NWDTW 2024: Full Schedule

1:00pm CDT

Developing and Contributing to AQS+ DSET applications and packages

The Discrete Samples Extensibility Tools (DSET) were developed to help USGS AQUARIUS Samples users with various data needs beyond the AQS user interface. The DSET suite of R-packages and Shiny web applications, such the Batch Data Loader (BDL), Water Quality Review (WQR), and the packages that support them, were designed to incorporate future development from the user community. In the past, WSCs have developed local tools that complimented their review process in WQ-Review; however, these scripts, modules, and tools were not widely distributed to the greater user community. With the release of AQS and DSET, we encourage those developers who have great ideas for enhancing DSET to build upon the tools and incorporate those enhancements through a process that results in wider release to the user community. This course will cover the basic structure of the DSET code repositories and a workflow for developing and submitting enhancements.

Speakers

Colin Penn

Hydrologist, USGS New England WSC - CT office

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 6

COMPUTER TOOLS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By LASSO
Intended Audience Advanced
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

Best Practices, Traverse Selection, and Quality Levels for Trigonometric-Leveling Applications in the USGS―with specific reference to Indirects.

Historically, an engineer’s transit was considered the most effective way to determine the geometry of a channel, bridge, or culvert because data collection was simple, rapid, and accurate (Benson and Dalrymple, 1967). After flooding, transits were also used to collect positional data of important features such as high-water marks that correspond to peak flood stage and cross sections of a stream channel along a reach. A “transit-stadia” survey method was used to simultaneously collect horizontal and vertical positioning data. With the advent of modern land-surveying equipment, total station instruments have become the standard for rapid and accurate three-dimensional positioning using terrestrial-based surveying methods.
Common field techniques to obtain quality results include averaging zenith angles and slope distances observed in direct and reverse instrument orientation (F1 and F2, respectively), multiple sets of reciprocal observations, quality meteorological observations to correct for the effects of atmospheric refraction, and electronic distance measurements that generally do not exceed 500 feet. In general, third-order specifications are required for differences between F1 and F2 zenith angles and slope distances; differences between redundant instrument-height measurements; section misclosure determined from reciprocal observations; and closure error for closed traverse. For F1 observations such as backsight check and check shots, the construction-grade specification is required for elevation differences between known and observed values.
Two types of closed traverse surveys have been identified as reliable methods to establish and perpetuate vertical control: the single-run loop traverse and double-run spur traverse. Leveling measurements for a double-run spur traverse are made in the forward direction from the origin to the destination and are then retraced along the same leveling route in the backward direction, from the destination to the origin. Every control point in a double-run spur traverse is occupied twice. Leveling measurements for a single-run loop traverse are made in the forward direction from the origin point to the destination, and then from the destination to the origin point, along a different leveling route. The only point that is redundantly occupied for the single-run loop traverse is the origin. An open traverse method is also considered an acceptable approach to establish and perpetuate vertical control if the foresight prism height is changed between measurement sets to ensure at least two independent observations.
Specifications that were developed by the National Geodetic Survey for geodetic leveling have been adapted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the purpose of developing standards for trigonometric leveling, which are identified as USGS Trigonometric Level I (TL I), USGS Trigonometric Level II (TL II), USGS Trigonometric Level III (TL III), and USGS Trigonometric Level IV (TL IV). TL I, TL II, and TL III surveys have a combination of first, second, and third geodetic leveling specifications that have been modified for plane leveling. The TL III category also has specifications that are adapted from construction-grade standards, which are not recognized by the National Geodetic Survey for geodetic leveling. A TL IV survey represents a leveling approach that does not generally meet criteria of a TL I, TL II, or TL III survey.

Speakers

Michael Noll

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 11

GNSS/SURVEYING, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Geospatial Data and Vertical Datum (GDVD)
Intended Audience Intermediate
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

Measurements of Groundwater flow velocity and direction: Project investigations and long term monitoring station deployment

Groundwater flow meters that measure horizontal groundwater flow direction and velocity have been used in several different investigations by the USGS across the nation. Historically, flowmeters were used to measure groundwater flow related to contaminant plumes (TCE, PFAS, etc.) to assist in remedial actions or site characterizations in in relation to aquifer tests to determine the area of influence from groundwater production. Recently, as part of the NGWOS Illinois Basin Study, groundwater flowmeters have been deployed at real-time continuously recording stations at two field sites to help quantify groundwater and surface water interactions between streams and the surrounding agricultural setting. This presentation will include an overview of the available technologies, proper deployment and use, case studies and best management practices.

Speakers

David Lampe

Supervisory Hydrologist, USGS OKI WSC

Dave Lampe is the Associate Director of Science for the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana WSC and has been a hydrologist and within the hydrologic investigations section since 2003.

Lance Gruhn

Hydrologist, USGS

Lance Gruhn is a Hydrologist stationed in Iowa City, Iowa and is the groundwater technical and field support lead for the Hydrologic Networks Branck of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area. Lance coordinates the Groundwater Data Processing class and the Groundwater Field Techniques... Read More →

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 1+2

GROUNDWATER, ANALYSIS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

What Makes the Mechanical Meter QA Program Click

This session will provide an overview of the Mechanical Meter QA Program, as well as the Water Science Centers’ participation in the program. Topics will include navigating the OneStop Website and managing your equipment using Query Portal tools. Additionally, the calibration procedure used by the hydraulics lab team at the Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility will be presented, including the criteria used to evaluate the meters. The calibration sheets provided for each meter will be explained to facilitate understanding of what the results mean and how to use them. Quality Assurance program results from recent years will also be presented.

Speakers

Christopher Wilson

Supervisory Hydrologist, USGS

Recently, I have become the section chief for the Hydraulics and Water Quality section at the HIF, overseeing the QA programs for ADCPs, ADVs, mechanical meters, and groundwater tapes, as well as the preparation and calibration of the water quality probes and sondes. Before joining... Read More →

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 5

HIF & EQUIPMENT, ANALYSIS

Presented By Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

ADCP best practices: a quick review

A quick review of equipment selection, cross section location, ideal measurements conditions and overall best QM practices.

Speakers

Nicholas Stasulis

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 9

HYDROACOUSTICS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

Introduction the Image Velocimetry (IVy) Framework, a Windows Sofware Application for Processing Streamflow with Videos

This presentation will demonstrate the new Image Velocimetry (IVy) Framework software application. The IVy Framework is a Windows application aimed at field scientists that enables the processing of videos into streamflow measurements. This presentation will demonstrate the IVy Framework concepts and method implementation, using real-world examples. We will discuss the generalized workflow for producing Image Velocimetry streamflow measurements with IVy. Finally, we will discuss upcoming training and development plans to make IVy the most helpful tool for hydrotechs and their everyday workflows.

Speakers

Frank Engel

Geographer, U.S. Geological Survey

Me in a Sentence: Geographer and researcher passionate about developing new tools, technology, and apps using remote sensing to solve real-world problems.A bit more about me:I joined the Illinois WSC Data Section in 2012 while pursuing my Ph.D. in Geography and Civil Engineering... Read More →

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 8

IMAGING/REMOTE SENSING, ANALYSIS

Presented By Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

Alternative Approaches to USGS Event Monitoring

In addition to USGS products such as the USGS Water Watch and the National Water Dashboard, the presenters will provide an update on other “Event Monitoring” resources such as the Flood Event Viewer, Flood Inundation Mapper, Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System and the Real-time Flood Impact Map.

During large, short-term events, the USGS collects streamflow and additional data (including storm tide, wave height, high-water marks, and additional data) to aid in documenting flood events. The USGS Flood Event Viewer provides convenient, map-based access to downloadable event-based data. In 2022, the USGS Flood Event Viewer is available for the following events: During the 2022 Hurricane Season, the Flood Event Viewer is available for several notable flood events such July Kentucky Flood, September Alaska Extratropical Cyclone, and Hurricane Ian.

