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The reality is that there aren’t actually many water data standards that are widely adopted. For example, water rights and use data has a different standard for each state. Perhaps the only exception to that rule is the widespread use of EPA WQX for water quality samples within the United States. Below are some of the standards-related resources we’ve identified and are leveraging in our discussions:

• Metadata

  • Geospatial metadata: FGDC (Standards Working Group)

  • USGS National Geospatial Program

  • National Groundwater Monitoring Network

  • BoR’s RWIS

  • Geological Map Schema

  • CUAHSI’s Data Management Plans

• Water Quantity

  • WaterML2 is a meta-standard/data model great for capturing any kind of time series hydrologic data (incl. stream gages, continuous water quality monitoring sensors, groundwater well profiles, and related environmental features)

  • National Groundwater Monitoring Network

  • USGS recommends use of WaDE’s schema for water use information

• Water Quality

  • EPA’s WQX (JSON format details available in GitHub)

  • NEMI (water quality methods and analytes)

  • National Groundwater Monitoring Network

• General

  • ODM2 is a highly general data model that includes many helpful controlled vocabularies (developed by CUAHSI for academic purposes)

  • QUDT is comprehensive for general observed physical properties and units

  • FGDC’s Open Water Data Initiative

  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System

  • US National Vegetation Classification System

  • Spatial Data Standards for Facilities, Infrastructure, and Environment → contains both metadata and facilities information (DoD)

  • American National Standards Institute

  • National Institutes for Standards and Technology