U.S. Geological Survey

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the U.S. government that conducts research and provides data on the natural resources and hazards of the United States. The USGS is known for its work in mapping and monitoring earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides to help mitigate risks and protect communities. USGS also studies water resources including streamflow, groundwater, and water quality through a nationwide network of monitoring stations. Their public APIs provide programmatic access to real-time earthquake data, water monitoring observations, seismic design parameters, and geospatial data products.

U.S. Geological Survey publishes 6 APIs on the APIs.io network, including Catalog API, Collections API, Earthquakes API, and 3 more. Tagged areas include Federal Government, Geological, Earth Science, Natural Resources, and Earthquake.

The U.S. Geological Survey catalog on APIs.io includes 2 JSON-LD contexts and 3 Spectral governance rulesets.

U.S. Geological Survey’s developer surface includes authentication, documentation, engineering blog, and 8 more developer resources.

🌐 Visit website 📡 Source on GitHub

43.7/100 developing ▼ -7.3 Agent 44/100 agent ready Full breakdown ↓
scored 2026-07-28 · rubric v0.6

AccessFreeSelf serve⚡ Free to try

11 APIs 6 Features 5 Use Cases

Federal GovernmentGeologicalEarth ScienceNatural ResourcesEarthquakeWaterHydrology

Kin Score

Kin Score How this is scored →
scored 2026-07-28 · rubric v0.6

Composite quality — 43.7/100 · developing

Contract Quality 15.4 / 25

Developer Ergonomics 4.3 / 20

Commercial Clarity 5.8 / 20

Operational Transparency 3.4 / 13

Governance 8.3 / 12

Discoverability 6.5 / 10

Agent readiness — 44/100 · agent ready

Machine-Readable Contract 18 / 18

Agentic Access Contract 10 / 10

MCP Server 0 / 12

Machine-Readable Auth 10 / 10

Idempotency 0 / 9

Stable Error Semantics 8 / 8

Request/Response Examples 7 / 7

Rate-Limit Signaling 7 / 7

Typed Event Surface 0 / 6

Agent Skills 0 / 5

Well-Known Catalog 0 / 4

Consent & Bot Identity 0 / 3

A2A Agent Card 0 / 8

Dry-Run / Simulate Mode 0 / 4

Improve this rating by publishing the missing artifacts — every area above can be raised, and the full rubric is at apis.io/rating/. This rating is computed from github.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey: open an issue to ask a question, or submit a pull request to add artifacts. Want it done for you? Prioritized profiling — $2,500 →

APIs 11

Individual APIs this provider publishes, each with its own machine-readable definition.

Asset Identifier Service (AIS)

The USGS Asset Identifier Service (AIS) allows USGS personnel to reserve, register, publish, and manage USGS persistent identifiers to make research more Findable, Accessible, I...

Seismic Design Web Service

Web services produced by the U.S. Geological Survey for calculating parameter values from various seismic design reference documents for engineering and construction purposes.

ScienceBase

ScienceBase is a USGS Trusted Digital Repository that provides permission-controlled and public access to scientific data products through a REST API supporting upload, document...

StreamStats Web Services

The StreamStats Web Services provide HTTP-accessible hydrological analysis services for delineating drainage areas, estimating peak flows, and computing basin characteristics fo...

USGS Water Services (Legacy)

The original USGS NWIS water services API providing streamflow, groundwater, water quality, and site information via REST protocol in XML and other media types. High availabilit...

U.S. Geological Survey Catalog API

Discover available catalogs, contributors, and supported parameter values.

U.S. Geological Survey Collections API

OGC API collections listing and metadata.

U.S. Geological Survey Earthquakes API

Query and retrieve earthquake event data from the USGS earthquake catalog.

U.S. Geological Survey Monitoring Locations API

USGS stream gages, groundwater wells, and other water monitoring stations.

U.S. Geological Survey Reference Data API

Reference code tables including agency codes, datum types, and aquifer data.

U.S. Geological Survey Time Series Data API

Continuous and daily value water data from USGS monitoring locations.

Scroll for all 11

Pricing Plans 1

Published pricing tiers and plan structures.

U S Geological Survey Plans Pricing

1 plans

PLANS

Rate Limits 1

Documented rate limits and quota policies.

