Standardizing Access to Hydrologic Data Repositories through Web Services

Data repositories such as the USGS´ National Water Information System (NWIS), EPA´s Storage and Retrieval System (EPA STORET) offer a considerable volume of data for researchers and engineers in the United States through their Websites. While accessible through a Web browser, data from these sources can not be directly ingested by modeling or analysis tools without human intervention. Different input/output formats, syntax and terminology make data discovery and retrieval a major time sink. This paper examines the Web services developed as a part of Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) Hydrologic Information System (HIS) project as a means to standardize access to hydrologic data repositories, facilitate data discovery and enable direct machine-to-machine communication.