USGS Flood Inundation Maps, along with Internet information regarding current stage from the USGS streamgage, provide emergency management personnel and residents with information that is critical for flood-response activities, such as evacuations and road closures, as well as for post-flood recovery efforts. The Flood Inundation Mapper allows users to explore the full set of inundation maps that shows where flooding would occur given a selected stream condition. Users can also access historical flood information and potential loss estimates based on the severity of the flood. The FIM Mapper helps communities visualize potential flood scenarios, identify areas and resources that may be at risk, and enhance their local response effort during a flooding event.

Many USGS water-resource monitoring sites have webcams installed to allow remote visibility of current water and environmental conditions, identify technical issues, verify remote measurements, and gather data for visual analyses. The Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS) provides access to still-frame images and timelapse videos from our active webcams. Many sites also pair recent still-frame images to an interactive hydrograph.

USGS Real-time Flood Impact map displays “Flood Impact Locations” where the USGS has measured the height of critical safety or infrastructure features that may be vulnerable to flood impacts. Some examples of Flood Impact Locations include stream and river embankments; roads and bridges; pedestrian paths; buildings; and more. Flood Impact Locations are surveyed and associated with a nearby USGS real-time streamgage. When the streamgage water level (gage height) exceeds the Flood Impact Location’s surveyed height, its icon will display on the map, showing that this location may be currently flooded. When the user clicks on the icon, a pop-up will display the current gage height and the Flood Impact Location height, so that the user can compare how close that location is to the current water level. Some Flood Impact Locations may be measured below the level of actual flooding to provide an early warning that flooding may be imminent. Although the mapper is not a flood warning system, it can be used to convey immediate flood risks by showing the locations where flooding may be currently or soon occurring. The USGS has over 10,000 streamgages nationwide in the continental U.S. and U.S. territories. Please note that flood impacts have not been collected at all USGS streamgages. Additional Flood Impact Locations will continue to be added. If you would like to add Flood Impact Locations at or near existing USGS streamgages in your Water Science Center, please refer to Alternative Way of Delivering USGS Streamgage Data (Ver 6).pdf or contact Julia Prokopec, Lauren Privette, or Athena Clark.

Speakers

Athena Clark

Coastal Storm Team Leader, SER Science Advisor & Tribal Liaison, USGS

Athena Clark is currently serving as the USGS Coastal Storm Team Leader, Southeast Region Science Advisor and Tribal Liaison. Prior to her current role, Athena also served as the USGS Alabama Water Science Center Director and USGS Lower Mississippi Gulf Deputy Director.Athena has... Read More →

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 7

SURFACE WATER, ANALYSIS

Presented By WMA (Headquarters)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

1:30pm CDT

Feature mapping mobile data collection – tools for tracking stream flow permanence and stream road crossings

Mobile data collection has become common place in natural resources monitoring. Mobile data collection to map features (feature mapping) is the collection of data based on GPS location using tools that function across many mobile devices. This facilitates collective data efforts from many organizations and efficiently stores them in centralized datasets. This data collection method can be conducted across wide spatial and temporal scales and is easily implemented into ongoing fieldwork efforts. We have established two feature mapping mobile data collection tools for characterizing stream flow permanence and road-stream crossings. Our objective with these feature mapping efforts is to create usable and accessible peer reviewed, publicly available datasets to accompany easy to use assessment surveys.
We describe two collaboratively produced tools for efficient monitoring of headwater streams: FLOwPER and RoadxStr. FLOwPER (FLOw PERmanence) was developed by a team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management. FLOwPER allows rapid collection of stream flow permanence observations that are being applied to model probabilities of perennial flows in headwater streams. RoadxStr is a survey tool that effectively characterizes road-stream crossings. This tool was collaboratively developed with inputs from a national and regional (Pacific Northwest) group of biologists, hydrologists, geomorphologists, and road engineers representing several different government agencies and non-governmental organizations. The broad range of experience and expertise incorporated into RoadxStr ensures the data collected meets management needs while being transferable across existing road-stream crossing datasets. Preliminary results from field surveys indicate that FLOwPER and RoadxStr are capable of quickly producing thousands of new observations on critical features of streams across broad extents.

Speakers

Dave Evetts

Data Chief, USGS

Emily Heaston

Feature mapping mobile data collection - Tools for tracking streamflow permanence and road-stream crossings in the Pacif, US Geological Survey

Mobile data collection has become common place in natural resources monitoring. The increased availability of this technology has not only changed how we record data, but how we collect it. Feature mapping is the collection of data based on GPS location using tools that function across... Read More →

Jason Dunham

Watershed Condition on Federal Lands in the Pacific Northwest: Insights from 25 Years of the Northwest Forest Plan, US Geological Survey

Here we describe status and trends in watershed condition across the extent of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) over the 25 years since its inception in 1994. Responses were tracked by the Aquatic-Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Program and included hydrologic measurements (stream... Read More →

Kyle Blasch

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Regency Ballroom C

SURFACE WATER, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Northwest WMA and EMA Stream Permanence Team
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

1:30pm CDT

Ask the AQUARIUS Samples Team

The AQUARIUS Samples team will be available for a Question-and-Answer session.

Speakers

Michael Canova

Hydrologist / Data Management Specialist, U.S. Geological Survey

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Regency Ballroom B

WATER QUALITY, LISTENING SESSION

Presented By Laboratory and Analytical Services Division (LASD)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

1:30pm CDT

Continuous Water-Quality Community - Networking/Meet your Peers Session

Learn more about the USGS Continuous Water-Quality Community at this facilitated networking session. Meet your colleagues, make contacts, and discuss parameters and processes. Ever wish you had more time to ask peers about equipment or a challenge? Great ideas often come by having conversations with people about a shared problem or interest. During this session, employees will get the opportunity to share perspectives with a subset of peers working on the same topics.

Speakers

Kim Shaffer

Continuous Water Quality Lead for the Hydrologic Networks Branch, USGS

Kimberly Shaffer has a degree in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University and has worked for the U.S. Geological Survey for the past 26 years. As a hydrologist, she has collected and published streamflow, water-quality, and water-use data. In 2021, Kim became the Continuous... Read More →

Tuesday July 16, 2024 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Regency Ballroom A

WATER QUALITY, LISTENING SESSION

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

Superfly: Updates and Modifications to the National Version

An overview of Superfly, the nationally supported electronic field form. The Superfly team will explain the new versions of superfly and how it has been adapted to fit new systems, such as AQS+. The Superfly team will demo how to modify the output of Superfly, review and output Superfly batch files, and customize Superfly for individual projects. Users will be able to see the form in action for common workflows, ask questions and learn about the future of Superfly. A Q&A session will occur at the end for suggestions for future improvements of Superfly.”

Speakers

Erin Coenen

Tuesday July 16, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Grand Ballroom A

COMPUTER TOOLS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience Intermediate
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

Water Data for the Nation Show and Tell

Calling all hydrotechs! Would you like to know how to better navigate the modernized Water Data for the nation pages? Have questions or feedback on a legacy replacement page? Want to know what is coming next for the modernized pages? Please join for this presentation designed by and for hydrotechs. Studies and other data section staff are welcome, too! Computers with internet are recommended to follow along but not required.

Speakers

Kammy Durham

Tuesday July 16, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Midway 3+4

COMPUTER TOOLS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By WMA (Headquarters)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

Basic Electronics Principles

An introduction to basic electronics principles regarding gage houses and DCP's.

Speakers

Michael West

Electronics Technician - Telemetry, USGS

Tuesday July 16, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Midway 6

HIF & EQUIPMENT, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

Wading through the USGS Quality Assurance Testing Program for ADCPs and FlowTrackers

This session focuses on the quality assurance programs for both ADCPs and FlowTrackers. It will identify the Water Science Centers’ tasks for participating in the programs. This session will walk your through the OneStop Website, especially the Query Portal tools for maintaining your equipment inventory and reviewing the test results. The testing procedure used by the hydraulics lab team at the Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility will be presented, including the criteria used to evaluate the instruments. The results provided for each unit will be explained to facilitate understanding and application. Quality Assurance program results from recent years will also be presented.