U S Geological Survey Rate Limits

2 limits

RATE LIMITS

FinOps 1

Cost, billing, and metering signals for API financial operations.

U S Geological Survey Finops

FINOPS

Features 6

Notable capabilities this provider offers.

Earthquake Catalog Query

Search the USGS ANSS ComCat earthquake catalog by geography, time, magnitude, depth, and event type with 20,000 event limit per query.

Real-Time Earthquake Data

Access near real-time earthquake data updated within minutes of events occurring anywhere in the world.

Water Monitoring Locations

Query USGS stream gages, groundwater wells, and other water quality monitoring stations by state, watershed, or geographic area.

Water Data Time Series

Retrieve continuous and daily water data including streamflow, stage, temperature, and water quality parameters.

OGC API Compliance

USGS Water Data APIs implement OGC API Features standard supporting CQL2 filtering, spatial queries, and standardized output formats.

GeoJSON Output

All spatial data returned in GeoJSON format compatible with mapping libraries and geospatial analysis tools.

Semantic Vocabularies 2

JSON-LD contexts and semantic vocabularies used across these APIs.

Usgs Earthquake Api Context

6 classes · 35 properties

JSON-LD

Usgs Water Data Api Context

12 classes · 30 properties

JSON-LD

Spectral Rules 3

Spectral governance rulesets for linting and validating these APIs.

U.S. Geological Survey API Rules

5 rules · 3 warnings 2 info

SPECTRAL

U.S. Geological Survey API Rules

9 rules · 1 errors 7 warnings 1 info

SPECTRAL

U.S. Geological Survey API Rules

33 rules · 9 errors 14 warnings 10 info

SPECTRAL

7 properties

JSON STRUCTURE

Scroll for all 18

Recommended x-agentic-access execution contracts for AI agents.

U S Geological Survey Agentic Access

11 operations

11 operations · 0 acting

AGENTIC

Use Cases 5

What developers build with this provider.

Earthquake Hazard Monitoring

Emergency managers and scientists monitor real-time earthquake activity for hazard assessment and emergency response planning.

Flood Forecasting

Hydrologists use USGS streamflow data for flood prediction, water supply forecasting, and reservoir management.

Groundwater Management

Water managers track groundwater level trends for sustainable aquifer management and drought assessment.

Environmental Research

Researchers use USGS geological and water data for environmental impact assessments and climate change studies.

Engineering Design

Civil engineers use USGS water data and seismic design services for infrastructure planning and construction.

Integrations 4

Pre-built integrations with other platforms and tools.

USGS GitHub Organization

Open-source tools including libcomcat, rcomcat, and other clients for accessing USGS earthquake and water data.

USGS Water Data for the Nation

The flagship USGS water data portal at waterdata.usgs.gov providing maps and tools built on the NWIS water services API.

National Water Information System (NWIS)

Legacy USGS water data system providing the underlying data for Water Data APIs with millions of site records.

FDSN Standards

USGS earthquake API implements FDSN (International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks) web service specifications.

Resources

Documentation 1

Reference material describing how the API behaves

Documentation

Documentation

Agent Surfaces 1

MCP servers, agent skills, and machine-readable catalogs

AgenticAccess

AgenticAccess

Design & Contract 2

Pagination, idempotency, versioning, errors, and events

SpectralRules

SpectralRules

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Build 1

SDKs, sample code, and the tooling you integrate with

GitHubOrganization

GitHubOrganization

Access & Security 3

Authentication, authorization, and security posture

VulnerabilityDisclosure

VulnerabilityDisclosure

DomainSecurity

DomainSecurity

Authentication

Authentication

Company 3

The organization behind the API

LinkedIn

Website

Website

Blog

Blog

Source (apis.yml)

