  The 
cutting tools used to cut transite water pipe are different than the cutting tools used to cut 
ductile iron or plastic pipe.  Down time can be eliminated by ensuring that the correct 
tools are brought to a job site by displaying the water main material before a maintenance 
crew is dispatched. 
 
 
 
 44 
 
 
Figure 4-4. Water Main Material.
 45 
 
4-5 Water Main Selection Using Logical Expressions    
      ArcView provides the user with the option of selecting which data to display 
based on logical expressions.  To display water mains that were installed between 1966 
and 1980, the Definition Query tab was selected after left clicking on the waterlines layer 
in the Table of Contents window.  The search expression "PIPE_YEAR" >'1966' AND 
"PIPE_YEAR"<'1980' was entered in the Definition Query workspace and the GIS 
showed only the water mains installed during that time frame (Figure 4-5). 
 
 
Figure 4.5. ArcMap Water Main Logical Expression Closeup Display. 
 
 46 
 
This can be a powerful tool in deciding which water mains to replace when using 
limited capital improvement funds.  When the search criteria was set to show all water 
mains installed before 1934 ("PIPE_YEAR" >'1'and "PIPE_YEAR"<'1935'), it becomes 
evident that the majority of the water mains in the downtown Youngstown area are over 
75 years old (Figure 4.6). 
 
Figure 4-6.  ArcMap 75 Year Old Water Main Display. 
 
 
 
 47 
 
4-6 Water Main Selection Using Multiple Criteria 
      Multiple selection criteria can also be used to identify specific water department 
assets.  For instance, setting the Definition Query to "BREAKDATE" > date '2007-09-01' 
AND "BREAKDATE" < date '2008-04-01' AND "PIPE_YEAR"<'1935' displayed all 
water mains over 75 years old that experienced a main line break during the winter of 
2007-08 as shown in Figure 4-7. 
 
Figure 4-7.  ArcMap Display of Main Breaks in 2007-08 that were on Mains Older  
 than 75 Years. 
       
 48 
 
4-7 Generating Reports Based on Selection Criteria 
      A visual display is a helpful tool, but can lack detail when specific information is 
required.  ArcView has a Tool available that provides data processing functions based 
upon the displayed information.  As an example, this can be of use when calculating 
water main replacement costs.  To determine the total length of 24” water main in the 
downtown Youngstown area, the waterlines layer was selected and the Definition Query 
tab of the Layer Properties was selected.  The Definition Query was then specified as 
"PIPE_SIZE" = 24 and then the Apply button was selected, presenting the screen display 
shown in Figure 4-8. 
 
Figure 4-8. ArcMap 24” Mains Display. 
 49 
 
A customized print out of this map can be obtained.  A title was added by 
selecting Insert from the toolbar and then selecting the Title option.  This opened an entry 
box on the map.  “Youngstown Water Department” and “24” Water Mains in Downtown 
District” were entered.  Selecting File from the menu bar and then Print produced the 
map shown in Figure 4-9. 
 50 
 
    
Figure 4-9.  ArcMap Print Layout for 24” Water Main Map.  
 51 
 
   This map presents the route the 24” water main follows through downtown 
Youngstown, but it would be difficult to determine the exact length of pipe involved.  A 
report can be created by determining the exact pipe length.  The report can be customized 
to have as much or as little detail as needed.  In this case, the street direction, street name 
and pipe length were selected. The street names were sorted by alphabetical order and the 
pipe lengths summed.  The report summarizing the 24” water main pipe length produced 
a sum of 6617 feet as shown in Figure 4-10. 
 
 
Figure 4-10.  Water Main Length Report. 
 
 52 
 
Another factor that could be used for asset management is the age of the 
infrastructure in question.  To produce a map of all water mains over 75 years old, the 
expression "PIPE_YEAR" <'1934' AND "PIPE_YEAR" >'0' was used, resulting in 
Figure 4-11. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 4-11.  Water Mains Over 75 Years Map. 
 53 
 
The “PIPE_YEAR”>’0’ is required in the logical expression to include water 
mains that do not have an installation year entry in the PIPE_YEAR field.  A report was 
produced providing an exact total length of pipe greater than 75 years old in the 
downtown sample area. The report was eight pages long, with the final page of the report 
showing the cumulative pipe length in feet (Table 4-1). This would be useful in providing 
preliminary cost estimates or for infrastructure replacement. 
 
Table 4-1. Water Mains Over 75 Years Report 
 
  Units: PIPE_SIZE-in; PIPE_LENGT-ft 
 
 54 
 
4-8 Report Generation Producing Exact Results 
For planning or estimating construction costs, exact numbers are necessary.  To 
obtain specific results, any combination of pipe attributes can be combined using the 
logical expressions provided in the Query Builder.  To determine the exact length of 8” 
cast iron pipe that is over 75 years old, the expression "PIPE_YEAR" <'1934' AND 
"PIPE_YEAR" >'0' AND "PIPE_TYPE"= 'CIP' AND "PIPE_SIZE" = 8 was entered, 
producing the GIS map shown in Figure 4-12. 
 55 
 
 
Figure 4-12.  Eight Inch, 75 Year Old Cast Iron Mains Map. 
 56 
 
Generating a report with the street name and length of pipe selected produced the 
results shown in Table 4-2. This listing shows that there are 45 sections of 8 inch pipe 
totaling 19,966 feet.  This is detailed enough information that specific plans could be 
developed with accurate construction cost estimates. 
 
