Realtime Data And Data-Relay System

ISSUE

The various governmental agencies, environmental organizations, and the general water resources user community in the State of Washington need a comprehensive, integrated surface water realtime data collection network and system for a diversity of interests and needs.
The Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite (GOES) program was started in the late 1970's in part to fulfill such a purpose. Data collection sites can transmit realtime and near-realtime data to satellite receive stations using Data Collection Platforms (DCP's) via GOES satellites.

The USGS operates a network of about 250 streamflow, reservoir, meteorological stations in the State of Washington. The USGS data collection network is funded by 25 cooperating agencies and entities.
The USGS operates satellite telemetery at 175 of those stations for routine (4 hour) and immediate (alert) data transmission from field sites to USGS satellite receive stations and computer systems.
The USGS operates two satellite receive stations, one older technology Direct Readout Ground Station (DRGS-1985) and one new (1992) technology Domestic Satellite (DOMSAT) Receive Station (DRS).
The USGS operates the National Water Information System (NWIS-I) software and database for receiving, processing, and displaying realtime, near-realtime data, in addition to the provisional (current year) and published historical data.
The USGS relays realtime data for 105 stations to 6 Puget Sound area cooperators and the National Weather Service River Forecast Office in Seattle.

Results of the USGS cooperative data collecton network and program, and the realtime data system, in cooperation with agencies and entities fulfills the diverse needs of the cooperators, water resource user community, and the public on a state-wide basis
Results of the USGS cooperative program provides a more integrated and comprehensive data collection network and program for all agencies and entites using the water resources data.
Results of the the USGS realtime data collection network and system in the State of Washington, funded by cooperators, ensures a consistently managed and operated system serving the interests of water resources community.

USGS data from all data collections stations, both historical published data and provisional data are incorporated in the USGS NWIS-I database for all users to retrieve and display.
Realtime data from all USGS satellite telemetered stations are also made available to all users in realtime using the NWIS-I software and database. A local package of software fulfills numerous cooperator and user data needs on USGS computers.
Realtime data is also retrieved routinely by some cooperators to support their integrated data needs for their data and modeling purposes.
Efforts are currently underway within USGS to make the data more directly public-accessable via Internet for easier, faster retrieval and display.