Intantaneous Values Frequently Asked Questions

Questions that are most often asked that do not fall in any specific service topic.

Are new services planned? If so what will they be?

A number of new web services are being considered. In 2014, the USGS hopes to deploy an OGC-compliant Sensor Observation Service. A water quality web service is also on the planning radar for 2015 or later. Reference list web services (returning metadata information, such as a list of counties for a state) will be introduced piecemeal as needed to support projects. All such changes will be announced via the USGS Water Data Notification Service External Link.

What new features are likely to be developed for this service?

The development of a new Sensor Observation Service (SOS) in 2014 will serve equivalent data in a more “geo-friendly” format. The same data will be available via the SOS as is served by this service, with data served in the WaterML 2 format. Support for Excel output are planned for FY13 or FY14 for this service.

Will WaterML 2.0 be supported?

Yes, it will be supported by a Sensor Observation Service to be deployed in 2014 or 2015 and also by this service in 2014.

Where can I find older historical instantaneous values?

Currently values are supported from October 1, 2007 forward. Most historical streamflow data is available through the Instantaneous Data Archive External Link. Other data may be available through an inquiry with the local USGS water science center by writing gs-w-xx_nwisweb_data_inquiries@usgs.gov where xx is the state postal code (such as “ny”) of interest.