Hydrologic Information System for the NationHydrologic Information System for the Nation

David R. MaidmentDavid R. Maidment

DirectorDirectorCenter for Research Center for Research in Water Resources, in Water Resources,

University of Texas University of Texas at Austinat Austin

Consortium of Universities for the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc (CUAHSI)(CUAHSI)

• Supported by the Supported by the National Science National Science FoundationFoundation

• Develops Develops cyberinfrastructure and cyberinfrastructure and servicesservices for hydrologic for hydrologic science in US science in US universitiesuniversities

• Legally independent Legally independent organization based in organization based in Washington DCWashington DC

CUAHSI HydroView Components

HydrologicSynthesis

HydrologicObservatories

HydrologicInformation

Systems

MeasurementTechnology

CUAHSI HIS Partner InstitutionsCUAHSI HIS Partner Institutions

Project Collaborator

CUAHSI Member

CUAHSI has 110 member universities

HIS GoalsHIS Goals

• Hydrologic Data Access SystemHydrologic Data Access System – better – better access to a large volume of high quality access to a large volume of high quality hydrologic datahydrologic data

• Support for ObservatoriesSupport for Observatories – synthesizing – synthesizing hydrologic data for a regionhydrologic data for a region

• Advancement of Hydrologic ScienceAdvancement of Hydrologic Science – data – data modeling and advanced analysismodeling and advanced analysis

• Hydrologic EducationHydrologic Education – better data in the – better data in the classroom, basin-focused teachingclassroom, basin-focused teaching

• Most used Most used applicationsapplications areare– ExcelExcel– ArcGISArcGIS– MatlabMatlab

• Then come Then come programming programming languageslanguages– FortranFortran– C/C++C/C++– Visual BasicVisual Basic

Which of the four HIS goals is most important to you?

DataDataAccessAccess

ScienceScience ObservatoriesObservatories

EducationEducation

CUAHSI Member Survey ResultsCUAHSI Member Survey Results

1:1200 scale1:1200 scale

CUAHSI Hydrologic Information SystemCUAHSI Hydrologic Information System

United States1:500,000 scale1:500,000 scale

River Basin1:100,000 scale1:100,000 scale

Watershed1:24,000 scale1:24,000 scale

River reach

A multiscale web portal system for water data and models

Point scalePoint scaleA home

1:1,000,000 scale1:1,000,000 scaleNorth American

and Global

Rainfall & SnowWater quantity

and quality

Remote sensing

Water DataWater Data

Modeling Meteorology

Soil water

Water Data Web SitesWater Data Web Sites

NWISWeb site outputNWISWeb site output# agency_cd Agency Code# site_no USGS station number# dv_dt date of daily mean streamflow# dv_va daily mean streamflow value, in cubic-feet per-second# dv_cd daily mean streamflow value qualification code## Sites in this file include:# USGS 02087500 NEUSE RIVER NEAR CLAYTON, NC#agency_cd site_no dv_dt dv_va dv_cdUSGS 02087500 2003-09-01 1190USGS 02087500 2003-09-02 649USGS 02087500 2003-09-03 525USGS 02087500 2003-09-04 486USGS 02087500 2003-09-05 733USGS 02087500 2003-09-06 585USGS 02087500 2003-09-07 485USGS 02087500 2003-09-08 463USGS 02087500 2003-09-09 673USGS 02087500 2003-09-10 517USGS 02087500 2003-09-11 454

Time series of streamflow at a gaging station

CUAHSI Hydrologic Data Access CUAHSI Hydrologic Data Access SystemSystem

A common data window for accessing, viewing and downloading hydrologic information

USGSUSGS

NASANASANCDCNCDCEPAEPA NWSNWS

Observatory DataObservatory Data

http://river.sdsc.edu/HDAS

Observation StationsObservation Stations

Ameriflux Towers (NASA & DOE) NOAA Automated Surface Observing System

USGS National Water Information System NOAA Climate Reference Network

Observation Stations Map for the USObservation Stations Map for the US

NWIS Station Observation MetadataNWIS Station Observation Metadata

Describe what has been measured at this station

NWISNWIS

ArcGISArcGIS

ExcelExcel

NCARNCAR

LTERLTER

NAWQANAWQAStoretStoret

NCDCNCDC

AmerifluxAmeriflux

MatlabMatlab

AccessAccess SASSAS

FortranFortran

Visual BasicVisual Basic

C/C++C/C++

Some operational services

CUAHSI Web ServicesCUAHSI Web Services

Data SourcesData Sources

ApplicationsApplications

Extract

Transform

Load

Web Page ScrapingWeb Page Scraping

ProgrammaticallyProgrammatically construct a construct a URL string as produced by URL string as produced by manual usemanual use of the web page of the web page

http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/discharge?site_no=02087500&agency_cd=USGS&....http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/discharge?site_no=02087500&agency_cd=USGS&....

