There is now tremendous increased amount of options regarding gauges -- we can now get not just gauge height (feet) and flow (cfs), but also precipitation amounts (6hr, 12hr, 24hr, yearly!). Frankly, it makes looking at the gauge listing (for any particular state) somewhere between intimidating and frustrating. There's just too much stuff there! For example, is yearly rainfall total for a gauge really in any way significant or useful (to a StreamTeamer or our users)? Other than perhaps to give some slight very indirect indication of how much water the area gets, though not what time of year or how many days a year it gets it.

Further, the listing of gauges (for a selected state) also lists every river/reach which uses any of those gauges. I'm am extremely curious how or why it is necessary or advantageous to complicate and clutter up the GAUGE listing with river/reach/run listings! Is there some reason this is important/relevant/useful?

If I understand things correctly, AW has gotten some (significant) funding (for some of the programming work) from 'outside sources' (Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), for example). So, I am a bit curious if some of this increased complexity is at the direction of such funders.

There have been some references of late to concerns about the impact and overhead (on AW servers) of various parts of the river database (gauges, international listings, etc). In order to get and use money from some such funders, have we (will we) spend time/effort/serverspace/servertime for things which are not really relevant to our users or AW's mission and purpose, and things which, indeed, may complicate and confuse matters for our dedicated StreamTeamers and our users?

If it truly is relevant to have as much detail (as many options) as currently exist on the gauge list for each state, (and even if some of these may be eliminated) it seems it would be VERY advantageous to have some way to narrow-down what is shown -- to select to see just precip gauges, just gauges reporting 'Volumetric Flow (CFS)', or just gauges reporting 'Stage in feet'.

Please do not mistake my purpose. The 'tone' of all the above is NOT meant (in any way or any part) to be judgmental, venting, ranting, just honestly curious, 'free-thinking' and pondering.

Rob Smage
AW member since 1992, volunteer since 2000, Midwest Regional StreamTeam Editor

I'd be open to ways to organize the data. The option for rain allows us to gauge microcreeks. It was requested by Alex Zendel, and didn't cost us any more money.

I completely understand the legitimate reasons for the use of rainfall amounts (from 6hr, 12hr, 24hr). It is only the annual rainfall amount which seemed almost completely irrelevant to report. And, again, aside from that, the more important matter was to stimulate discussion or thought about other ways to organize or selectively display the list.

Rob Smage
AW member since 1992, volunteer since 2000, Midwest Regional StreamTeam Editor

With USGS and some other gauges, there can be several measurements taken at a single location. So a single gauge can have info for both stage and cfs, historical flows, temperature, water quality, etc.

I find it a bit confusing when the AW gauges have different numbers for the same gauge when it has both stage and cfs. I have noticed several gauges where our AW list only shows a stage gauge, but USGS has both stage and feet. (Oops, I meant Stage and cfs.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2009 05:35AM by pmartzen.

Stage should be feet, most of the time...?

Ryan

I think Paul meant that there are several gauges where our AW list only shows a stage gauge, but USGS has both stage and flow. Paul, can you clarify?

Yes, I meant stage and flow/cfs. I forget which gauges where USGS has both Stage and cfs but AW has only a gauge with stage. I have seen a few instances.

Here is an example of a CDEC gauge that has stage and cfs, but AW only shows stage.
[cdec.water.ca.gov]

Looks like all California CDEC based gauges only show stage even though the originating gauges show both flow and stage.

USGS based AW gauges seem to show both flow and stage.

edit: I have started a bug ticket for CDEC gauges.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/2009 04:07PM by pmartzen.

I think this deals with efficiency. I am getting the real-time gauge info from a single page that only lists stage. To get flow I need to hit several gauges. I can come up with a parallel way to get flow on specified gauges, but probably can't get all cdec gauges that way.