The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive
aggregated collection of hydrologic unit (HU) data consistent
with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. It
defines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point
except in coastal or lake front areas where there could be multiple
outlets as stated by theFederal Standards and Procedures for
the National Watershed Boundary Dataset.
Watershed boundaries are determined solely upon science-based
hydrologic principles, not favoring any administrative boundaries
or special projects, nor particular program or agency. The intent
of defining HUs for the WBD is to establish a baseline drainage
boundary framework, accounting for all land and surface areas.
The HUs are delineated at 1:24,000-scale in the conterminous
United States, 1:25,000-scale in Hawaii and the Caribbean, and
1:63,360-scale in Alaska, meeting the National Map Accuracy Standards
(NMAS). WBDs are represented as polygons that define the boundary
of the HUs. The HUs are given a Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) that
ranges from 2 digits to 12 digits. These codes describe where
the unit is in the country and the level of the unit. The number
of digits in a HUC is related to 6 levels of detail for the WBD:
the lower level polygons cover larger areas than higher level
ones. The higher the level, the more digits to the HUC, since
previous levels are nested in it.
The WBD polygons attributes
include HUCs, size (in the form of acres and square kilometers),
name, downstream HUC, type of watershed, non-contributing areas,
and flow modifications. WBD line attributes contain the highest
level of hydrologic unit for each boundary, line source information
and flow modifications.
Name
Level
Digit
HU Code
Region
1
2
2
Subregion
2
4
4
Basin
3
6
6
Subbasin
4
8
8
Watershed
5
10
10
Subwatershed
6
12
12
*Calculated by the data provider.
Table Schema
Table Schema
Name
Type
Description
areaacres
STRING
Size of the feature in acres
areasqkm
STRING
Size of the feature in square kilometers
gnis_id
STRING
A unique number to relate the name of the hydrologic
unit to the GNIS names database (always empty)
loaddate
STRING
Date when the data were loaded into the official provider database
metasource
STRING
A unique identifier that links the element to the metadata tables
name
STRING
GNIS name for the geographic area in which the hydrologic unit is located
shape_area
STRING
Area of feature in internal units squared
shape_leng
STRING
Length of feature in internal units
sourcedata
STRING
A space provided for a brief description of the
type of base data used to update or change the current WBD
(always empty)
sourcefeat
STRING
Identifies the parent of the feature if the feature
is the result of a split or merge (always empty)
sourceorig
STRING
Description of the agency that created the base
data used to improve the WBD (always empty)
states
STRING
Identifies the State(s) or outlying areas that the
hydrologic unit falls within or touches
tnmid
STRING
A unique 40-character field that identifies each
element in the database exclusively
Coordinated effort between the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural
Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), the United States Geological
Survey (USGS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The
Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) was created from a variety of
sources from each state and aggregated into a standard national
layer for use in strategic planning and accountability. Watershed
Boundary Dataset for HUC# [Online WWW]. Available URL: (https://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov)
[Accessed 22/04/2017].
The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive aggregated collection of hydrologic unit (HU) data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. It defines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point except in coastal or lake front areas where there could be multiple outlets as …
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],[],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) provides a comprehensive, nationally consistent framework for delineating hydrologic units (HUs) based on surface water drainage patterns.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWBD data is organized into six nested levels of detail, ranging from regions to subwatersheds, each with a unique Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC).\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWBD data attributes include HUCs, size, name, downstream HUC, watershed type, non-contributing areas, and flow modifications, enabling detailed hydrologic analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe dataset is available as a \u003ccode\u003eFeatureCollection\u003c/code\u003e and \u003ccode\u003eFeatureView\u003c/code\u003e in Earth Engine, allowing for efficient processing and visualization of large-scale watershed data.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe WBD is a valuable resource for hydrological modeling, water resource management, and environmental planning applications.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD), provided by the USGS, offers hydrologic unit (HU) data from April 22-23, 2017. It delineates surface water drainage areas and uses Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) to denote varying levels of detail (2-12 digits). The data, available in Earth Engine, includes polygons with attributes like size, name, and downstream HUC. The data has 6 levels, ranging from region to subwatershed, and is based on hydrologic principles. Users can visualize and analyze this dataset using Earth Engine's tools.\n"],null,["# HUC02: USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset of Regions\n\nDataset Availability\n: 2017-04-22T00:00:00Z--2017-04-23T00:00:00Z\n\nDataset Provider\n:\n\n\n [United States Geological Survey](https://nhd.usgs.gov/wbd.html)\n\nTags\n:\n[hydrology](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/hydrology) [surface-ground-water](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/surface-ground-water) [table](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/table) [usgs](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/usgs) [water](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/water) [watershed](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/watershed) [wbd](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/wbd) \n\n#### Description\n\nThe Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive\naggregated collection of hydrologic unit (HU) data consistent\nwith the national criteria for delineation and resolution. It\ndefines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point\nexcept in coastal or lake front areas where there could be multiple\noutlets as stated by the [Federal Standards and Procedures for\nthe National Watershed Boundary Dataset](https://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11/a3).