Speakers

Christopher Wilson

Supervisory Hydrologist, USGS

Tuesday July 16, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Midway 5

HIF & EQUIPMENT, ANALYSIS

Presented By Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

AVMs with Campbell Dataloggers

Operation of Index Velocity Gages Using Two-Way Cellular Telemetry and ADVM RS232 Serial Communication with a Campbell Scientific data logger

Speakers

Ben Torrison

Supervisory Hydrologic Technician/FOC, USGS UMID

Ben is the Mounds View, MN Field Office Chief. The Mounds View Field Office covers the southern half of Minnesota and is part of the Upper Midwest Water Science Center. He's been in the Field Office Chief position since January, 2021 and was previously a hydrologic technician in the... Read More →

Tuesday July 16, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Midway 8

HYDROACOUSTICS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Umid WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

QRev Extrapolation

When performing ADCP discharge measurements, data is extrapolated to compute estimates for discharge above and below the measured data. QRev automates the computation of each possible extrapolation model and suggests the best model. QRev also offers additional settings such as discharge weighted median and custom sub-sectioning. This talk explains the various extrapolation methods and discusses the extrapolation settings available within QRev.

Speakers

Travis Knight

Hydrologist, USGS-HNB

Tuesday July 16, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Grand Ballroom B

HYDROACOUSTICS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

Evaluation of Streamflow Measurement Techniques for Estimating Continuous Stage and Discharge in Small Streams Across the United States

Continuous stage and temperature data were collected via commercially available, unvented and vented submersible pressure transducers (PTs) as ‘tiered’ gages co-located with United States Geological Survey reference gages in relatively small, low-order streams across the United States. Tiered gage data were compared with reference gage records to assess sensor performance variability across different installation methods, reaches, watersheds, and streamflow conditions. Sensor error was evaluated via differences between reference and tiered stage values through time and across variations in atmospheric pressure, barometer proximity, and water temperature. Finally, stage measurements from tiered and reference gages were used to estimate discharge and comparative accuracies evaluated. When installed and visited regularly with tape downs and levels, tiered gages can be pretty accurate! How accurate you ask? Well, please stop on by to see our presentation.

Speakers

Dave Evetts

Data Chief, USGS

Max Schwid

Hydrologist, USGS

Laura Hempel

Staff Scientist, OSQI

Staff Scientist with OSQI's Laboratory Advisory Board. Co-Organizer of the CDI Power Platform Community of Practice.

Brandon Overstreet

Hydrologist, USGS - ORWSC

Brandon Overstreet is a member of the Geomorphology team at the Oregon Water Science Center. Brandon's work incorporates remote sensing, geospatial analysis, and field surveys to characterize river attributes including water depth, streamflow, temperature, and riparian vegetation... Read More →

Jenn Fair

hydrologist, USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center at S.O. Conte Fish Research Center

Dr. Jenn Fair is an ecohydrologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center's S.O. Conte Fish Research Center in Turners Falls, MA. Fair leads an interdisciplinary team of fish ecologists, biologists, and hydrologists working to better understand the ecological impacts of streamflow... Read More →

Kyle Blasch

Michael Allen

Tuesday July 16, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Regency Ballroom C

SURFACE WATER, ANALYSIS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

Discrete Water-Quality Sampling - Overview of the USGS PFAS Sampling Strategy-

This session will cover various aspects of the USGS PFAS sampling strategy.
It will include the development of the strategy and results from preliminary evaluations in cleaning protocols, material selection and techniques.
Target audience: Staff who are collecting discrete water-quality samples for PFAS analysis.

Speakers

Lee Bodkin

I am the water-quality specialist for the south-Atlantic water science center (GA/NC/SC - aka SAWSC) and sit in the Raleigh, NC office.I started with the USGS in 2007 as a hydro-tech in the Gulf Coast program office of the OK-TX WSC, became a hydrologist in 2009 and became the QW... Read More →

Andrea Tokranov

Jerry Casile

Joe Duris

Water-quality Specialist, USGS-PAWSC

Tuesday July 16, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Regency Ballroom A

WATER QUALITY, ANALYSIS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience Intermediate
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

How would connecting AQUARIUS Samples, LIMS, and the Field App help you?

The triangle project was established to identify ways to improve the discrete water quality workflow by improving the connections between AQUARIUS Samples, the upcoming Laboratory Information Management System, and the Unified Field Application. We'd like to hear about your workflows and think about how a more interconnected system could lead to time saved, improved data quality, fewer headaches, or all of the above!

Speakers

Dave Rus

Product owner of the Batch Data Loader and Water Quality Review (AQS tools)Member of the QWILS teamWater Quality Specialist at Nebraska WSC

Laura Flight

Supervisory Hydrologist, USGS

ShortLaura began her USGS career in 1995 as a summer student and was hired full-time in 1997 as a Hydrologic Technician running surface water and groundwater field trips and computing records. Over time she started doing LDM duties, teaching courses, and testing NWIS applications... Read More →

Tuesday July 16, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Grand Ballroom A

COMPUTER TOOLS, LISTENING SESSION

Presented By Laboratory and Analytical Services Division (LASD)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Introduction to the Measurement Priority Summary Shiny Application

The Measurement Priority Summary (MPS) tool was designed to give scientists and supervisors a data-driven approach to planning stream discharge measurements. The Pennsylvania and Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OKI) Water Science Centers have partnered to build an R Shiny application that is based on the OKI Excel workbook of the same name. Using the infrastructure of Posit Connect to host the application allows data updates to be automatically scheduled at any frequency and it ensures that all users are looking at the same data.

The primary focus of the MPS tool is to incorporate field trip information, rating curves, and current conditions including direction of sage into a table to determine which sites are the most critical to visit at any given time. Sites that have not been visited at the current stage of the stream in at least 5 years are marked as priority gages. This table also includes gage height forecasts from the National Weather Service (NWS) for selected sites and shows how much a higher a stage is predicted to be over the following three days. On a separate tab, a secondary table shows only the sites that are listed as being in priority for measurement. In these tables, many of the fields are sort and search enabled, allowing a user to quickly find information about field trips, most recent measurements, and gage forecasts. MPS is connected to SIMS so it is updated as field trip assignments change.

MPS also includes tabs with an interactive map and an individual site report to provide additional graphical data. The map shows current priority status as well as current and predicted flood levels from NWS for each site. Map overlays include polygon shapefiles of predicted flooding and excessive rainfall forecasts for the following three days. Links from map popups are available for the NWIS and National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) site pages. The individual site report generates a table, bar plot, and line plot for the previous 365 days based on the selected site.

Speakers

Chad Ostheimer

Matthew Conlon

Hydrologist, US Geological Survey

Tuesday July 16, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Grand Ballroom C

COMPUTER TOOLS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Meters and Measurements

A companion presentation to basic electronics principles.

Speakers

Michael West

Electronics Technician - Telemetry, USGS

Tuesday July 16, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Midway 6

HIF & EQUIPMENT, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Show and Tell: Field vehicle Setups

DISCUSSION GROUP--This guided session aims to provide a venue for dialogue amongst those interested discussing field vehicle setups. Utilizing the projector in the classroom we can share photos so have your photos handy and able to send them through email or teams.

Speakers

Ernie McCoy

Hydrologic Technician, USGS-Dakota WSC

Hydrotech at the Grand Forks field office in North Dakota. I started as a student the summer of 09, graduated from UND with a bachelors degree in Environmental Geoscience. I stream gage, collect discrete samples and run continuous monitors collecting the big five.

Tuesday July 16, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Regency Ballroom B

HIF & EQUIPMENT, SHOW AND TELL

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Beyond Discharge: Using ADCPs for velocity mapping, bathymetry, and sediment surrogates

An overview of using ADCPs for uses other than discharge, including velocity mapping, bathymetry, and sediment surrogates.

Speakers

Justin Boldt

Hydrologist, USGS

Tuesday July 16, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Midway 9

HYDROACOUSTICS, ANALYSIS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Field Safety

Overview of general field safety concerns including, environmental exposure, first aid training, job hazard analysis, field communications, and safety training requirements.