Table 4-2. 8" Cast Iron Mains Over 75 Years Old. 
 STREET_NAM PIPE_LENGT 
 FEDERAL          690 
 COMMERCE          306 
 COMMERCE          346 
 COMMERCE          408 
 PHELPS          444 
 FEDERAL          383 
 FEDERAL          649 
 COMMERCE          380 
 COMMERCE          639 
 CHESTNUT          400 
 ELK          110 
 ELK          258 
 WATT          183 
 ANDREWS          666 
 OAK          139 
 RAYEN          317 
 OAK           49 
 SPRING          469 
 GRANT          644 
 GRANT          581 
 RAYEN          802 
 RAYEN          834 
 BELMONT          175 
 BELMONT          218 
 BELMONT          433 
 BELMONT          537 
 57 
 
 BELMONT          428 
 RAYEN          388 
 RAYEN          579 
 RAYEN          379 
 FEDERAL          498 
 COMMERCE          478 
 FIFTH          343 
 DUTTON          388 
 VANS          352 
 WEST          328 
 RAYEN          422 
 RAYEN          650 
 WATT          318 
 COMMERCE          750 
 ANDREWS          404 
 OAK HILL          642 
 PHELPS          347 
 ANDREWS          813 
 HIMROD          399 
 PIPE_LENGT  Count PIPE_LENGT  Sum 
 45        19966 
 
Units: PIPE_LENGT-ft
 58 
 
4-9 Assessment Using Seasonal Differences 
 An end of year or season assessment can be performed using the GIS.  To 
determine the effects of weather or temperature on the water distribution system, the 
number of water main breaks was compared for the winter versus the summer.  The 
Definition Query was specified as "BREAKDATE" > date '2006-10-31' AND 
"BREAKDATE" < date '2007-04-01' to limit the search to the water main breaks between 
November, 2006 and March, 2007.  This produced the GIS map shown in Figure 4-13. 
 59 
 
Figure 4-13.  Winter Water Main Breaks Map. 
 
The associated report containing the street name, the material the main is 
composed of, the size of the main, and the year installed, is shown in Table 4-3. 
 60 
 
Table 4-3. Winter Water Main Breaks Report 
 
 
 
 
 
       Units: PIPE_SIZE-in 
To determine the water main breaks during the warm weather months, the 
Definition Query was specified as "BREAKDATE" > date '2007-03-31' AND 
"BREAKDATE" < date '2007-11-01', producing the GIS map shown in Figure 4-14. 
 61 
 
 
Figure 4-14.  Summer Water Main Breaks Map. 
 62 
 
Generating the report to show the street name, water main material, size, and the 
year installed, produced Table 4-4. 
 
Table 4-4. Summer Main Breaks.   
     
 
 
 
 
 
    Units: PIPE_SIZE-in 
The length of pipe on Mahoning Avenue did not have an installation year 
provided in the original data.  Comparing the results, the winter months had 6 breaks and 
the summer months had 8 breaks.  The age of pipe appears similar for both reports.  The 
majority of the pipe in the study is cast iron and both reports reflect this.  The key 
difference between the two time frames is the pipe size involved in the water breaks.  
During the winter, 50% of the breaks occurred on 12 inch or larger water mains while 
during the summer no large mains ruptured.  This is not conclusive because of the limited 
sample size, but illustrates the comparative capabilities possible using the GIS. 
 63 
 
4-10 GIS for Daily Operation 
      The GIS can also be used for day to day operations.  For instance, if a fire hydrant 
manufacturer stops production of replacement parts or issues a safety recall on certain 
parts, it would be prudent to determine the number of hydrants in the system that may be 
affected and their location.  Traditionally, this search would be done by an employee 
paging through the two binders that comprise the hydrant information.  This is a tedious 
procedure and subjects the results to the potential for human error.  It is also difficult to 
repeat searches with changes in the search parameters. 
      To search for a specific make of hydrant, the hydrants layer was selected and the 
Query Builder used to select the manufacturee Vogt.  According to the GIS there are two 
Vogt hydrants in the study area, one on Bryson and one on East Wood St. (Figure 4-15 
Vogt Hydrant Map). The report was generated with the fields HYDRANTNUM, 
ADDSTREET, LAT and LON selected.  The finished report is displayed in Table 4-5. 
 64 
 
 
Figure 4-15.  Vogt Hydrant Map. 
 