ParseParse the resulting ASCII file the resulting ASCII file

CUAHSI Web ServicesCUAHSI Web Services

Web ServicesLibrary

Web Application: Data Portal

Your application• Excel, ArcGIS, Matlab• Fortran, C/C++, Visual Basic• Hydrologic model• …………….

Your operating system• Windows, Unix, Linux, Mac

Internet Simple Object Access Protocol

Technology transfer from Technology transfer from academiaacademia to to privateprivate sector sector to to publicpublic sector took sector took less than 1 week!less than 1 week!

Transfer of Research ResultsTransfer of Research Results

• Friday Oct 28:Friday Oct 28: I announced the NWIS web services in a I announced the NWIS web services in a CUAHSI cyberseminarCUAHSI cyberseminar

• Wednesday Nov 2:Wednesday Nov 2: Jason Love, from a private firm, RESPEC, Jason Love, from a private firm, RESPEC, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, posted on the in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, posted on the EPAEPA Basins list Basins list server:server: ““Occasionally one comes across something that is worth sharing; Occasionally one comes across something that is worth sharing;

the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information Systems - Web Services Library for the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information Systems - Web Services Library for NWIS is a valuable tool for those of us interested in rapidly acquiring and NWIS is a valuable tool for those of us interested in rapidly acquiring and processing data from the USGS, e.g., calibrating models and performing processing data from the USGS, e.g., calibrating models and performing watershed assessments.”watershed assessments.”

• He provided a tutorialHe provided a tutorial on how to use the services with Matlab on how to use the services with Matlab

Series and FieldsSeries and Fields

FeaturesPoint, line, area, volume

Discrete space representation

Series – ordered sequence of numbersTime series – indexed by time

Frequency series – indexed by frequency

Surfaces Fields – multidimensional arrays

Scalar fields – single value at each locationVector fields – magnitude and direction Random fields – probability distribution

Continuous space representation

mm / 3 hours

Precipitation Evaporation

North American Regional North American Regional Reanalysis of ClimateReanalysis of Climate

Variation during the day, July 2003

NetCDF format

Digital WatershedDigital Watershed

How can hydrologists integrate observed and modeled data from various sources into a single description of the environment?

Digital WatershedDigital Watershed

A digital watershed is an overlay of observation series and fields on a geospatial framework to form a connected database for a hydrologic region

DigitalWatershed

Hydrologic Hydrologic Observation SeriesObservation Series

GeospatialGeospatialDataData

Remote SensingRemote SensingFieldsFields

Weather andWeather andClimate FieldsClimate Fields

Digital Watershed:Digital Watershed:Prototype for the Neuse basinPrototype for the Neuse basin

CUAHSI Hydrologic Information SystemCUAHSI Hydrologic Information System

Hydrologic Information SystemHydrologic Information System

Hydrologic Hydrologic Observing Observing

SystemSystem

Hydrologic Hydrologic Modeling Modeling SystemSystem

Watershed HydrovolumesWatershed Hydrovolumes

Geovolume is theportion of a hydrovolumethat contains solidearth materials

USGS Gaging stations

Hydrovolume

Water Balance ModelWater Balance Model

Precipitation

Streamflow

Vertical water fluxes of evaporation, precipitation, and groundwater, and inflow and outflow in streams, change water storage in watershed

Groundwater recharge

Evaporation

Storage Streamflow

“How much water do we have? “ George W. Bush during 1996 Texas drought

Water Balancing ModelFields Series Geospatial

Water OneStopWater OneStop

• Like Geospatial OneStop, we need a Like Geospatial OneStop, we need a “Water “Water OneStop”OneStop” – a common window for water data and – a common window for water data and modelsmodels

• Advancement of Advancement of water sciencewater science is critically is critically dependent on dependent on integration of water informationintegration of water information

Federal

AcademicLocal

State