1. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Putting GIS to
Work for You
TheThree-Fold Benefit of Drainage
Data Acquisition
and Management
Chuck Brandel, PE
ISGVice President
Casey Decker
GIS Specialist
2022 International Drainage Symposium

2. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
ISG Representative
Chuck Brandel, PE, ISGVice President
507.387.6651 | Chuck.Brandel@ISGInc.com

3. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
ISG Representative
Casey Decker, ISG GIS Specialist
507.387.6651 | CaseyDecker@ISGInc.com

4. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Firm Overview
Business Units
Commercial
Education
Food
+ Industrial
Government
+ Cultural
Healthcare
Housing
Mining
PublicWorks
Sports
+ Recreation
Telecommunications
+ Energy
Transportation
Water
450+ Multi-Disciplinary Professionals
11 Midwest Offices
One Profit Center

5. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
General Project Overview – Blue Earth County has 108 Systems
How did this project
come to be?
• Blue Earth County and
ISG relationship
• Drainage authority
engineer since
late 1990s
• State/BWSR for
Drainage Records
Modernization Grant
Funding
• 50/50 grant and
county funding

6. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Understanding Goals of Blue Earth County
Consistent, more
accurate data
Reformat and
update existing
GIS data
Create new data
for improvements
and repairs
Rename plans, profiles, and
other drainage related
documents with consistent
document naming
conventions
Regular meetings
to discuss progress
and address concerns

7. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Step 1 of the Project: Collecting Existing Data
Understand and organize large
amounts of existing data
Blue Earth County data:
• Existing drainage centerline and
drainage watershed GIS data
• Thousands of plans, profiles, and
drainage related documents from the
early 1900’s to present
ISG data:
• As-built plans from previous
drainage projects
• Existing drainage centerline and
drainage watershed GIS data
Organize and rename plans to know
what is needed to complete project
Old Drainage Plan and Profile Sheet
NewWatershed Map

8. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Step 1 of the Project: Collecting Existing Data
Old
Drainage
Plan
and
Profile
Sheet
New Drainage Plan and Profile Example

9. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Step 2 of the Project: Georeferencing Plans
Georeferenced plans using MN
townships, sections, Q sections,
and QQ sections
Majority of plans were
georeferenced without issue,
some were skewed or not
properly drawn
Obstacles encountered:
• Old plans – 100+ years old,
townships and sections were not
accurate
• Poor scan quality – ripped,
faded, incomplete
Low Quality
Georeferenced
Image
High Quality
Georeferenced
Image

10. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Step 3 of the Project: Digitizing
Plans+AttributingData Using georeferenced plans, we
were able to trace drainage
centerlines
• Many drainage districts have had
repairs or improvements
• Critical to know what plans to use for
most current and accurate data
Stationing Creation
• Create stationing every 100 feet on
drainage centerlines
• Use profile sheet to add pipe depth or
drainage open ditch depth
• Transfer data from profile sheets to
Excel and Attribute table in ArcMap
Digitize inlets, field crossings,
bridges, road crossings, and other
features along drainage centerlines

11. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Step 3 of the Project: Digitizing
Plans+AttributingData
For more recent projects with CAD
files available we were able to
export data and add to the
database
• Increased accuracy
• Time efficient
Obstacles encountered
• Georeferenced plans did not line up
with visible open ditches or visible
drainage lines seen in aerial imagery
• All georeferenced images were
compared to recent imagery to
increase accuracy of data. When plans
did not line up with the aerial, the
digitized drainage centerlines were
adjusted.
• Not all attribute data was clear on the
plans and profiles. It was difficult to
read pipe sizes, grade, and other
information on many of the old plans

12. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Step 4 of the Project: Final Deliverables/Data Sharing with Blue
Earth County
Geodatabase with the following feature classes:
• Drainage Centerlines
• Drainage Structures
• Drainage Stationing
• Drainage Watersheds
Plans, Profiles, and other documents renamed to follow naming convention
REST Service set up once Blue Earth County has data:
• Allows ISG to access and edit the data
• Once projects are complete, ISG adds necessary data
• Blue Earth County can review the data and push to their drainage database

14. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Project Results
History/Relationship with Blue Earth County
Value for Blue Earth County, Public, and ISG
• Good record of existing and current projects
• Data used by County, ISG, and other firms
• PublicWorks
• Public has a record of systems for land sales,
mapping systems on their land, planning for
improvements – buildings, tile, solar farms

15. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
Conclusions + Questions

16. Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning | ISGInc.com
THANK
YOU!
Chuck Brandel, PE, ISGVice President
507.387.6651 | Chuck.Brandel@ISGInc.com
Casey Decker, ISG GIS Specialist
507.387.6651 | CaseyDecker@ISGInc.com