USGS Stream Flow Data for Iowa Flood Studies Campaign

About 200 USGS river gauges in Iowa recorded streamflow data during the Iowa Flood Studies field campaign from March 30 to June 30, 2013. This dataset was collected to evaluate the use of GPM satellite rainfall data for flood forecasting. Measurements were taken at 15 to 60-minute intervals in real-time by the USGS and archived by NASA's GHRC DAAC.

Use Cases

• Validating GPM satellite rainfall estimates against ground-based river discharge measurements.
• Calibrating and improving hydrological models for flood forecasting in the Iowa region.
• Analyzing temporal streamflow patterns at 15-60 minute intervals during a spring flood season.
• Studying the relationship between satellite-observed precipitation and resultant river gauge responses.

Strengths

• Data covers approximately 200 monitoring locations, providing spatial density across the study area.
• High temporal resolution with measurements recorded every 15 to 60 minutes.
• Data was collected in real-time during a dedicated field campaign (IFloodS) with a clear validation objective.
• Presence on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata, Data.gov) signals recognized importance.

Limitations

• Specific column names and the exact row count are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last update date (2013-07-01 vs. 2026-03-13), suggesting potential metadata inconsistency.
• Data is available only in XML format, which may require parsing for analysis.

Provenance

Source

United States Geological Survey (USGS), archived by NASA's Global Hydrology Resource Center Distributed Active Archive Center (GHRC DAAC).

Collection Method

Collected in real-time from approximately 200 stream and river gauges in the Iowa study area.

Time Range

March 30, 2013 through June 30, 2013

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:18:46.573704

Geography

Iowa, United States (IFloodS study area)