Speakers

Eric Williams

Southwest Region Safety Manager, USGS

Eagle Scout. Firefighter and EMT for 9 years in the military. Worked for the State of California as a Safety Specialist with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Employment Development Department for five years. Has been with the Survey since 2004 as Regional Safety Manager... Read More →

Tuesday July 16, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Midway 8

SAFETY, ANALYSIS

Presented By Southwest Region
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Safe Return and Float Plans

This course is designed to discuss the implementation of a center-wide safe return plan as well as how to properly follow and use said plan. During the presentation we will discuss the use of field plans, float plans, the roles and responsibilities of both field workers and watch people and have a couple of brief scenarios to use for group discussion. Safe return plans help ensure that all field workers are able to complete their mission and return safely, therefore having them properly implemented into a center is paramount for a safe and successful work environment.

Speakers

Zachary Holcomb

Hydrology Technician, USGS-KSWSC

Tuesday July 16, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Midway 5

SAFETY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By USGS Cooperative Research Units
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Indirect Measurements: Best Practices

This session will provide an overview of various indirect measurement methods (slope-area, culvert flow, contracted openings) and guidance on identification of high-water marks, field survey procedures, and computing and analyzing indirect measurements of peak flow.

Speakers

Karl Winters

National Flood Coordinator, USGS

Karl serves as the National Flood Coordinator, and a Surface-Water Specialist in the Hydrologic Networks Branch. He provides operational support and coordination of USGS flood response, as well as training and support for flood documentation and modeling, and computation of streamflow... Read More →

Tuesday July 16, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Regency Ballroom C

SURFACE WATER, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Graphing and Synthesizing Continuous and Discrete Water-Quality Data

Join us to give input on water-quality graphs!  The project, A National Tool for Graphing and Synthesizing Continuous and Discrete Water-Quality Data, was one of eleven Community of Data Integration (CDI; https://www.usgs.gov/centers/community-for-data-integration-cdi/news/congratulations-2024-cdi-awarded-projects) awarded projects in Fiscal Year 2024. The prototype tool will consist of an interactive user interface for generating advanced visualizations of water-quality parameters to compare with past data, and other parameters and locations. The proof-of-concept will result in a prioritization of graphics and plot types and a reusable tool and codebase. Learn more about the project, the programming progress, and have an opportunity to provide recommendations and suggestions to graphs!

Speakers

Laura DeCicco

Julia Prokopec

Hydrologist/FIM Coordinator/Assistant Flood Coordinator, USGS

Julia Prokopec is a hydrologist in the Web Informatics & Mapping Team (WIM) in the Upper Midwest Water Science Center in St Paul, MN. She works with partners and lead developers to coordinate development and project management within WIM. She is also the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping... Read More →

Kim Shaffer

Continuous Water Quality Lead for the Hydrologic Networks Branch, USGS

Amber Jones

Physical Scientist/Product Owner, USGS

Harper Wavra

Matthew Diebel

Stewart Rounds

Tuesday July 16, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Regency Ballroom A

WATER QUALITY, LISTENING SESSION

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Upcoming Changes to Public Delivery of WaterWatch

This presentation and listening session is oriented toward anyone who needs to understand upcoming changes to features currently being provided by the WaterWatch product (https://waterwatch.usgs.gov), from hydrotechs and program managers. WaterWatch is nearing the end of life and key features are being modernized through Water Data for the Nation (WDFN) including the National Water Dashboard and new statistical features expected in water services.

In this listening session, we will give a brief overview of some of the major changes in public delivery, which include changes to delivery method (website vs API vs Python package), integration of statistical visualizations into other WDFN features, and new ways of grouping map layers in National Water Dashboard. The remainder of the session will be an open discussion for attendees to ask questions, provide comments and share feedback on how these changes could impact your work and that of your cooperators and data users.

Speakers

Shawna Gregory

Water Data for the Nation Product Owner

Shawna Gregory is a Product Owner for Water Data for the Nation, the primary access point for real-time and historical USGS water data and information. In this role, Shawna is leading a user-centered design approach to web-based delivery applications as the USGS is modernizing water... Read More →

Florence Thompson

Geographer, USGS OTWSC

Florence Thompson is a geographer and has been with the U.S. Geological Survey since 2006. She is currently a member of the Integrated Hydrology and Data Science Branch in the Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center. In her early years with USGS she produced national hydrologic datasets... Read More →

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Grand Ballroom C

COMPUTER TOOLS, LISTENING SESSION

Presented By WMA (Headquarters)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

GNSS RT Surveys: Best Practices and Error Analysis

This discussion will focus on best practices for Real-Time GNSS surveys, using Real-Time Networks and local radio-linked base stations for kinematic observations. Part of this discussion will highlight the process of evaluating uncertainty.

Speakers

Paul Rydlund

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 1+2

GNSS/SURVEYING, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Geospatial Data and Vertical Datum (GDVD)
Intended Audience Intermediate
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Batteries, Charging and Current.

Part 3 in a series, a companion of Basic Electronics Principles and Meters and Measurements.

Speakers

Michael West

Electronics Technician - Telemetry, USGS

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 6

HIF & EQUIPMENT, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Drilling into the USGS Groundwater Tapes Recalibration Program

This session will provide an overview of the Groundwater Tape Recalibration Program, as well as the Water Science Centers’ participation in the program. Topics will include navigating the OneStop Website and managing your equipment using Query Portal tools. Additionally, the calibration procedure used by the hydraulics lab team at the Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility will be presented, including the criteria used to evaluate the tapes. The calibration sheets provided for each tape will be explained to facilitate understanding of what the results mean and how to use them. Quality Assurance program results from recent years will also be presented.

Speakers

Christopher Wilson

Supervisory Hydrologist, USGS

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Grand Ballroom B

HIF & EQUIPMENT, ANALYSIS

Presented By Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Collecting Data with Moving Bed Conditions

Overview of the cause and effect of a moving bed and methods to identify and correct for a moving bed when measureing discharge with and ADCP from a moving boat.

Speakers

Justin Boldt

Hydrologist, USGS

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 7

HYDROACOUSTICS, ANALYSIS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

RIVRS: Workflow and techniques for tidal index velocity data collection and computation

This presentation will cover the distinctions of workflow and techniques applied in operating a tidal index velocity discharge station. Topics covered in the overview will include site selection, instrumentation, maintenance, field measurement techniques, rating development, and computation.

Speakers

Fabian Kahn

Hydrologic Technician, USGS

Work areas: Index Velocity Discharge, GNSS, Storm Tide Response

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 10

HYDROACOUSTICS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By CFWSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Relating Rating and Shift Development to Channel Geometry

The shape and slope of a stage-discharge rating as well as the hinge and merge points of associated shifts are related to the geometry of the stream channel. This presentation will discuss that relationship using modeling results from several scenarios (differing channel shapes and changes related to scour and fill).

Speakers

Jeff Kitchen

Surface Water Specialists, USGS

I'm the surface water specialist of the CAWSC data program. I have extensive experience with records computation and rating development as well as indirect survey methods.

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 9

SURFACE WATER, ANALYSIS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

USGS in Belize

Andrew Gorman from OKI and Christopher Smith from SAWSC were funded by the WMO to visit with Belize's Hydrology department to asses their program and deliver necessary training.

Speakers

Andrew Gorman

USGS

Chris Smith

Field Office Chief, USGS

I am the Field Office Chief of the Norcross (Atlanta) Georgia office. I am also the Chair of the Hydrologic Data Advisory Committee (HDAC). I am proudest of my years helping others learn the job and my years of field work, where I have always tried to set a good example. My most significant... Read More →

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 8

SURFACE WATER, ANALYSIS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Discrete Water-Quality Sampling - (part 1 of 3) What to do before discrete water-quality samples are collected

This session will cover the various aspects of what is typically done before a discrete water-quality sample can be collected and options for project management.
It will include a general overview of the discrete water-quality sampling process, how to look up lab codes/schedules, what bottles are needed for what analysis, equipment blanks, filling out ASR's and other laboratory paperwork, site selection, assessing equipment needs, establishing field folders and various project related documents.
Target audience: Staff who are interested or new(er) to collecting a discrete water-quality sample or will be in the future.