aid: u-s-geological-survey
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
apis:
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:asset-identifier-service-ais
  name: Asset Identifier Service (AIS)
  tags:
  - Identifiers
  - Research Data
  humanURL: https://www.usgs.gov/tools/asset-identifier-service-ais
  properties:
  - url: https://www.usgs.gov/tools/asset-identifier-service-ais
    type: Documentation
  description: The USGS Asset Identifier Service (AIS) allows USGS personnel to reserve, register, publish, and manage USGS
    persistent identifiers to make research more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR).
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:seismic-design-web-service
  name: Seismic Design Web Service
  tags:
  - Seismic
  - Engineering
  humanURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/ws/designmaps/
  properties:
  - url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/ws/designmaps/
    type: Documentation
  description: Web services produced by the U.S. Geological Survey for calculating parameter values from various seismic design
    reference documents for engineering and construction purposes.
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:sciencebase
  name: ScienceBase
  tags:
  - Research Data
  - Data Repository
  humanURL: https://www.usgs.gov/tools/sciencebase
  properties:
  - url: https://www.usgs.gov/tools/sciencebase
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://www.usgs.gov/sciencebase-instructions-and-documentation/api-and-web-services
    type: Documentation
    title: ScienceBase API Documentation
  description: ScienceBase is a USGS Trusted Digital Repository that provides permission-controlled and public access to scientific
    data products through a REST API supporting upload, documentation, and sharing of research data.
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:streamstats-web-services
  name: StreamStats Web Services
  tags:
  - Hydrology
  - Streamflow
  - Statistics
  humanURL: https://www.usgs.gov/tools/streamstats-web-services
  properties:
  - url: https://www.usgs.gov/tools/streamstats-web-services
    type: Documentation
  description: The StreamStats Web Services provide HTTP-accessible hydrological analysis services for delineating drainage
    areas, estimating peak flows, and computing basin characteristics for water resources planning.
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:usgs-water-services
  name: USGS Water Services (Legacy)
  tags:
  - Water
  - Hydrology
  - Legacy
  humanURL: https://www.usgs.gov/tools/usgs-water-services
  properties:
  - url: https://nwis.waterservices.usgs.gov/
    type: Documentation
  description: The original USGS NWIS water services API providing streamflow, groundwater, water quality, and site information
    via REST protocol in XML and other media types. High availability and fault-tolerant design.
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:u-s-geological-survey-catalog-api
  name: U.S. Geological Survey Catalog API
  description: Discover available catalogs, contributors, and supported parameter values.
  humanURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  baseURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1
  tags:
  - Catalog
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/u-s-geological-survey-catalog-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-earthquake-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-example.json
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/docs/
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/signup/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-time-series-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-water-data-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-example.json
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:u-s-geological-survey-collections-api
  name: U.S. Geological Survey Collections API
  description: OGC API collections listing and metadata.
  humanURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  baseURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1
  tags:
  - Collections
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/u-s-geological-survey-collections-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-earthquake-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-example.json
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/docs/
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/signup/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-time-series-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-water-data-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-example.json
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:u-s-geological-survey-earthquakes-api
  name: U.S. Geological Survey Earthquakes API
  description: Query and retrieve earthquake event data from the USGS earthquake catalog.
  humanURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  baseURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1
  tags:
  - Earthquakes
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/u-s-geological-survey-earthquakes-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-earthquake-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-example.json
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/docs/
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/signup/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-time-series-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-water-data-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-example.json
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:u-s-geological-survey-monitoring-locations-api
  name: U.S. Geological Survey Monitoring Locations API
  description: USGS stream gages, groundwater wells, and other water monitoring stations.
  humanURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  baseURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1
  tags:
  - Monitoring Locations
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/u-s-geological-survey-monitoring-locations-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-earthquake-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-example.json
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/docs/
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/signup/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-time-series-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-water-data-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-example.json
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:u-s-geological-survey-reference-data-api
