HIFLD OPEN Waterbody - Large Scale

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) U.S. Geological Survey; United States Department of Homeland Security

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
metadata.xml application/xml 32.5 KB 11/17/2025 06:21:PM
waterbody-large-scale-2-file_geodatabase.zip application/zip 2.3 GB 11/17/2025 11:32:AM
waterbody-large-scale-2-geojson.zip application/zip 6 GB 11/17/2025 11:34:AM
waterbody-large-scale-2-geopackage.zip application/zip 5.1 GB 11/17/2025 11:36:AM

Project Citation: 

U.S. Geological Survey, and United States Department of Homeland Security. HIFLD OPEN Waterbody - Large Scale. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-11-17. https://doi.org/10.3886/E240399V1

Project Description

Project Title:  View help for Project Title HIFLD OPEN Waterbody - Large Scale
Summary:  View help for Summary The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) is a feature-based database that interconnects and uniquely identifies the stream segments or reaches that make up the nation's surface water drainage system. NHD data was originally developed at 1:100,000-scale and exists at that scale for the whole country. This high-resolution NHD, generally developed at 1:24,000/1:12,000 scale, adds detail to the original 1:100,000-scale NHD. (Data for Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands was developed at high-resolution, not 1:100,000 scale.) Local resolution NHD is being developed where partners and data exist. The NHD contains reach codes for networked features, flow direction, names, and centerline representations for areal water bodies. Reaches are also defined on waterbodies and the approximate shorelines of the Great Lakes, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico. The NHD also incorporates the National Spatial Data Infrastructure framework criteria established by the Federal Geographic Data Committee.

The NHD is a national framework for assigning reach addresses to water-related entities, such as industrial discharges, drinking water supplies, fish habitat areas, wild and scenic rivers. Reach addresses establish the locations of these entities relative to one another within the NHD surface water drainage network, much like addresses on streets. Once linked to the NHD by their reach addresses, the upstream/downstream relationships of these water-related entities--and any associated information about them--can be analyzed using software tools ranging from spreadsheets to geographic information systems (GIS). GIS can also be used to combine NHD-based network analysis with other data layers, such as soils, land use and population, to help understand and display their respective effects upon one another. Furthermore, because the NHD provides a nationally consistent framework for addressing and analysis, water-related information linked to reach addresses by one organization (national, state, local) can be shared with other organizations and easily integrated into many different types of applications to the benefit of all.

This data comprises hydrological data, including flow lines, water bodies and water features.
Original Distribution URL:  View help for Original Distribution URL https://hifld-geoplatform.hub.arcgis.com/

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms Hydrography; Drainage; Reservoir; Basin; Watershed
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage United States
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 7/3/2025 – 7/3/2025
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) geographic information system (GIS) data
Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes Archived from the HIFLD Open GIS data repository, which was deactivated on August 26, 2025.


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V1 [2025-11-17]

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