The 3D Hydrography Program (3DHP) primary goal is to complete the first systematic remapping of the Nation’s hydrography since the original 1:24,000-scale topographic mapping program was active between 1947 and 1992. 3DHP will be built from the high-quality elevation data collected by the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and use the best practices for data acquisition and community engagement developed by 3DEP. When complete, 3DHP is estimated to provide over $1 billion in benefits to users annually.
The 3D Hydrography Program replaces the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD), the Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD), and NHDPlus High Resolution (NHDPlus HR) with a single product that include lakes, streams, catchments, and drainage areas, as well as other hydrologic features. All of these hydrologic features are derived from 3DEP lidar (IfSAR in Alaska) and validated to comply with published specifications (Elevation-Derived Hydrography Specifications).
As with 3DEP, data acquisition for 3DHP will rely heavily on partnerships with state, local, tribal, and other Federal agencies, and most acquisitions will be executed through the USGS Geospatial Products and Service Contract (GPSC). Partnerships will be identified through the Data Collaboration Announcement (DCA). Data also may be contributed to the program if it meets data quality requirements outlined in the specifications. Products of the 3DHP will be delivered primarily through web services, including both a comprehensive service with all the features, and other services that highlight use-case-specific subsets of the data. Periodic snapshots will also be generated as static reference datasets.
Federal fiscal year 2024 marks the first operational year of the 3DHP. Contingent on funding, full remapping of the hydrologic features for the nation is expected in fiscal year 2032.