 65 
 
 
Table 4-5. Vogt Hydrant Locations 
 
 
 
 
 
 66 
 
4-11 Combining GPS with GIS 
 Combining the GPS coordinates with the GIS allows for an asset to be 
specifically identified during an event or planning session.  Because many fire hydrants 
are located in areas without a street address, it is often difficult to determine which fire 
hydrant is being referred to.  Often times, repeated trips are made by workers trying to 
respond to a complaint or incident before the location of the problem can be determined.  
By providing GPS receivers to work force personnel, ambiguity and repeated trips can be 
eliminated.  Currently, a worker would report a fire hydrant out of service along the 
freeway using nearby streets and intersections.  The aerial photo shown in Figure 4-16 
illustrates that, in some cases, there are no convenient landmarks. 
 67 
 
 
Figure 4-16. Remote Hydrant Aerial Photo. (Google Earth, 2009) 
 
By specifying the GPS coordinates of the hydrant as 41.1068, -80.6418 the 
specific hydrant can be selected immediately from the GPS.  Selecting the Hydrants layer 
and setting the Definition Query to "LAT" >41.1068 AND "LAT"<41.1069 AND 
"LONG" >80.6413 AND "LONG"<80.6420 displayed the hydrant that is bracketed by 
these coordinates (Figure 4.17).  A bracket slightly larger than the exact coordinates 
allows for inaccuracies in the GPS equipment. 
 68 
 
 
Figure 4-17.  GPS Query Display. 
 
By clicking the identify button on the toolbar and then selecting the hydrant, all 
information pertaining to that specific hydrant was displayed (Figure 4-18).  This would 
allow a work crew to be dispatched directly to the job site with the correct parts required 
 69 
 
for that specific model of fire hydrant, minimizing down time searching for the proper 
location. 
 
 
Figure 4-18. Hydrant Identify Display. 
 
 70 
 
4-12 Feasibility 
 The Youngstown Water Department currently has a single user license for ESRI 
ArcMap software and a personal computer capable of running it.  The position of 
Engineers Aide / Draftsman is currently filled by a full time employee of the YWD.  This 
employee is responsible for field inspections, assisting work crews in locating department 
assets and maintaining the map documents currently utilized by the Water Department.  
This includes the full size maps and the office field book.  There are approximately 17 
field books in daily use by the department personnel.  Any changes, additions or 
corrections are maintained in the office field book.  Approximately every 10 years, the 
office field book is copied and distributed to the necessary employees.  The Draftsman 
has recently begun to make small revisions using AutoCAD and has been distributing 
each critical update as an addendum before the complete field book is reprinted.   
      The YWD has three full time Engineer Aides.  The Engineer Aides are 
responsible for locating assets during the daily field operations of the Water Department.  
The Engineer Aide will respond to locating requests from work crews, other utilities or 
the Ohio Utility Protection Service.  These employees use the field book extensively 
throughout the day.  After adequate training, replacing the field book with a hand held 
GIS device incorporating current Water Department data would be a seamless transition 
for the field employees.  Once the GIS is established, the Engineer Aides would be able 
to make immediate updates and corrections to data in the field.  This would reduce the 
time the Draftsman would dedicate to day to day operations and allow focus to be 
directed to expanding the functionality of the GIS. 
 71 
 
      Mobile GIS units would be required for YWD personnel that currently use a Field 
Book in day to day operations.  These include the three Engineer Aides, the Draftsman, 
six Maintenance Men, three Foreman and four members of the Supervisory staff.  One 
possible option that bundles GIS and submeter GPS functions into one handheld unit is 
the Magellan MobileMapper CX (Figure 4-19).  
                                                       
Figure 4-19. Magellan Mobile Mapper. (Magellan, 2009) 
 
This unit provides submeter accuracy and compatibility with ArcMap using 
ArcPad, the ESRI software for mobile computing devices.  The current package price per 
unit is $2,795.  Total hardware and software implementation cost for the seventeen 
construction yard personnel would be 17 X $2,795 = $47,515. 
      Incorporating current Water Department data presents the largest obstacle.  The 
maps used are large linen or Mylar sheets.  The maps have been scanned and saved as 
digital picture files but have not been put to use.  Fire hydrant data are stored as 
 72 
 
Microsoft Word documents.  Fire hydrant flow test information is stored as a Visual 
dBase data file.  Water tap locations are maintained on index cards.  Service account 
billing information and customer records are housed on a mainframe computer using a 
COBOL database program. 
      The maps can be imported into the GIS directly and combined to form their own 
layer.  This can be used as a reference tool as a direct replacement for the Field Book.  It 
can also be used as a template for a full function GIS layer to be drawn over or traced 
(digitized), dramatically speeding data entry of YWD assets.  There are 385 map pages 
for the YWD system.  The sample area was covered with 10 map pages.  Data entry of 
these 10 maps took 20 hours (2 hours per map).  The draftsman can reallocate 2 hours per 
day from physical map maintenance to GIS conversion, allowing full conversion in 385 
workdays, or 1.5 years. 
The fire hydrant data can be imported with some operator manipulation into a 
data base format that will allow easy addition to the GIS.  The index cards containing 
water tap and service information present the largest conversion problem.  A brute force 
approach would involve an operator manually entering each card into a database.  
Another option would be to have the index cards scanned and have the image linked to a 
database using the address as the common field.  The billing account information is 
currently in a digital format.  The City of Youngstown is currently exploring software 
options to perform billing functions on a Microsoft Windows platform.  If this were to be 
done, inclusion of customer information in the GIS would be straightforward. 
Collection of GPS data could be done by water department personnel during their 
normal work day.  The fire hydrant coordinates could be obtained by the three Engineer 
 73 
 
Aides during the occasional down time they encounter.  Each Aide obtaining 10 hydrant 
coordinates a day will complete data collection in less than one year (7447 hydrants / 3 
aides / 10 hydrants a day / 260 workdays in a year = .95 years). 
Assuming the 17 field personnel save one half hour per day and using the base 
rate of the Engineer Aide ($22.59/hr.), the $47,515 equipment cost will be recovered in 
50 weeks ($47,515 / 17 employees per day / .5 hrs per employee / $22.59 per hour / 8 hrs. 
per day = 50 weeks) .  This is a conservative estimate.  There are times where a 
construction crew will sit idle waiting for the correct information to be found regarding a 
water main or valve.  Significant time is frequently lost trying to determine the exact 
location of water main valves during water main breaks.  Reducing search time will 
reduce the amount of damage caused by main breaks and save the associated repair costs 
for streets and sidewalks.   
  
