USGS - National Water Information System (NWIS)
Investment ID: 010-000001049
Overview
Program Title
USGS - National Water Information System (NWIS)
Description
NWIS provides acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of water resource data essential to USGS partners in local, state, tribal, and Federal governments - and includes data from over a million US sites - with both long-term and real-time data. This investment is managed in the Water Mission area. This investment leverages geospatial data in a very limited manner (monitoring locations). This investment was established in 1984.
Type of Program
Major IT Investments
Multi-Agency Category
Not Applicable
Associated Websites
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis, https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources, https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/12500450/#parameterCode=00065&period=P7D, http://waterservices.usgs.gov/
Investment Detail
Data quickly and easily available from NWIS are essential to the implementation and successful completion of a broad range of interpretive studies addressing groundwater, surface-water, water-quality, and water-use issues that are critical to USGS partners in Local, State, Tribal, and Federal government as well as the international community. For example, the hydrologic data stored and made available by NWIS are used not only for determining the adequacy of water supplies, but also for implementing flood-warning systems; designing dams, bridges, and flood control projects; allocating irrigation water; locating sources of pollution, planning for energy development; and investigating the contamination potential of water supplies due to natural and human influences.
- Water data acquired, quality assured and disseminated via NWIS remain critical to meeting the USGS mission and other Federal and State Agencies with water management.
- NWIS supports Open Government by providing timely information to the public and as a data-source to other USGS, government and commercial users.
- The NWIS web site contributes to the public's awareness of the importance of USGS streamgages and information. In 2013, the web site had over 547 million hits and an annual customer satisfaction rating of 94%.
- Data and information from NWIS are a key component of Data.gov.
- NWIS is the authoritative source for obtaining USGS water data supporting USGS strategic science initiatives.
- NWIS contains data collected over the last 100+ years as well as real-time data both of which are online and easily available/accessible from one system via the web.
- Water data acquired, quality assured and disseminated via NWIS remain critical to meeting the USGS mission and other Federal and State Agencies with water management.
- NWIS supports Open Government by providing timely information to the public and as a data-source to other USGS, government and commercial users.
- The NWIS web site contributes to the public's awareness of the importance of USGS streamgages and information. In 2013, the web site had over 547 million hits and an annual customer satisfaction rating of 94%.
- Data and information from NWIS are a key component of Data.gov.
- NWIS is the authoritative source for obtaining USGS water data supporting USGS strategic science initiatives.
- NWIS contains data collected over the last 100+ years as well as real-time data both of which are online and easily available/accessible from one system via the web.