HydroServer: A Platform for Sharing Space-Time Hydrologic Datasets

Authors: Jeffery S. Horsburgh, David G. Tarboton, Stephanie Reeder, Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) has developed a Hydrologic Information System (HIS) that supports sharing of distributed hydrologic data through web services and tools for data discovery, access, and publication. HydroServer is a computer server that contains a collection of databases, web services, tools, and software applications that allow data producers to store, publish, and analyze space-time hydrologic datasets. HydroServer is designed to permit local control of the data, while still being part of a distributed, national/international system allowing universal access to the data. We describe the HydroServer architecture and software stack, including tools for managing and publishing time series data for fixed point monitoring sites as well as spatially distributed, GIS datasets that describe a particular study area, watershed, or region. We then describe how HydroServer is being used to support ongoing research and data collection at Utah State University. The sharing of data in a common format is one way to stimulate interdisciplinary research and collaboration. It is anticipated that the growing, distributed network of HydroServers will facilitate cross-site comparisons and large scale studies that synthesize information from diverse settings, making the network as a whole greater than the sum of its parts in advancing hydrologic research. Details of the CUAHSI HIS can be found at http://his.cuahsi.org