Speakers

Lee Bodkin

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Regency Ballroom B

WATER QUALITY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

8:30am CDT

Results from the Water Temperature Thermistor Field Test, 2022-2024

Learn more about the completed field evaluation of three commercially available water temperature thermistors (Sutron AquaTemp, Forest Technology Systems (FTS) Digitemps, and Instrumentation Northwest (INW) T1 SDI-12), findings, and future steps. The three temperature thermistors were installed side-by-side at 6 different locations from Water Science Centers that volunteered for the study (locations include Hawaii, New York, Nevada, Indiana, North Carolina, and South Dakota) and operated for 18 months. Data and more information are available at Water Temperature Thermistor Field Test Sharepoint (https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/sites/usgs-Continuous-Water-Quality/SitePages/Water-Temperature-Thermistor-Field-Test.aspx).

Speakers

Kim Shaffer

Continuous Water Quality Lead for the Hydrologic Networks Branch, USGS

Brian McCallum

National Streamgage Network Coordinator, USGS-WMA-OSD

Brian McCallum is currently the National Streamgage Network Coordinator within the USGS Water Mission Area, Observing Systems Division. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelors (1991) and master’s degrees (1992) in civil engineering. He started full-time... Read More →

Wednesday July 17, 2024 8:30am - 9:20am CDT
Regency Ballroom A

WATER QUALITY, ANALYSIS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

9:00am CDT

Discrete Water-Quality Sampling - (part 2 of 3) Techniques and Methods for Discrete Sample Collection (SW & GW)

This session will cover the various techniques and methods used to collect a discrete water-quality sample.
It will include an overview of various discrete sampling equipment, conditions the equipment is appropriate for, techniques for using the equipment, introduction to sample processing and sample preservation.
Target audience: Staff who are interested or new(er) to collecting a discrete water-quality sample or will be in the future.

Class will Break from 9:30 to 10 am.

Speakers

Lee Bodkin

Wednesday July 17, 2024 9:00am - 10:20am CDT
Regency Ballroom B

WATER QUALITY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

Terrestrial lidar data collection, change detection, and accuracy assessment using a scanning total station along a shoreline in eastern Suffolk County, NY.

A combined point cloud of about 85.6 million points was collected during 27 scans of a section of the western shoreline along the Shinnecock Peninsula of Suffolk County, New York, to document baseline geospatial conditions during July and October 2022 using a scanning total station. The three-dimensional accuracy of the combined point cloud is assessed to identify potential systematic error sources associated with the surveying equipment and the novel methodology used to collect and field-register (data are oriented and aligned in real time) point cloud data. The accuracy of the combined point cloud was assessed in terms of relative and absolute reference frames. Relative accuracy provides a measure of error within the local coordinate system and is determined by combining the uncertainty associated with the position of the scan station (the point being occupied by the scanning total station during the scan), the uncertainty associated with the position of the network control points, and the uncertainty associated with the laser of the scanning total station. Assessment of the absolute accuracy includes these three potential error sources combined with the uncertainty associated with the geodetic coordinates to which the local control network is referenced. The combined overall relative horizontal and vertical accuracy of the point cloud is 0.0156 and 0.0241 meter, respectively, at the 95 percent confidence level; the combined overall absolute horizontal and vertical accuracy of the point cloud is 0.0374 and 0.0733 meter, respectively, at the 95 percent confidence level.
A second survey was conducted during March 2023 following a substantial erosion event associated with (unnamed) Winter Storm “Elliot” (weather channel assigned this unofficial name). A bare-earth digital elevation model was then created of “pre-storm” (1st survey) and “post-storm” (2nd survey) conditions. The pre-storm, bare-earth DEM, was then compared with the post-storm DEM to detect topographic (and shallow bathymetric) change along the western shoreline and determine areas/features that are most susceptible to erosion during a major coastal storm event. The distribution and magnitude of erosion and deposition, and potential volume changes, will be disseminated in a USGS scientific report.

Speakers

Michael Noll

Wednesday July 17, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Midway 8

GNSS/SURVEYING, ANALYSIS

Presented By Geospatial Data and Vertical Datum (GDVD)
Intended Audience Intermediate
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

Show and Tell: Gage Installs, wiring to construction

DISCUSSION GROUP--This guided session aims to provide a venue for dialogue amongst those interested in gage construction. Utilizing the projector in the classroom we can share photos so have your photos handy and able to send them through email or teams

Speakers

Ernie McCoy

Hydrologic Technician, USGS-Dakota WSC

Wednesday July 17, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Midway 5

HIF & EQUIPMENT, SHOW AND TELL

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

The NEW HIF, same as the old HIF?

This session will provide an update on the HIF 2.0 facility. Along with a progress report on the facility's operations, this session will discuss the existing and new functions of the HIF, as well as the services available to WSCs and their hydrologic technicians.

Speakers

Christopher Wilson

Supervisory Hydrologist, USGS

Wednesday July 17, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Midway 10

HIF & EQUIPMENT, ANALYSIS

Presented By Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

10:30am CDT

QATools: Newly Augmented Flag Criteria used by the OQA’s Time-Series Check tool for Groundwater Levels

This talk will provide an overview of the newly augmented flag criteria used by the OQA’s Time-Series Check tool for groundwater levels. The tool compares site-visit-collected electronic readings and tape downs for publicly viewable groundwater levels, and flags discrepancies that likely indicate errors. The tool has always incorporated the uncertainty of the tape-down measurement, and now it also incorporates the uncertainty of the electronic reading. The discussion will address uncertainty of electronic readings and of tape downs, including uncertainty fields in SVMAQ and AQTS and uncertainty computations for electronic readings based on manufacturer technical specifications.

Speakers

Michelle Sneed

Technical Quality Assurance Advisor for Groundwater Science, Office of Quality Assurance

Wednesday July 17, 2024 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Midway 3+4

GROUNDWATER, ANALYSIS

Presented By Office of Quality Assurance (OQA)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

10:30am CDT

Common Problems with ADCPs and Qms

Tips on detecting and correcting common problems found in ADCP measurements

Speakers

Nicholas Stasulis

Wednesday July 17, 2024 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Midway 1+2

HYDROACOUSTICS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

10:30am CDT

"How Do You Do?" Hiring the Right People

DISCUSSION GROUP--This guided session aims to provide a venue for dialogue amongst data chiefs, field office chiefs, and/or field office leadership on different strategies for recruiting and selecting the best possible candidates. We all understand the challenges with staffing, both hiring and retaining, but there are lessons that can be learned from each other. Specific topics may include effective recruiting, navigating the challenges in the hiring process, and keys to retaining your current staff. Outcomes of the discussion should be a better national level understanding of how to navigate the challenges with staffing and possibly a unified message that could be shared to encourage needed improvements.

Speakers

Jeremy White

Supv Hydrologic Technician, US Geological Survey

I have been in the VA-WV WSC for over 25 years and have had the opportunity to do work within many different water disciplines across my career. For the past 10+ years, I have served as the Field Office Chief for the Charleston, WV, office.

Wednesday July 17, 2024 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Midway 11

LEADERSHIP, LISTENING SESSION

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience Advanced
Duration 50 minutes

10:30am CDT

Q&A on Policies, Procedures, and Methods with HNB and OQA

During the plenary talks, attendees will hear about OQA and OCOO efforts to advance policies, procedures, and methods (PPM) development to support the Water Enterprise. This joint session, offered by the Hydrologic Network Branch (HNB) and Office of Quality Assurance (OQA), will allow attendees to ask questions about the new PPM Function, the PPM development process, and current priorities for PPM development in the coming year.

Speakers

Mike Rehmel

Tim Straub

Field Support and Research to Operations Supervisor, Hydrologic Networks Branch, Observing Systems Division, WMA

Molly Wood

Hydrologic Networks Branch Chief, USGS WMA

Wednesday July 17, 2024 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Grand Ballroom A

LEADERSHIP, LISTENING SESSION

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

10:30am CDT

Discrete Water-Quality Sampling - (part 3 of 3) What Happens After a Discrete Water-Quality Sample has been Collected

This session will cover what has to be done after a discrete water-quality sample has been collected.
It will include sample processing methods and order, sample preservation, overview of sample shipping, completing paperwork and an introduction to data review options.
Target audience: Staff who are interested or new(er) to collecting a discrete water-quality sample or will be in the future.

