U.S. Geological Survey

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:earthquake-api
  name: Earthquake Notifications, Feeds, and Web Services
  tags:
  - Earthquakes
  - Seismic
  - Geoscience
  humanURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
  baseURL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1
  properties:
  - url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/
    type: GettingStarted
  - url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/openapi/usgs-earthquake-api-openapi.yaml
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-schema/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-schema.json
    type: JSONSchema
    title: Earthquake Properties Schema
  - url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-earthquake-api-context.jsonld
    type: JSONLD
  - url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-earthquake-api-earthquake-properties-example.json
    type: Examples
    title: Earthquake Properties Example
  description: The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program provides real-time notifications and historical earthquake data through
    the FDSN Event Web Service. Search the ANSS ComCat earthquake catalog by geography, time, magnitude, and depth. Responses
    available in GeoJSON, CSV, KML, and QuakeML formats.
- aid: u-s-geological-survey:water-data-api
  name: USGS Water Data APIs
  tags:
  - Water
  - Hydrology
  - Streamflow
  - Groundwater
  humanURL: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/
  baseURL: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/ogcapi/v0
  properties:
  - url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/docs/
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/signup/
    type: Authentication
  - url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/openapi/usgs-water-data-api-openapi.yaml
    type: OpenAPI
  - 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
    title: Monitoring Location Schema
  - 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: JSONSchema
    title: Time Series Properties Schema
  - url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/json-ld/usgs-water-data-api-context.jsonld
    type: JSONLD
  - url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/u-s-geological-survey/refs/heads/main/examples/usgs-water-data-api-monitoring-location-properties-example.json
    type: Examples
    title: Monitoring Location Example
  description: The USGS Water Data OGC APIs provide standardized access to USGS water monitoring data including continuous
    streamflow, daily values, groundwater levels, discrete water quality measurements, and monitoring location metadata. Implements
    OGC API Features standard with spatial and temporal filtering support.
- 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.
name: U.S. Geological Survey
tags:
- Federal Government
- Geological
- Earth Science
- Natural Resources
- Earthquake
- Water
- Hydrology
kind: contract
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
access: 3rd-Party
common:
- 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.
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'