        
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 74 
 
CHAPTER 5 
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
     
  A Geographic Information System (GIS) was developed for a portion of the 
Youngstown Water Department (YWD) distribution system. Several sample applications 
of the GIS were performed to evaluate the benefits of the GIS. Based on this work, the 
following conclusions were drawn: 
1. The current system of maps, index cards, notebooks and field books the YWD 
uses for record keeping can be converted to an electronically accessible form.   
2. Converting to an electronic form enables assets of the YWD represented on a map 
to be linked to a searchable database forming a GIS.  The GIS can be used to find 
general or specific information which can then be displayed on a map or in a 
table. 
3. The GIS can be used in day to day operations by field personnel for repairs, 
replacement and maintenance of existing assets. 
4. The GIS can be used for engineering analysis of the status of the YWD, 
troubleshooting the existing system and design of replacement water mains. 
5. Current technology is available and affordable with a startup cost of $47,515.00 
and can be implemented immediately. 
6. The GIS can be created and maintained using the existing workforce with no 
additional labor costs.   
7. Using the time of only the field personnel, payback time is 50 weeks.  The YWD 
will then save $48,000 per year by using the GIS. 
 75 
 
To maximize the benefits of GIS to the YWD, it is recommended that the YWD: 
1. Require plans for all future projects to be submitted in an electronic format.  GPS 
coordinates for all assets should also be field verified and included in an 
electronic format submitted with the as built drawings. 
2. Draftsman should immediately begin conversion of the physical maps.  Averaging 
2 hours per map conversion will enable completion in less than 2 years. 
3. Purchase of handheld computing devices should be done immediately.  Data 
collection can be performed by field personnel as part of their daily routine.  The 
data collected can then be incorporated into the GIS by the Draftsman the 
following day. 
4. Once established, the GIS should be expanded to include customer information 
such as owner’s name and curb box location.  YWD collection employees could 
then utilize the GIS in revenue generating efforts. 
5. Coordination with Mahoning County and the Mahoning County Sanitary 
Engineer’s (MCSE) offices should be attempted to allow joint data collection 
efforts.  
6. Take digital photographs of every job site before, during and after any work is 
performed.  The photographs can then be linked to the GIS providing the YWD 
proof of damage or conflicts with other utilities. 
       
 76 
 
REFERENCES 
 
Amazon, 2009. “Magellan eXplorist 300 Handheld GPS.” Amazon Web Site, 
http://www.amazon.com/Magellan-eXplorist-300-Handheld-GPS/dp/B00029TNA2 
 
Breslin, M., 2006. “CAST IRON PIPE CENTURY CLUB AND CAST IRON PIPE 
SESQUICENTURY CLUB”. Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association Web Site,  
http://www.dipra.org/pdf/CIPCC-CIPSC.pdf 
 
City of Youngstown, Ohio, 2009. “About Youngstown – History” City of Youngstown 
Web Site, http://www.cityofyoungstownoh.org/about_youngstown/history/history.aspx 
City of Youngstown Water Department, 2007. City of Youngstown Drinking Water 
Consumer Confidence Report for 2007. Youngstown Water Department Web Site, 
http://www.youngstownwater.com/water-report.htm 
City of Youngstown Water Department, 2008. Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and 
Ground Waters Drinking Water Distribution Report. 
 
City of Youngstown Water Department, 2005. District 6 Public Works Integrating 
Committee Inventory Work Sheet Locally Maintained Operated Water Systems. 
 
DIPRA, 2009.  “Corrosion Faqs.” DIPRA Web Site, 
http://www.dipra.org/faq/corrosion.cfm#FAQ10 
 
Edralin, C., 2008. “Norfolk’s Department of Utilities Leverages the Enterprise 
Geodatabase to Improve Access and Accuracy,” Water Writes (Summer 2008): p. 7 
 
ESRI, 2005a. “Laurens Electric Cooperative Mobile GIS Improves Asset Inspection and 
Cuts Costs.” ESRI Web Site, http://www.esri.com/library/fliers/pdfs/cs-
laurenselectric.pdf 
 
ESRI, 2005b. “Edgecombe County Cut Field-Mapping Time in Half Using Mobile GIS.” 
ESRI Web Site,  http://www.esri.com/library/fliers/pdfs/cs-edgecombe.pdf 
 
ESRI, 2006. “Using ARCGis” 
 
ESRI, 2009a. “What is GIS?” ESRI Web Site,  http://www.gis.com/whatisgis/index.html 
 
ESRI, 2009b.  “System Requirements” ESRI Web Site, 
http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcview/system_requirements.html 
 