Speakers

Lee Bodkin

Wednesday July 17, 2024 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Regency Ballroom B

WATER QUALITY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

10:30am CDT

Real-time Phosphorus: USGS Testing and Usage of Phosphorus Analyzers

Phosphorus data is an integral part of numerous scientific studies due to its role as a potential limiting nutrient. This presentation will demonstrate some successful ways to achieve real-time phosphorus data and results from testing six commercially available analyzers. Results cover usage, data quality, and common issues collecting real-time phosphorus.

Speakers

Colin Peake

Physical Scientist, USGS - CMWSC

I’m into all things continuous water quality! Expert in nutrient sensor technologies.

Wednesday July 17, 2024 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Regency Ballroom A

WATER QUALITY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

National Tech/Staff Exchange

Speakers

Maria Clemens

Hydrologic Technician, USGS - OKI WSC

Member of HDAC and NWDTW 2024 Planning Team

Andrew Gorman

USGS

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Grand Ballroom B

Presented By HDAC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

Water Level Confidence: Tackling Challenging Datum Issues with Automated GNSS Surveys

The California Water Science Center’s Estuarine Hydrodynamics team works in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (the Delta) and faces two main challenges with tying water level to datum. Challenges include: 1) long distances between land and gage infrastructure on pilings in the river (sometimes ~300m+). This makes it virtually impossible to use traditional leveling techniques. 2) land movement. The Delta is comprised of human-made levee systems that are susceptible to significant movement due to the organic soils of the region. Couple this with the movement of a given gage’s piling and it becomes extremely time consuming and costly to determine the accuracy of the water level’s data tied to datum.
The solution? Automate static GNSS surveys on every gage every week. We use a single board computer (SBC), GNSS Survey Grade Receiver, cellular modem, and datalogger to conduct a 12-hour static survey once per week. Once the survey is complete, the SBC packages the raw data, converts those data to a format the National Geodetic Survey’s Online Position User Service (OPUS) can ingest and then sends the converted file off to the USGS sFTP server as well as OPUS. Once the OPUS corrections have been made, we receive an email containing the corrected data and metadata and can then relate those data to our water level with much more confidence.

Speakers

Trevor Violette

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Midway 1+2

GNSS/SURVEYING, ANALYSIS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience Intermediate
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

Processing ADCP MidSection Discharge Measurements with QRevMS

QRevMS is an application used for processing and reviewing ADCP midsection discharge measurements. Like QRev, QRevMS processes data loaded from the manufacture data files using automated quality checks and data filtering. During this talk we will discuss the background of the application, the various settings throughout the user interface, and give a demonstration on the applications use.

Speakers

Travis Knight

Hydrologist, USGS-HNB

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Midway 6

HYDROACOUSTICS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

3:00pm CDT

Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch non-contact activities and services

This presentation provides an overview of the non-contact activities that the Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch (HRSB) performs or assists, with an eye toward how WSCs can benefit. We will discuss what the HRSB does and how we work with WSCs to use remote sensing and non-contact science to make their jobs easier.

Speakers

Jack Eggleston

Frank Engel

Geographer, U.S. Geological Survey

Carole Johnson

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Midway 5

IMAGING/REMOTE SENSING, ANALYSIS

Presented By Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Using FRGS to Document Datum Conversion at Gaging Stations

This will walk the audience through how FRGS is being used in datum conversion at gaging stations. The presenter will use FRGS in real-time to demonstrate how FRGS interacts with the NGS database to begin planning for the campaign. Documentation of GNSS data collection in the field will be simulated. The presentation will conclude with a demonstration of how to use FRGS to assess the uncertainty of the GNSS survey and apply vertical adjustments. (If time allows, I will show an example of the tracking sheet that we use in SAWSC to pass datum metadata from the surveyor to a reviewer, and finally to our LDM)

Speakers

David Stillwell

Hydrographer, USGS

Wednesday July 17, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Midway 1+2

GNSS/SURVEYING, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience Intermediate
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

GPS and GPS Compasses with ADCPs

A review of setup and best practices in the use of GPS for both velocity and heading data with ADCPs

Speakers

Chany Huddleston Adrianza

Supervisory Hydrologic Technician, USGS

Chany is a supervisor for the New York Water Science Center Observing Systems Branch in Troy. She served as a member and chair of the Hydroacoustics Workgroup (HaWG 2019-2024) and spends a good amount of time involved in hydroacoustics testing, helping with classes offered by the... Read More →

Wednesday July 17, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Grand Ballroom A

HYDROACOUSTICS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Women’s Safety in the Field

There has been an expressed need for a greater focus on women’s safety in the field. As a whole, field safety is not just a concern for women, but for all employees. We will discuss overall field safety as well as the unique situations women might find themselves in.

Speakers

Sarina Little

Hydrologic Technician, USGS

Lara Chapman

Hydrologic Technician, United States Geological Survey

Wednesday July 17, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Midway 5

SAFETY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

4:00pm CDT

Show and Tell: QW Monitors Deployments

DISCUSSION GROUP--This guided session aims to provide a venue for dialogue amongst those interested in QW monitor deployments and other things related to QW monitors. Utilizing the projector in the classroom we can share photos so have your photos handy and able to send them through email or teams.

Speakers

Ernie McCoy

Hydrologic Technician, USGS-Dakota WSC

Wednesday July 17, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Grand Ballroom B

WATER QUALITY, SHOW AND TELL

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Getting the Most out of the NOMS National Water Dashboard-internal product

This course will be of interest for personnel at all levels of the Water Enterprise—from WMA coordinators down to field technicians. Using an interactive approach with attendees regarding the National Water Dashboard-internal (NWDi) operational tool, the goal is to highlight its available data resources and functionality to support field operations, and what is planned for the future. This product of the Network Operations Management System (NOMS) project is already changing the game when it comes to real-time water network awareness and assessment, and getting user feedback during this session will help to improve the product moving forward.

Speakers

Sonya Vasquez and Automated Records group members

Brian McCallum

National Streamgage Network Coordinator, USGS-WMA-OSD

Chuck Hansen

Hydrologist, USGS

Chuck Hansen is a Hydrologist with the California Water Science Center in Sacramento. He leadsa team of software and hardware engineers focusing on remote sensing and data delivery.

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 10

COMPUTER TOOLS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Building a Better Groundwater Monitoring Network

The USGS, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, has upgraded 23 groundwater monitoring wells in Massachusetts from discrete to continuous real time monitoring in the past three years, with plans for additional upgrades to the network in the coming years. The climate response network (CRN) status was also evaluated and updated for all groundwater monitoring wells. This presentation will describe methods of this network analysis including 1) computer tools used in a preliminary desktop analysis, 2) field evaluation of groundwater wells, including temporary data collection and well integrity assessments, and 3) installation of the real time groundwater monitoring equipment. Next steps and future opportunities for this long-term groundwater monitoring network will also be highlighted. Gain insights into evaluating your own networks!

Speakers

Dee-Ann Mccarthy

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 7

GROUNDWATER, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Ice Measurements with ADCP's and ADV's

The basics of collecting acoustic mesurments under ice.

Speakers

Garret Welsh

Garret began his career with the USGS as a student in the Iowa City, IA office in 2009 before joining on as a full time hydro tech after completing his studies. In 2015 he transferred to the Mounds View, MN office. He is a member of the Hydroacoustics Workgroup (HaWG) and spends... Read More →

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 5

HYDROACOUSTICS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Image Velocimetry: NY Experience one year later

New York update one year after installing 50 image velocimetry setups at existing gages as part of a flood-hardening project. We will share information about the project background, our power, hardware, software, and telemetry setup.

Speakers

Christopher Macpherson

Hydrologist, USGS - NYWSC

I’ve been with the USGS for 10 years. I’m currently working on the NY camera expansion project and NGWOS groundwater/surface-water interactions in the Neversink River test bed. I like to explore cutting-edge technologies and thrive on unconventional problem-solving.

