-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Fw: USGS News Release: Access Historical Instantaneous
Streamflow Data with the New USGS Online Database
Date:   Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:24:10 -0600
From:   John C Fouke <[log in to unmask]>
To:     maps-l

News Release

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey


For release:  November 14, 2007
Contact: Stephen Blanchard, 703-648-5629, [log in to unmask]
        Jennifer LaVista, 703-648-4432, [log in to unmask]

Access Historical Instantaneous Streamflow Data with the New USGS Online
Database

Visit the Instantaneous Data Archive (IDA) website at
http://ida.water.usgs.gov/ida/.

Access to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) historical instantaneous
streamflow discharge data, dating back to around 1990, is now easily
available online through the Instantaneous Data Archive (IDA). In this new
system users will find streamflow information reported at the time
intervals at which it is collected, typically 15 minute to hourly
intervals.

The USGS has provided historical daily streamflow data on the Internet for
more than a decade, but for many scientific and engineering proposes it is
very useful to have the historical data in shorter time increments. The
instantaneous data has been available for many years, but was not
accessible through the web.  This new database saves time and effort by
giving users the information through a user-friendly automated process.

?A user-friendly archive of historical instantaneous streamflow data are
important to many different users for such things as floodplain mapping,
flood modeling, and estimating pollutant transport..? said Robert Hirsch,
USGS Associate Director of Water. ?The new IDA site should be very helpful
to research scientists and engineers for a wide range of hydrologic
analyses.  We are delighted that we have the ability to provide this
treasure trove of high-quality data for these uses.?

The IDA web site currently has about 1.5 billion instantaneous data values
from 5,500 streamgages in 26 states. Populating this web site takes effort
and resources that are being provided "as available," and not all states
and streamgages are available at this time. The number of states and
streamgages with data will continue to increase. It is possible that the
IDA database will expand to include other variables such as temperature
and pH in the future.

For more than 125 years, the USGS has monitored flow in streams and rivers
across the U.S. The USGS collects data from more than 7,400 streamgages,
many of which provide real-time data in 15 minute increments (explore this
information at http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/). USGS streamflow data is
routinely used for water supply and management, monitoring floods and
droughts, bridge and road design, water availability and quality planning,
and for many recreational activities.

Access an even larger variety of USGS data, such as for ground water and
water quality, through the National Water Information System Web Interface
(NWISWeb), which contains over 1.5 million sites, and averages over 25
million successful visits per month (log onto at
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/).

USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit
www.usgs.gov.

Subscribe to USGS News Releases via our electronic mailing list or RSS
feed.

**** www.usgs.gov ****


Jennifer LaVista
Public Affairs Specialist
U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Communications
703-648-4432
Email: [log in to unmask]