ESRI, 2009c.  “Arcpad Mobile GIS Software for Field Mapping.” ESRI Web Site 
 http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcpad/index.html 
 
 77 
 
ESRI, 2009d. “Company History.” ESRI Web Site, 
http://www.esri.com/company/about/history.html 
 
ESRI, 2009. “Which Desktop GIS Software Is Right For You?” ESRI Web Site, 
http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/about/gis_for_me.html 
 
Field, J., 2008. “City of Fontana Uses GIS-Enabled Asset Management System to Meet 
New FHWA Requirement.” Government Matters (Summer 2008):p.1 
 
Franco, E., 2008. “Despite Progress, Repaving Slows Customer Traffic on Mahoning 
Avenue.” Youngstown Vindicator November 2, 2008.  
 
FreeGeographyTools.com, 2008.  “Improving Position Measurement Accuracy in 
Consumer-Grade GPS Receivers – Part II.” Free Geography Tools Web Site, 
http://freegeographytools.com/2008/improving-position-measurement-accuracy-in-
consumer-grade-gps-receivers-part-ii 
 
Frelka, F., 2008. “Dupage Water Commission Implements Pipeline Data Model.” 
ARCNEWS (Fall 2008): Vol. 30, page 34 
 
GISJobs, 2009.  “Salary Survey Data”.  GISJobs Web Site, 
http://www.gisjobs.com/survey/responses.jsp?countryLoc=all&sal=N 
 
Google Earth, 2009. “System Requirements for Google Earth.” Google Earth Web Site, 
http://earth.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=20701&topic=15099 
 
Google Earth ver. 4.3, July 8, 2008. 
 
Mahoning County GIS Department, 2009. “Project History”.  Mahoning County GIS 
Web Site, http://gis.mahoningcountyoh.gov/ProjHistory.htm 
 
Magellan GPS, 2009. “Magellan eXplorist 300 Reference Manual.” Magellan Web Site, 
http://www.magellangps.com/assets/manuals/eXplorist_300_en.pdf 
 
Magellan Navigation Incorporated, 2009.  “Products Mobile Mapper CX.” Magellan 
Web Site http://pro.magellangps.com/en/products/product.asp?PRODID=1292 
 
Mueller Company Catalog, 2009. “Fire Hydrants.” Mueller Company Web Site,  
http://www.muellercompany.com/water/products/default.aspx?catid=16. 
 
National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Coordination Office, 2009.  
“The Global Positioning System.” GPS Web Site,  
 http://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/index.html 
 
Nayer, S., 2009. “Rehabilitating Aging Infrastructure.” Opflow (Feb 2009): pp. 20-23 
 78 
 
Ohio Department of Transportation, 2008.  Steel Price Index – Proposal Note 525 dated 
4/26/2004. Ohio Department of Transportation Web Site, 
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/ConstructionMgt/Admin/General%20Files/PriceAdj
ustments/Steel_Index_for_PN525.htm.   
 
Ormsby, T., E. Napoleon et al. 2004. Getting to Know ArcGis, 2nd edition, Redlands: 
ESRI Press. 
 
Schmitt, A., 2008. “Getting Rid of Urban Blight.” Youngstown Vindicator February 12,  
2008. 
 
SGSI, 2009.  “MapInfo Pro 7.0”.  SGSI Web Site, 
http://www.sgsi.com/Prod_Soft_MIPro_70.htm 
 
Steniger, S. and Weibel, R., 2009. “GIS Software - A description in 1000 words.”  
University of Calgary (CA), University of Zurich (CH) 
 
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (UWSP), 2009. “WorldMer.” Steven Dutch Home 
Page,http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/projects/geoweb/participants/Dutch/GRAPHIC0/RefMap
s/Worldmer.gif 
 
United States Air Force, 2008.  “Global Positioning System.” USAF Web Site, 
http://www.losangeles.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5325 
 
Yahoo, 2009. “Yahoo! Maps, Driving Directions, and Traffic.” Yahoo Web Site, 
http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=41.102654&lon=-
80.656713&zoom=15&q1=boardman%252C%2520ohio 
 
 79 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 This Appendix contains detailed descriptions of the procedures used to create 
various components of the water distribution system GIS. These details are provided to 
assist any individuals who might continue or expand upon the work reported in this 
thesis. 
GIS Base Layers   
To create the GIS map, the base layers from the Mahoning County GIS 
department are obtained using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP).  Using an internet 
browser, the Mahoning County website at http://gis.mahoningcountyoh.gov/PublicFT/ is 
navigated to.  There are numerous layers available for downloading including 
orthographic photos, topographic maps, zip codes and school districts.  The specific 
layers used for this model are: Buildings_ExportCAD.DWG, Property Lines.zip, Road 
Centerlines.zip, Property Lots.zip and Sewer Features.zip.  The 
Buildings_ExportCAD.DWG file is located in the root of the directory.  The other files 
are located in the Shape_Files directory. 
The Road Centerlines.zip file contains the shape file roadcl.shp.  The roadcl.shp 
file will display the centerline of any dedicated roadway in Mahoning County.  The Road 
Centerlines.zip file also contains the roadcl DBF file.  The DBF file contains the specific 
data attributes for the road information.  The primary attribute used for this model is 
STNAME.  This field contains the street name, and by including it allows the street name 
to be displayed on the model. 
 80 
 