  name: U.S. Geological Survey Reference Data API
  description: Reference code tables including agency codes, datum types, and aquifer data.
  humanURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  baseURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1
  tags:
  - Reference Data
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/u-s-geological-survey-reference-data-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-earthquake-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-example.json
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/docs/
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/signup/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-time-series-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-water-data-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-example.json
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:u-s-geological-survey-time-series-data-api
  name: U.S. Geological Survey Time Series Data API
  description: Continuous and daily value water data from USGS monitoring locations.
  humanURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  baseURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1
  tags:
  - Time Series Data
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/u-s-geological-survey-time-series-data-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-earthquake-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-example.json
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/docs/
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/signup/
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-water-data-api-time-series-properties-schema.json
  - type: JSONLD
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-water-data-api-context.jsonld
  - type: Examples
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-example.json
name: U.S. Geological Survey
tags:
- Federal Government
- Geological
- Earth Science
- Natural Resources
- Earthquake
- Water
- Hydrology
kind: contract
accessModel:
  pricing: free
  onboarding: self-serve
  trial: false
  try_now: true
  public: false
  label: Free · Self-serve signup
  confidence: high
  source:
  - plans
  - authentication
  generated: '2026-07-22'
  method: derived
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/icons/u-s-geological-survey.png
access: 3rd-Party
common:
- type: AgenticAccess
  url: agentic-access/u-s-geological-survey-agentic-access.yml
- type: VulnerabilityDisclosure
  url: security/u-s-geological-survey-vulnerability-disclosure.yml
- type: DomainSecurity
  url: security/u-s-geological-survey-domain-security.yml
- type: Authentication
  url: authentication/u-s-geological-survey-authentication.yml
- type: LinkedIn
  url: https://www.linkedin.com/company/usgs
- type: Website
  url: https://www.usgs.gov/
- type: GitHubOrganization
  url: https://github.com/usgs
- type: Documentation
  url: https://www.usgs.gov/products/web-tools/apis
- type: SpectralRules
  url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/rules/usgs-spectral-rules.yml
- type: Vocabulary
  url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/vocabulary/u-s-geological-survey-vocabulary.yaml
- type: Features
  data:
  - name: Earthquake Catalog Query
    description: Search the USGS ANSS ComCat earthquake catalog by geography, time, magnitude, depth, and event type with
      20,000 event limit per query.
  - name: Real-Time Earthquake Data
    description: Access near real-time earthquake data updated within minutes of events occurring anywhere in the world.
  - name: Water Monitoring Locations
    description: Query USGS stream gages, groundwater wells, and other water quality monitoring stations by state, watershed,
      or geographic area.
  - name: Water Data Time Series
    description: Retrieve continuous and daily water data including streamflow, stage, temperature, and water quality parameters.
  - name: OGC API Compliance
    description: USGS Water Data APIs implement OGC API Features standard supporting CQL2 filtering, spatial queries, and
      standardized output formats.
  - name: GeoJSON Output
    description: All spatial data returned in GeoJSON format compatible with mapping libraries and geospatial analysis tools.
- type: UseCases
  data:
  - name: Earthquake Hazard Monitoring
    description: Emergency managers and scientists monitor real-time earthquake activity for hazard assessment and emergency
      response planning.
  - name: Flood Forecasting
    description: Hydrologists use USGS streamflow data for flood prediction, water supply forecasting, and reservoir management.
  - name: Groundwater Management
    description: Water managers track groundwater level trends for sustainable aquifer management and drought assessment.
  - name: Environmental Research
    description: Researchers use USGS geological and water data for environmental impact assessments and climate change studies.
  - name: Engineering Design
    description: Civil engineers use USGS water data and seismic design services for infrastructure planning and construction.
- type: Integrations
  data:
  - name: USGS GitHub Organization
    description: Open-source tools including libcomcat, rcomcat, and other clients for accessing USGS earthquake and water
      data.
  - name: USGS Water Data for the Nation
    description: The flagship USGS water data portal at waterdata.usgs.gov providing maps and tools built on the NWIS water
      services API.
  - name: National Water Information System (NWIS)
    description: Legacy USGS water data system providing the underlying data for Water Data APIs with millions of site records.
  - name: FDSN Standards
    description: USGS earthquake API implements FDSN (International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks) web service
      specifications.
- url: https://www.usgs.gov/news/news-releases/all-news-releases
  type: Blog
created: '2024-11-14'
modified: '2026-05-19'
position: Consuming
description: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the U.S. government that conducts research and provides
  data on the natural resources and hazards of the United States. The USGS is known for its work in mapping and monitoring
  earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides to help mitigate risks and protect communities. USGS also studies water resources
  including streamflow, groundwater, and water quality through a nationwide network of monitoring stations. Their public APIs
  provide programmatic access to real-time earthquake data, water monitoring observations, seismic design parameters, and
  geospatial data products.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com
specificationVersion: '0.19'