Chris Grindle

Physical Scientist, USGS

Started in the USGS with the VA/WV WSC in 2016. Currently work for the NYWSC undertaking a large expansion of their Imagery Gage network. I enjoy trying to use new methods and technologies to provide more high quality and relevant data. My focuses are in gage construction, equipment... Read More →

Elizabeth Nystrom

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 6

IMAGING/REMOTE SENSING, ANALYSIS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

"How Do You Do?" Running Field Trips

DISCUSSION GROUP--This guided session aims to provide a venue for dialogue amongst data chiefs, field office chiefs, and/or field office leadership on different strategies for the routine operation and maintenance of streamgaging networks. Specific topics may include frequency of site visits, solo vs paired trips, tools being used to help determine when a site visit is needed, and approaches to "extra maintenance" such as station levels. Outcomes of the discussion should be a better national-level understanding of how to optimize operations with a goal of producing high quality data in the most cost effective manner.

Speakers

Jeremy White

Supv Hydrologic Technician, US Geological Survey

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 9

LEADERSHIP, LISTENING SESSION

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience Advanced
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Training Design and Best Practices

This presentation is an overview and discussion of training methods/techniques for scientific activities. It will highlight common misunderstandings about adult learning and present a framework for the development and implementation of training activities. It will provide insight that will allow both trainers and trainees make the most of their efforts. This presentation will also include an introduction to the WMA sponsored Streamgage Basics training and the Water Quality and Groundwater trainings that are currently in development, along with a discussion of how they can be leveraged to enhance new technician training in your current training program.

Speakers

Jeffrey Woods

Data Chief, OKI WSC

Katherine Grindle

Hydrologist, USGS

Katherine Grindle is a Hydrologist with the New York Water Science Center. She has been with the U. S. Geological Survey since 2015. Before becoming a Hydrologist with New York’s Observing Systems Water Quality Branch, she was a hydrologic technician in Charleston WV, collecting... Read More →

Megan Rogers

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 11

LEADERSHIP, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Operation and best practices for using the LISST-ABS as a suspended sediment surrogate.

This training course will be offered in the format of an interactive workshop. The focus will be to address topics such as: optimal conditions for the LISST-ABS, installation and maintenance, calibration verification processes, results from USGS pairing factor studies (if you intend to use the LISST-ABS in conjunction with a turbidity sensor), and future work. There will be formal presentations of materials, but the atmosphere will be flexible to accommodate open discussion and questions.

Speakers

Jeb Brown

Hydrologist, USGS

Jeb Brown is a hydrologist who has been with the USGS in Albuquerque, NM since 2005. His research has focused on fluvial sediment transport, lake sediment coring, sediment surrogate technology, and research and development of emerging technology for application in hydrology studi... Read More →

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Midway 8

SEDIMENT, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Operationalizing the Dynamic Rating Method

A dynamic rating method called DYNPOUND, which accommodates compound and compact channel geometry, was developed to model hysteresis. From a pure hydrodynamics perspective, all rivers and streams have some form of hysteresis (loop effect) in the relation between stage and discharge because of unsteady flow as a flood wave passes. This dynamic rating method is capable of capturing hysteresis caused by variable energy slope, which is a result of unsteady momentum and pressure. The method and graphical user interface (GUI), which were written in the Python programming language, will be demonstrated. The GUI is intended for use by hydrographers to develop and validate ratings for complex sites. This presentation will briefly discuss the background, application, and workflow to operationalize the dynamic rating method for a gage.

Speakers

Travis Knight

Hydrologist, USGS-HNB

Elizabeth Heal

Hydrologist, USGS LMG WSC

I am a hydrologist with the Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center. I began my career in the Baton Rouge office in 2012 as a student. I am a Louisiana State University alumnus. Geaux Tigers! My background is environmental engineering and computer science.

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Regency Ballroom C

SURFACE WATER, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience Intermediate
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Discrete Water-Quality Sampling - Information on the NWQL ASRs, cooler packing, and Information related to Contract Labs

This session will cover various aspects of shipping discrete water-quality samples to the National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL).
It will include how to look up information on the NWQL internal website, LIMs v11, ASRs, and general information on contract labs.
Target audience: Staff who are sending discrete water-quality samples to the NWQL or will be in the future.

Speakers

Lee Bodkin

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Regency Ballroom B

WATER QUALITY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

8:00am CDT

Quality issues and troubleshooting of water-quality monitors

Do you use water-quality monitors and want to learn more about troubleshooting? This course will look at common problems with water-quality monitors and will demonstrate how to identify problems and fix them.

Speakers

Kim Shaffer

Continuous Water Quality Lead for the Hydrologic Networks Branch, USGS

Diana Phillips

Hydrologist, USGS NYWSC

Diana Phillips has a Bachelor of Science in both Environmental Science with a specialization in Sustainability Science and Policy and in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany, SUNY. Diana has a range of streamgaging experience including surface water, groundwater, water quality... Read More →

Thursday July 18, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Regency Ballroom A

WATER QUALITY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

3D design and rapid prototyping in Hydrologic science

From concepts to reality. In a few short key strokes an idea can be converted into a reality. This presentation will go over creation, prototyping, and field testing process for several hydrologic pieces of equipment.

Check out the Innovation Depot for cool things going on with design and testing!

Speakers

Bryce Redinger

Hydro Tech, USGS

I am a HydroTech out of the Carson City, NV office. I have been working for the USGS for just over 16 years. I have a passion for design and development of equipment and teaching. I am the training coordinator for the state of Nevada, and stream gage remote locations in Nevada as... Read More →

Thursday July 18, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Midway 9

COMPUTER TOOLS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

Well Integrity Evaluations

Discuss the importance of well integrity and methods for evaluating.

Speakers

Lance Gruhn

Hydrologist, USGS

Thursday July 18, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Regency Ballroom C

GROUNDWATER, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By WMA (Headquarters)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

Equipment testing update of RiverPro ADCP, RS5 ADCP, and FlowStick

An update on the field testing status of new equipement, including the RiverPro ADCP, the RS5 ADCP, and the Nivus FlowStick.

Speakers

Travis Knight

Hydrologist, USGS-HNB

Justin Boldt

Hydrologist, USGS

Thursday July 18, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Grand Ballroom B

HYDROACOUSTICS, ANALYSIS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

Extending Your WSC Operations to the Regional Level: Lessons Learned in the NAAR Region

Water Science Centers in the NAAR have embraced an approach that extends their operations beyond their respective centers to share expertise and resources across the region. This is being done through a number of regional working groups that include training and tool development, as well as annual regional AD/FOC face-to-face meetings. This session aims to be a discussion about the successes and limitations of this regional-level approach.

Speakers

Shaun Wicklein

Supervisory Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey

Jeremy White

Supv Hydrologic Technician, US Geological Survey

Thursday July 18, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Midway 11

LEADERSHIP, ANALYSIS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience Advanced
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

Updates on USGS Water Data for the Nation: Modernizing how you access water data

USGS is the largest provider of in situ water data in the world and has delivered real-time water information on the web for decades. We are in the midst of a multi-year effort to modernize websites and services to increase usability and to take advantage of modern mobile devices and web technology. As the availability of modernized features and pages in WDFN continues to grow, we are also focusing on decommission of legacy NWISweb pages. This talk will share updates on the latest features released, as well as plans for the coming months and what to expect with legacy decommissions. In addition, we’ll explore how users can access and interact with USGS water data, either from high-volume data streams such as APIs and web services, through next-generation interactive web pages, or mobile-friendly, map-based dashboards.

Speakers

Shawna Gregory

Water Data for the Nation Product Owner

Thursday July 18, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Midway 10

LEADERSHIP, ANALYSIS

Presented By WMA (Headquarters)
Intended Audience LDMs
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

Introduction to Streamflow Measurements using the Salt Dilution Method

The salt dilution method is a global, time-tested approach for measuring streamflow. It is achieved by adding a known mass of sodium chloride (NaCl) to a stream, allowing it to mix through a reach, and measuring NaCl dilution via changes in specific conductance. A vast majority of USGS streamflow measurements rely on velocity-area methods, which depend on quasi-laminar flow where accuracy of measurements across the channel can be degraded in turbulent conditions. The salt dilution method is ideal for measuring turbulent streams, but the method is seldomly used by the USGS. With support from the SAWSC Science Advancement & Program Development Challenge, the salt dilution method was tested in diverse streams throughout North Carolina and Georgia. The method proved effective at many of the streams with turbulent characteristics such as bends, steep gradients or other features that encourage lateral mixing. Additionally, recent advancements in field instrumentation for measuring salt dilution via changes in specific conductance have reduced the mass of NaCl required in the stream and allow for real-time streamflow and uncertainty calculations. The project concluded that USGS programs could consider it as a reliable option at difficult-to-measure, turbulent streams. This presentation will introduce the salt dilution method to those unfamiliar with it. The audience will (1) learn to recognize site conditions favorable as well as those unfavorable for the salt dilution method, (2) learn salt dilution calculation theory, and (3) learn the basic salt dilution measurement field processes developed and assessed during the SAWSC Science Advancement & Program Development Challenge.