The Property Lines.zip file contains the shape file proplines.shp.  The 
proplines.shp shapefile will display the property lines of a parcel.  This file only displays 
the perimeter of a parcel.  The Property Lots.zip file contains the shapefile 
PROP20080509J.shp.  This file will display the property lot of a parcel as polygon.  The 
Property Lots.zip file also contains the file PROP20080509J.DBF.  This file contains the 
attributes for each parcel.  These attributes include the parcel area in square feet, the 
perimeter in feet, the county property identification number, the deeded owner, the street 
name, the street address, the school district, and the mailing address.  
The Buildings_ExportCAD.DWG contains an outline of each permanent structure 
located on a property.  This is a computer aided drafting (CAD) drawing.  This file does 
not contain any information or data attributes for each structure.  It is only a line drawing 
of the perimeter of each building. 
The files must be downloaded to the user’s computer.  For portability reasons, an 
external hard drive was used as the main storage device.  The hard drive used is a 
Western Digital 5000AAV 500 gigabyte drive.  A directory is created to store the GIS 
files from the county.  The file directory is titled County GIS.  Inside the County GIS 
folder is created a separate folder for each file to be downloaded.  These folders are 
named Buildings, Property Features, Property Lines and Roads. 
To download the files from the Mahoning County GIS FTP site, 
http://gis.mahoningcountyoh.gov/PublicFT/, click on the file name with the mouse using 
the right button.  This will open a dialog box.  One of the choices is to Save Target As.  
Clicking on this choice using the left mouse button will open a popup window allowing 
the user to determine the location of the file directory. Click on the appropriate folder 
 81 
 
name, then click Save.  The correct files are shown in Figure A-1.   A download progress 
window will open and show the percent completion.  Some of the files are very large and 
may take several hours to download.  Once the download is complete, a dialog box will 
appear giving the options to Open, Open File, or Close the box.  Clicking on Open will 
open the file and extract any compressed files if they are included in the file as shown in 
Figure A-1. 
 
Figure A-1. Download Screenshot. 
 
ArcGIS must be installed on the computer.  This is done by following the 
instructions provided by the manufacturer.  Once ArcGIS is installed and the GIS layers 
are downloaded and saved to the appropriate folder, ArcMap can be started by clicking 
 82 
 
on the ArcMap icon on the computer desktop.  Alternately, ArcMap can be started by 
clicking the Windows Start button, sliding to Programs, sliding to ArcGIS, sliding to 
ArcMap, then left clicking on the ArcMap icon.  ArcMap will open and query the user to 
open an existing map or create a new empty map.  Clicking a new empty map, then the 
OK button will open a blank ArcMap workspace.  Using the mouse and right clicking 
will open a menu box as shown in Figure A-2. 
 
Figure A-2. ArcView New Map Screen. 
Clicking on Add Data will open a window allowing navigation to the file to be 
added.   Figure A-3 shows the roadcl.shp file inside the roads folder. 
 
 83 
 
 
Figure A-3.  Roadcl.Shp Screen. 
 
Clicking the Add button will add the road centerlines for Mahoning County to the 
map (Figure A-4). This procedure is duplicated for the property line file – proplines.shp, 
the property lots file – PROP20080509J.shp, and the building outlines file – 
Buildings_ExportCAD.DWG. 
 84 
 
 
Figure A-4.  Mahoning County Roads. 
 
 
Figure A-5 shows the GIS centered on the Youngstown State University Campus 
with all four layers installed and active. 
 
 85 
 
 
Figure A-5. YSU Layers. 
 
To aid in recognition of streets and buildings, the street names and the building 
addresses are displayed.  To do this, right click on the roadcl layer.  This opens a drop 
down box.  The bottom option is Properties.  Left clicking with the mouse will open a 
box with tabs showing options for the specific layer properties.  Clicking the Labels tab 
will show a box enabling options for Label Fields.  Scrolling through the fields will show 
STNAME.  This is the field in the database that contains the name associated with that 
section of roadway.  Click on the check box to Label features in this layer, and then click 
the Apply button on the bottom right.  Click the OK button and the street names will 
appear on the GIS (Figure A-6). 
 86 
 
 
 
Figure A-6.  Address Display. 
 
The same procedure is used to display the addresses for each lot.  The addresses 
are an attribute of the PROP20080509J.DBF layer.  Right clicking on this layer name, 
then clicking on Properties and setting the Label Field to LOCNUM will select the 
address.  Left clicking the Label features in this layer, the Apply button and then the OK 
button will turn on the addresses.  Figure A-7 shows the GIS with all layers active and the 
street name and building addresses displayed. 
 
 87 
 
 
Figure A-7. Base Layers Closeup. 
 
