Resources

Data sources for modeling

Public datasets that committee members rely on for precipitation, flow, terrain, land cover, soils and infrastructure. Most are U.S.-focused; suggestions for other regions are welcome.

Precipitation & meteorology

NOAA Atlas 14Precipitation frequency estimates (PFDS) NetSTORM AtlasIDF statistics by station NOAA ASOS1-minute and 5-minute archives NOAA NCEIHourly and 15-minute archives NOAA NCEIAll-duration station archives NOAA Climate Normals30-year climate normals CoCoRaHSCommunity daily precipitation network

Streamflow, gages & tides

USGS National Water DashboardReal-time gage conditions USGS NWISNational Water Information System NOAA Tides & CurrentsTide level archives and forecasts

Topography, lidar & imagery

USGS The National MapDEMs, hydrography and imagery downloads USGS LiDAR Explorer3DEP lidar coverage and downloads NOAA Digital CoastLidar, land cover and topography

Land cover, imperviousness & soils

MRLC viewerNLCD land cover, impervious surface and tree canopy NOAA high-resolution impervious layerEcopia AI land cover via NOAA USDA Web Soil SurveySoil properties and hydrologic soil groups

Buildings & infrastructure

FEMA USA StructuresNational building footprints OpenStreetMapStreets, buildings and land use

Watersheds & delineation

USGS StreamStatsWatershed delineation and basin characteristics Model My WatershedStroud Water Research Center

Historic extreme events

NOAA Emergency Response ImageryPost-storm aerial imagery USGS Flood Event ViewerHigh-water marks and event gage data

State GIS portals

PASDAPennsylvania Spatial Data Access VGINVirginia Geographic Information Network

Tools

EPA National Stormwater CalculatorSite-scale runoff and green infrastructure NEER online mapping toolFree web-based mapping tool

Know a source we’re missing?

Send us a link and a sentence about how you use it, and we’ll add it to the list.

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