\nWatershed boundaries are determined solely upon science-based\nhydrologic principles, not favoring any administrative boundaries\nor special projects, nor particular program or agency. The intent\nof defining HUs for the WBD is to establish a baseline drainage\nboundary framework, accounting for all land and surface areas.\n\nThe HUs are delineated at 1:24,000-scale in the conterminous\nUnited States, 1:25,000-scale in Hawaii and the Caribbean, and\n1:63,360-scale in Alaska, meeting the National Map Accuracy Standards\n(NMAS). WBDs are represented as polygons that define the boundary\nof the HUs. The HUs are given a Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) that\nranges from 2 digits to 12 digits. These codes describe where\nthe unit is in the country and the level of the unit. The number\nof digits in a HUC is related to 6 levels of detail for the WBD:\nthe lower level polygons cover larger areas than higher level\nones. The higher the level, the more digits to the HUC, since\nprevious levels are nested in it.\n\nThe WBD polygons attributes\ninclude HUCs, size (in the form of acres and square kilometers),\nname, downstream HUC, type of watershed, non-contributing areas,\nand flow modifications. WBD line attributes contain the highest\nlevel of hydrologic unit for each boundary, line source information\nand flow modifications.\n\n| Name | Level | Digit | HU Code |\n|--------------|-------|-------|---------|\n| Region | 1 | 2 | 2 |\n| Subregion | 2 | 4 | 4 |\n| Basin | 3 | 6 | 6 |\n| Subbasin | 4 | 8 | 8 |\n| Watershed | 5 | 10 | 10 |\n| Subwatershed | 6 | 12 | 12 |\n\n\\*Calculated by the data provider.\n\n### Table Schema\n\n**Table Schema**\n\n| Name | Type | Description |\n|------------|--------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| areaacres | STRING | Size of the feature in acres |\n| areasqkm | STRING | Size of the feature in square kilometers |\n| gnis_id | STRING | A unique number to relate the name of the hydrologic unit to the GNIS names database (always empty) |\n| loaddate | STRING | Date when the data were loaded into the official provider database |\n| metasource | STRING | A unique identifier that links the element to the metadata tables |\n| name | STRING | GNIS name for the geographic area in which the hydrologic unit is located |\n| shape_area | STRING | Area of feature in internal units squared |\n| shape_leng | STRING | Length of feature in internal units |\n| sourcedata | STRING | A space provided for a brief description of the type of base data used to update or change the current WBD (always empty) |\n| sourcefeat | STRING | Identifies the parent of the feature if the feature is the result of a split or merge (always empty) |\n| sourceorig | STRING | Description of the agency that created the base data used to improve the WBD (always empty) |\n| states | STRING | Identifies the State(s) or outlying areas that the hydrologic unit falls within or touches |\n| tnmid | STRING | A unique 40-character field that identifies each element in the database exclusively |\n| huc2 | STRING | Unique hydrologic unit code |\n\n### Terms of Use\n\n**Terms of Use**\n\nMost U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) information resides\nin the public domain and may be used without restriction. Additional\ninformation on [Acknowledging or Crediting USGS as Information\nSource](https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/crediting-usgs) is available.\n\n### Citations\n\nCitations:\n\n- Coordinated effort between the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural\n Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), the United States Geological\n Survey (USGS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The\n Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) was created from a variety of\n sources from each state and aggregated into a standard national\n layer for use in strategic planning and accountability. Watershed\n Boundary Dataset for HUC# \\[Online WWW\\]. Available URL: (https://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov)\n \\[Accessed 22/04/2017\\].\n\n### Explore with Earth Engine\n\n| **Important:** Earth Engine is a platform for petabyte-scale scientific analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets, both for public benefit and for business and government users. Earth Engine is free to use for research, education, and nonprofit use. To get started, please [register for Earth Engine access.](https://console.cloud.google.com/earth-engine)\n\n### Code Editor (JavaScript)\n\n```javascript\nvar dataset = ee.FeatureCollection('USGS/WBD/2017/HUC02');\n\nvar visualization = {\n color: '808080',\n strokeWidth: 1\n};\n\ndataset = dataset.draw(visualization);\n\nMap.setCenter(-105.861, 39.529, 7);\nMap.addLayer(dataset, null, 'Basins');\n```\n[Open in Code Editor](https://code.earthengine.google.com/?scriptPath=Examples:Datasets/USGS/USGS_WBD_2017_HUC02)\n\n### Visualize as a FeatureView\n\n\nA `FeatureView` is a view-only, accelerated representation of a\n`FeatureCollection`. For more details, visit the\n[`FeatureView` documentation.](/earth-engine/guides/featureview_overview)\n| **Important:** Earth Engine is a platform for petabyte-scale scientific analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets, both for public benefit and for business and government users. Earth Engine is free to use for research, education, and nonprofit use. To get started, please [register for Earth Engine access.](https://console.cloud.google.com/earth-engine)\n\n### Code Editor (JavaScript)\n\n```javascript\nvar fvLayer = ui.Map.FeatureViewLayer('USGS/WBD/2017/HUC02_FeatureView');\n\nvar visParams = {\n color: '808080',\n lineWidth: 1\n};\n\nfvLayer.setVisParams(visParams);\nfvLayer.setName('Basins');\n\nMap.setCenter(-105.861, 39.529, 7);\nMap.add(fvLayer);\n```\n[Open in Code Editor](https://code.earthengine.google.com/?scriptPath=Examples:Datasets/USGS/USGS_WBD_2017_HUC02_FeatureView) \n[HUC02: USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset of Regions](/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/USGS_WBD_2017_HUC02) \nThe Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive aggregated collection of hydrologic unit (HU) data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. It defines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point except in coastal or lake front areas where there could be multiple outlets as ... \nUSGS/WBD/2017/HUC02, hydrology,surface-ground-water,table,usgs,water,watershed,wbd \n2017-04-22T00:00:00Z/2017-04-23T00:00:00Z \n-14.69 -180 71.567 180 \nGoogle Earth Engine \nhttps://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets\n\n- [](https://doi.org/https://nhd.usgs.gov/wbd.html)\n- [](https://doi.org/https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/USGS_WBD_2017_HUC02)"]]