This procedure establishes the basic framework for the GIS project.  Selecting 
File, then Save As will present the option of saving the GIS framework at this point.  The 
filename used for this model is Thesis. For other applications or full-scale development 
of this GIS, an appropriate file name should be selected. 
 88 
 
Waterline Layer Creation 
To ensure compatibility of the new “waterlines” layer with all layers of the 
existing Mahoning County GIS, a similar GIS layer was used as a template.  In this 
project, the file Sewer Features.zip was used from the Mahoning County GIS website.  
The procedure to download it is identical to the base map layers.  Once the file is 
downloaded, the data attributes must be changed from sewerlines to the waterlines 
attributes.  ArcView has a data editor component called ArcCatalog that facilitates data 
management.  To open ArcCatalog from within ArcMap, the Tools heading on the menu 
bar is clicked.  The ArcCatalog icon is then clicked on the drop down box.  This opens 
ArcCatalog.  The file structure is shown on the left side of the workspace.  In this case, 
the files are located on the E: drive.  Left clicking the E: drive icon, the county gis icon 
and then the sewerlines icon will show the two data sets available in this folder as shown 
in Figure A-8. 
 89 
 
 
Figure A-8.  Sewerline Layer Screen. 
 
Right clicking on the sewerlines file name opens a menu box with Properties as 
the bottom option.  Left clicking on Properties will open the Shapefiles Properties 
window.  This window has four tabs: General, XY Coordinate System, Fields and 
Indexes.  The General tab will show the file name.  The XY Coordinate System will show 
the map Projection, map Datum and the Geographic Coordinate System used.  The Fields 
tab will show the data fields for this layer and the type of data contained.  The data type 
may be: short or long integer, float, double, text or date.  The Index tab gives the option 
of creating a database index based on a specific data field.  An index will increase the 
speed with which database searches can be performed. 
 90 
 
Clicking on the Fields tab displays the data fields.  These will be deleted and the 
waterline fields will be created.  To delete the data fields, the field name is clicked on 
using the left mouse button.  This will highlight the name as shown in Figure A-9.    
                         
 
Figure A-9.  Sewerline Delete Screen. 
 
Hitting the delete button and then clicking on the Apply button will remove the 
data field from the file structure.  This is performed repeatedly for all fields except FID, 
Shape, Fnode_, Tnode_, Lpoly_ and Rpoly_.  The FID and Shape fields are default 
fields.  The FID is an identification number used to “uniquely identify each object, or 
feature while the Shape field stores each feature’s geometry (the coordinates) (ESRI, 
 91 
 
2006).  The attribute fields Fnode_, Tnode_, Lpoly_ and Rpoly_ are kept to allow for 
potential future use in water modeling software. 
Once all of the data fields are removed except for those mentioned, the Apply 
button and then the OK button are clicked using the left button of the mouse.  The 
sewerline name is clicked using the right button of the mouse.  This opens a pop up menu 
with a Rename option.  This is left clicked and the sewerline name is changed to 
waterlines.  Left clicking the county gis folder, then left clicking the File heading, then 
New Folder will create a new folder in the county gis directory.  Typing waterlines in the 
box provided for the folder name, then hitting enter will finalize the new water lines 
directory.   To copy the waterlines data file from the sewerline folder to the waterlines 
folder, the waterlines name is then right clicked opening a pop up menu.   Left click with 
the mouse on the Copy button, then left clicking on the waterline folder, right click and 
select Paste.  
Right clicking on the waterlines file in the water lines folder will open a pop up 
menu.  Left clicking on Properties in this menu will open the Shapefile Properties 
window.  Clicking on the Fields tab will present the Field Name and Data Type entry 
fields.  Left clicking on the blank Field Name will allow entry of the first data attribute 
field for the water lines.  PIPE_LENGT is typed in and the Enter key is pressed.  This 
will move to the Data Type scroll down menu.  This allows for determination of the kind 
of information that this field will contain.  The options are: short and long integer, float, 
double, text and date.  Long integer and double are used for numbers above 32,767.  For 
PIPE_LENGT, the Float Data Type is chosen.  The Field Name and Data Type are then 
 92 
 
entered for each waterlines attribute as shown in Table A-1.  The Apply button and then 
the OK button are then clicked with the left mouse button.   
Table A-1.  Water Main Attribute Data Types 
Field Name Description 
PIPE_LENGT Float 
PIPE_SIZE Long Integer 
PIPE_GRADE Text 
PIPE_YEAR Float 
PIPE_VALUE Text 
PIPE_MAINT Float 
SYMBOL Double 
LAT Float 
LON Float 
STREET_NAM Text 
STREET_DIR Text 
REPAIRCOST Long Integer 
BREAKDATE Date 
 
The next task is to add water lines to the GIS.  Left clicking the ArcMap icon on 
the menu bar will open ArcMap.  Selecting File, Open, and then Thesis (or whatever the 
geodatabase is named) will open the GIS framework previously saved. 
To add the waterlines layer to the GIS map, right click the Layers icon, then left 
click on Add Data.  This will open the Add Data window as shown in Figure A-10. 
 93 
 
 
Figure A-10. Waterline Layer Additions. 
 
The waterlines.shp file name is left clicked, then the Add button is left clicked.  
The waterlines layer is now ready to be populated with data. 
To add data to the waterline layer, the Editor button on the menu bar is left 
clicked, then left click the Start Editing button that appears.  This will open a window that 
presents all of the layers of the GIS that are possible for editing, shown in Figure A-11. 
 94 
 
 
Figure A-11.  Layers Available for Editing. 
 