Speakers

Lewis Craghead

Hydrologic Technician, U.S. Geological Survey

Lewis Craghead joined the South Atlantic WSC in 2016 as a Pathways Intern while finishing a water resources program at the University of Georgia. As a hydrologic technician, he runs a surface water field trip in metro-Atlanta with the Urban Hydrologic Unit which focuses on continuous... Read More →

Thursday July 18, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Midway 7

SURFACE WATER, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

10:00am CDT

What's next for AQUARIUS Samples

With the recent launch of AQUARIUS Samples (AQS), there is massive opportunity to grow our water quality workflows. AQS has been launched with an eye towards extensibility through the Discrete Samples Extensibility Tools (DSET), Data Hub Data Warehouse with Dremio, and the Data Hub Service Mesh. The USGS-built extensibility endpoints, along with the native Application Programming Interface offered by AQS itself, makes it easier than ever to build sophisticated data flows to support a wide variety of water quality workflows. This presentation will share what is known about the product roadmap for AQS so that people considering building tooling in the new AQS+ space can plan how to invest resources wisely and so that all users know what to expect from the product now that ASIP is closed.

Speakers

Kate Norton

Project Manager, USGS

Kate Norton is the product owner for WMA's AQUARIUS Samples application and also the Function Manager for the Laboratory Software Support and Operations (LASSO) Function. LASSO support the business and science processes for software related to managing discrete sample data and metadata... Read More →

Thursday July 18, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Regency Ballroom B

WATER QUALITY, ANALYSIS

Presented By WMA (Headquarters)
Intended Audience Intermediate
Duration 50 minutes

10:30am CDT

Turbidity corrections for field-based fluorescence measurements – achieving better performance

As turbidity corrections for field-based fluorescence measurements have been conducted at more sites with elevated turbidities across the nation, evidence of poor correction performance has mounted. In some cases, extreme and erratic values were generated from the corrections. It was determined that the commonly used single parameter exponential fit approximated by Excel does a poor job of correcting for particle interference for many high turbidity samples. An evaluation of turbidity corrections experiments in the laboratory and field samples suggested that updated guidance for turbidity corrections was warranted for high turbidity waters. Here we evaluate different approaches to turbidity corrections for fluorescence measurements and discuss factors affecting the corrections.

Speakers

Jacob Fleck

Research Hydrologist, USGS CAWSC

Thursday July 18, 2024 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Regency Ballroom A

WATER QUALITY, ANALYSIS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

Accessing AQUARIUS Samples Data via Alternate Means

There is more than one way to retrieve data from AQUARIUS Samples. This presentation will introduce you to the AQS APIs and Dremio. We will connect Excel to the AQS APIs to create ‘live’ workbooks that can be refreshed. We will use Dremio to perform national scale queries in a data lakehouse and discuss sharing common queries for all to use.

Speakers

Michael Canova

Hydrologist / Data Management Specialist, U.S. Geological Survey

Thursday July 18, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Regency Ballroom B

DATABASE (DBA/LDM/NWIS), TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience LDMs
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

NuGo2 Release Update and Training

NuGo2 is ready for release! NuGo2 replaces legacy Go2, which will be decommissioned, to alert hydrographers and data managers about potential site issues and the need for site visits. This session will give an update and overview of functionality in NuGo2 followed by a training on setting up configurations. NuGo2 is a modernized version of Go2 with improved code, centralized and supported infrastructure, and broad accessibility. NuGo2 is implemented on a national level, making it available to all WSCs and supportive of broad scale diagnostics and situational awareness. NuGo2 accesses all telemetry methods, incorporates different data sources, centralizes configurations, and allows for customization including flexible parameter selection.

Speakers

Amber Jones

Physical Scientist/Product Owner, USGS

Thursday July 18, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 6

DATABASE (DBA/LDM/NWIS), TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Hydrologic Networks Branch (HNB)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

Measurement Uncertainty: How do I rate this Qm?

Ratings QMs using Qrev, statistics and other available resources

Speakers

Nicholas Stasulis

Thursday July 18, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 11

HYDROACOUSTICS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By HAWG
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

"How Do You Do?" Making AAA Work

DISCUSSION GROUP--This guided session aims to provide a venue for dialogue amongst data chiefs, field office chiefs, and/or field office leadership on different strategies for analyzing, approving, and auditing continuous data. Specific topics may include distribution of assignments, tools being used to track progress and/or latency, and challenges associated with the process. Outcomes of the discussion should be a better national level understanding of how to optimize operations with a goal of producing high quality data in the most timely and cost-effective manner.

Speakers

Jeremy White

Supv Hydrologic Technician, US Geological Survey

Thursday July 18, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 3+4

LEADERSHIP, LISTENING SESSION

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience Advanced
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

Traffic Control Awareness

This presentation will provide an overview of traffic control awareness and precautions for employees that work along roads and bridges. Training requirements, traffic control devices, and the importance of worker visibility for personnel working on or within 15 feet of roadways will be discussed. In addition, things to consider when setting up traffic control, and a discussion of flagging and traffic control plans (TCPs) will be presented.

Speakers

Shelley Niesen

U.S. Geological Survey

Thursday July 18, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Midway 1+2

SAFETY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

OKI Hydrotech Bootcamp, Methods, curriculum, lessons learned.

OKI would like to share our hydrotech bootcamp experience with the data workshop in order to share our successes, learn from our mistakes, and start a discussion with other trainers on their center's bootcamp techniques.

Speakers

Shawn LeMaster

Hyd Tech, USGS

Andrew Gorman

USGS

Travis D. Smith

USGS

Thursday July 18, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Grand Ballroom B

SURFACE WATER, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By Your WSC
Intended Audience Introductory
Duration 50 minutes

1:00pm CDT

Water-quality monitoring with satellite remote-sensing workflow examples

How would you like to put satellites and the international space station to work for your water-quality projects? The availability of remote sensing tools for monitoring water quality continues to expand. This session will provide a primer on remote sensing for water quality, followed by several workflow examples based on use cases from the field. Examples will include tools developed just for you by the Remote Sensing for Water Quality project and related partnerships among Water Science Centers, the Water Mission Area, and the Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch.

The introduction to satellites and water quality will overview types of data available from different satellite platforms including which satellites are related to which water-quality parameters. Workflows will cover where and how to access or request satellite data collection and demonstrate several tools. Examples include exploring historic and recent satellite imagery when developing a project sample plan, responding to on-the-ground conditions, and matching field data to satellite imagery. Imagery and related data products can be used to assess access for remote sites based on water levels and ice conditions. The wide spatial view can be used to confirm and track a developing algal bloom. Matching satellite data is important with prior field data, but future sampling can even be planned to coincide with some types of satellite data.

WMA tools include the “Satellite Overpass Calendar Tool” for paired satellite-field observations, the RSWQ dashboard, and improved imagery products for chlorophyll, turbidity, and temperature that are optimized specifically for water, instead of previous terrestrial products.

Speakers

Tyler King

Research Hydrologist, US Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey has undertaken the development of an operational system to deliver remotely sensed water quality at Continental United States scale from Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery. This multi-year project is focused on evaluating published methods of estimating... Read More →

Michael (he/him) Meyer

Jessie Garrett

Thursday July 18, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Regency Ballroom C

WATER QUALITY, TIPS AND TRICKS

Presented By WMA (Headquarters)
Intended Audience General Audience
Duration 50 minutes