UE Hydrography Focus Area

The Hydrography Focus Area is engaged in:

• Assisting the NGP with its efforts to increase the accuracy and content of the NHD, WBD, and NHDPlus HR;
• Developing user-friendly, state-of-the-art geospatial products and services for USGS hydrologists and Federal, State, and local water resource managers across the Nation;
• Working with USGS headquarters staff, USGS scientists, and state and local partners to identify user needs as they relate to the data and services provided by the NGP;
• Facilitating communications within the water data community; and
• Promoting hydrography data stewardship from users within states and federal lands because they understand the hydrography around them and are motivated to ensure the accuracy of the NHD to meet their business needs.

Users:

• Engineers and floodplain managers interested in identifying flood risk areas
• Water resource managers handling water rights
• Water resources field data collection staff
• Agencies building or updating infrastructure including transportation
• Watershed modelers
• Fisheries managers and scientists
• State natural resource and environmental protection agencies
• Stormwater managers
• Scientists involved in climate change research
• Agencies responsible for the enforcement of water quality standards

Applications:

• National Water Information System (NWIS) – online access to water-resources data
• National Water Model (NWM) – NOAA’s operational prediction service based on the NHDPlus
• National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program – makes extensive use of the WBD
• SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) – water-quality modeling to estimate nutrient, sediment, and dissolved solids transport
• StreamStats (Streamflow Statistics) – modeling of stream flow

Items of interest:

• National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) – the most up-to-date and comprehensive hydrography dataset for the Nation
• Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) – companion dataset to the NHD used in applications from scientific research to regulatory work
• NHDPlus High Resolution (NHDPlus HR) – a scalable geospatial hydrography framework built from the high resolution NHD, nationwide WBD, and 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) elevation data
• Specifications for hydrography derived from elevation – specifications, rules, and additional resources for the acquisition of hydrography derived from distributed 3DEP) products for inclusion in the NHD
• Hydrography Requirements and Benefits Study (HRBS) – a study initiated to review and understand current and future user requirements and the associated benefits for improved hydrography data

Connect with the Hydrography Focus Area:

• NHD Newsletter – provides the latest dataset updates, tips & tricks, upcoming training and meetings, and general announcements for the NHD, WBD, and NHDPlus HR
• Stewardship and Community – provides technical information about the tools USGS develops and maintains for local stewardship activities