The waterlines layer is selected, and then the OK button is clicked.  The map is 
panned using the hand symbol from the tool bar to center on the location of interest.  
To draw a waterline, the pencil icon on the menu bar is selected.  This will change 
the mouse pointer to a cross hair.  The cross hair pointer is placed at the starting location 
of the water main and.  The left button is clicked.  The mouse is then moved to position 
the cross hair at the ending location of the water main and the left mouse button is clicked 
to anchor the water main at this point.  The right mouse button is then clicked while the 
cross hair is still located over the end point.  This will produce a menu box.  Selecting the 
option Trim to Length will open an entry box allowing the exact length of the water main 
 95 
 
to be entered if known.  Some measurements may be available from the original map.  As 
the scale of the original map is 1” to 100’, one other option is to calculate the length by 
measuring the length in inches on the map and then multiplying by 100.  Once the length 
of the water line is determined, pressing the F2 button will finish drawing that segment.  
Using the mouse to right click the waterlines layer in the Table of Contents window will 
allow the Open Attribute Table option to be selected (Figure A-12). 
 
 
Figure A-12.  Waterline Creation. 
 
Using the data from the YWD Inventory Work Sheet, the attributes for the water 
main just drawn are entered.  This procedure is then repeated until all of the water mains 
 96 
 
in the predefined area are drawn and all of the available attributes are entered.  The Editor 
button is then clicked using the left mouse button, followed by the Save Edits button and 
then the Stop Editing button.  At this point it is prudent to save the complete GIS map.  
This is done by left clicking the File button, the Save As option, then entering the name 
of the GIS and specifying the location to be saved.   
 97 
 
Fire Hydrant Layer Creation 
ArcCatalog was used to create the fire hydrants layer.  The manholes layer was 
copied from the sewerlines folder to the waterlines folder and renamed as “hydrants”. 
Right clicking on the hydrants layer in the Catalog tree opens a pop up menu.  Left 
clicking Properties opens the Shapefile Properties window (Figure A-13). 
 
 
Figure A-13.  Manhole Layer. 
 
It was necessary to delete all of the fields used to hold the attributes for the 
manholes and replace them with the Field Names and Data Types for the fire hydrant 
attributes.    HYDRANTNUM, MAKE, ADDDIR, ADDSTREET and NEARSTREET 
are Text fields.  The MAIN_SIZE, ADDNUM, FLOWRATE, STATIC and RESIDUAL 
 98 
 
fields are all Short Integer numerical fields.  The LAT and LONG fields are Float 
numerical fields, as shown in Figure A-14. Once entry of this information was complete, 
the Apply button and OK buttons were clicked and ArcCatalog was closed. 
 
 
 
Figure A-14.  Creating Hydrant Fields. 
 
To draw the hydrants on the GIS, ArcMap is opened, and the following procedure 
applied: 
1. Right click the Layers icon to open a pop up menu presenting the Add Data 
option.   
2. Left click Add Data to open a window allowing the hydrants layer to be selected. 
 99 
 
3. Left click the hydrants.shp file then the Add button to insert the hydrants layer 
into the GIS.   
4. Left click the Editor button on the menu bar, then Start Editing to open a window 
allowing selection of the folder that the hydrant layer is in.  The hydrants layer is 
located in the waterlines folder.   
5. Once the hydrants layer is selected, the Task pull down menu will present several 
options.  Select Create New Feature and set the Target option to hydrants to 
permit entry of new fire hydrants.     
6. Click on the Ruler button on the toolbar to activate the Measure function.  This 
enables placement of the hydrant on the GIS to duplicate the accuracy of the 
existing paper map (Figure A-15). 
7. Once the correct location of the hydrant is determined, the pencil icon on the 
Editor bar is selected, enabling the Sketch tool.  The cursor is placed at the 
location of the hydrant and the left mouse button clicked to add a hydrant symbol. 
 
 
 100 
 
 
Figure A-15.  Hydrant Placement. 
 
To improve visibility of the fire hydrants on the GIS, the symbol used to represent 
the fire hydrants is changed from a black dot to an orange asterisk.  This is done by right 
clicking the hydrant layer in the Table of Contents window, selecting Properties and then 
selecting the Symbology tab.  Clicking the Symbol icon will present the options available 
in the Symbol library.  The Asterisk 2 symbol is selected.  The Color is changed to 
orange by selecting the Color icon in the Options frame.  The OK button is clicked using 
the left mouse button, enacting the changes with the result shown in Figure A-16. 
 101 
 
 
Figure A-16.  GIS Layers. 
 
 
It is recommended that all of the fire hydrants in a section of the distribution 
system be placed on the GIS hydrants layer before proceeding to entry of the hydrant data 
attributes.  The hydrant attributes are compiled from various YWD sources and field data 
as described in the body of this thesis.  To enter the data, the Editor button is left clicked, 
followed by the Start Editing command.  The waterlines folder is specified and the 
hydrants layer right clicked, allowing the Open Attribute Table option to be selected.  A 
specific hydrant is selected by left clicking on that row.  This causes the hydrant to be 
highlighted making it easier to determine it’s location on the map.  The data attributes for 
that specific hydrant are then entered into the Attributes table, as shown in Figure A-17. 
 
 102 
 
 
Figure A-17.  Hydrant Attribute Table.