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, USGS Water Data OGC 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.
Regulatory Posture applies to this provider. Its tags matched the
Government & Public Sector regime, so
Regulatory Posture carries 15 points of the composite.
If this regime is wrong for your business, say so on your
provider repo — the
applicability map is public and we will correct it.
The six quality facets above are damped to 85 points between them,
because the conditional facet above carries the other
15. That is why each facet's contribution is shown against a damped
maximum: raising a quality facet moves the composite by 85% of its nominal
weight, not 100%. The full arithmetic is at apis.io/rating/.
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...
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 is a USGS Trusted Digital Repository that provides permission-controlled and public access to scientific data products through a REST API supporting upload, document...
The StreamStats Web Services provide HTTP-accessible hydrological analysis services for delineating drainage areas, estimating peak flows, and computing basin characteristics fo...
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...
The USGS Water Data OGC API — a conformant OGC API - Features implementation over the national water observation network, exposing 36 collections (monitoring locations, continuo...
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:usgs-water-data-ogc-api
name: USGS Water Data OGC API
description: 'The USGS Water Data OGC API — a conformant OGC API - Features implementation over the national water observation
network, exposing 36 collections (monitoring locations, continuous and daily values, field and channel measurements, peaks,
time-series metadata, and the full USGS reference-code vocabulary) as GeoJSON with CQL2 filtering. Verified anonymously
on 2026-08-20: the landing page, /conformance and /collections each returned HTTP 200, and the first-party OpenAPI 3.0.2
(184 paths, 220 operations, "USGS Water Data APIs" v0.71.7) is served live and without a key at /openapi?f=json. The conformance
declaration names 18 classes across OGC API - Common parts 1-3, OGC API - Features parts 1-4, and CQL2. This replaces
an earlier catalog entry that described these OGC operations but pointed at earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1, where
/collections soft-404s to an HTML documentation page.'
humanURL: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/docs/
baseURL: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/ogcapi/v0
tags:
- OGC
- OGC API
- OGC API Features
- CQL2
- GeoJSON
- Geospatial
- Water
- Hydrology
- Open Access
properties:
- type: OpenAPI
url: openapi/u-s-geological-survey-water-data-ogc-api-openapi.yml
- type: Conformance
url: conformance/u-s-geological-survey-conformance.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
tags_raw:
- 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: '0.23'
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