FAQs

Below is a list of frequently asked questions. If you cannot find the information you need on our site, we recommend visiting the HydroSHEDS forum where users can ask and answer questions, look for advice, discuss ideas, and more. We do not have the capacity to respond to troubleshooting requests or answer individual questions, but will periodically share HydroSHEDS news and updates on this forum.

How do I download HydroSHEDS data?

Please visit the product page(s) of the HydroSHEDS product(s) which you wish to download. Each product has its own download options.

Additionally, certain products are directly available and frequently used on Google Earth Engine for fast and efficient computation. Please be aware that the HydroSHEDS data on GEE or from any source other than hydrosheds.org are not uploaded or monitored by the HydroSHEDS team. Users are advised to verify that HydroSHEDS data from these external sources are current and correct.

What licenses apply to HydroSHEDS data products?

The objective of the HydroSHEDS project is to create data that are free for everyone to use and for any purpose. However, the various HydroSHEDS data products have been created from different source data and in different collaborations which affect license restrictions, so the data licenses differ from product to product.

Please visit the product page(s) of the HydroSHEDS product(s) which you are using in order to find detailed information on the data license(s) that apply to your product.

How do I cite HydroSHEDS data products?

Please visit the product page(s) of the HydroSHEDS product(s) which you are using in order to obtain the appropriate citation(s). Most products have unique citations, meaning multiple citations are usually required for users who are using more than one HydroSHEDS product.

How can I visualize HydroSHEDS data once I downloaded it?

‍HydroSHEDS data are provided in common Geographic Information System (GIS) formats including GeoTIFF, shapefiles, and geodatabases. Therefore, dedicated GIS software is needed to open and display the HydroSHEDS data. If you do not have a GIS installed, free software packages are available, such as QGIS, Whitebox-GAT, or SAGA. Some online mapping portals also allow for the import of GeoTIFFs or shapefiles, such as Google Earth.

Some of the raster data (provided in GeoTIFF format) can, in principle, be displayed using image processing software such as photo viewers, but the file size of larger raster datasets may exceed given software limits. The attribute information contained in shapefiles (stored in the associated *.dbf file) may be imported and opened in standard spreadsheet software, such as Excel.

What software do I need to use HydroSHEDS?

HydroSHEDS data are provided in standard GeoTIFF (raster) or shapefile and geodatabase (vector) formats that can be used with most common geospatial platforms and libraries, including the ESRI product suite, QGIS, WhiteBox, PostGIS, GRASS, and other platforms which use GDAL.

Some HydroSHEDS data are also available for direct use on Google Earth Engine. Please be aware that the HydroSHEDS data on GEE or from any source other than hydrosheds.org are not uploaded or monitored by the HydroSHEDS team. Users are advised to verify that HydroSHEDS data from these external sources are current and correct.

Some vector layers are available in geodatabase format. Although the geodatabase is a proprietary format, these layers can be opened in most open source platforms and libraries.

Are there tools I can use with HydroSHEDS data?

We are working on that! We are currently designing some simple tools that will allow you to conduct basic analyses such as upstream and downstream queries. There are also many hydrology tools or extensions available in most standard GIS software packages. These tools should be compatible with HydroSHEDS data as HydroSHEDS uses no specific formats or codes. For example, you can derive flow networks from the provided flow direction grids and customize them to your needs using standard GIS tools.

Can I use HydroSHEDS on Google Earth Engine?

Yes! There is a large community of GEE users who directly use HydroSHEDS in their analyses. Please be aware that the HydroSHEDS data on GEE or from any source other than hydrosheds.org are not uploaded or monitored by the HydroSHEDS team. Users are advised to verify that HydroSHEDS data from these external sources are current and correct.

Can I use HydroSHEDS for local applications?

You certainly can, but please be aware that HydroSHEDS is foremost a global product and thus its quality is designed to be appropriate for large-scale applications. When applying HydroSHEDS data locally, such as in small catchments, errors and uncertainties may be substantial and the data may not be adequate or reliable. Users are therefore advised to carefully evaluate whether a certain product is appropriate for their specific needs and purposes.

If you have additional data available for your area of interest, such as a high-resolution vectorized river network for your catchment, you can also attempt to fuse HydroSHEDS data with local information. For example, you can use the (original or conditioned) elevation data provided in HydroSHEDS and apply your own additional conditioning processes, such as stream-burning processes using the local river network, in order to produce a new hydrologically conditioned DEM. However, this requires some experience and appropriate GIS tools.

What is the difference between HydroATLAS (or BasinATLAS, RiverATLAS, and LakeATLAS) and HydroBASINS, HydroRIVERS, and HydroLAKES?

HydroBASINS, HydroRIVERS, and HydroLAKES provide digital vector maps delineating sub-basin boundaries, river network lines, and lake polygons. These products provide information on only the spatial location, geometry, and up- and down-stream topology of their respective hydrographic features.

In contrast, HydroATLAS is a value-added database containing additional hydro-environmental characteristics for sub-basins, rivers, and lakes. Each component of HydroATLAS (BasinATLAS, RiverATLAS, and LakeATLAS) offers a suite of over 50 hydro-environmental variables for the same hydrographic features that are contained in HydroBASINS, HydroRIVERS, and HydroLAKES, respectively.

Users who only require geometric information may thus prefer to use HydroBASINS, HydroRIVERS, or HydroLAKES due to the significantly smaller file sizes of these products. Users without file size limitations may prefer to use the HydroATLAS line of products which fully contains the HydroBASINS, HydroRIVERS, and HydroLAKES information.

Read more about the hydro-environmental variables contained in HydroATLAS on the product page.

How can BasinATLAS, RiverATLAS, and LakeATLAS be linked?

BasinATLAS, RiverATLAS, and LakeATLAS are related through the level 12 HydroBASIN ID codes found in the attribute tables of each dataset. Every river reach in RiverATLAS and every lake in LakeATLAS shows the HydroBASINS ID ("HYBAS_ID") of the level 12 HydroBASIN in which the reach or lake's pour point is located.

Furthermore, every lake in LakeATLAS can be associated to a river reach in RiverATLAS by using one of two additional columns in LakeATLAS: one column ("HYRIV_RCH") indicates the HydroRIVER ID on which the lake's pour point is located; the other column ("HYRIV_CAT") indicates the HydroRIVER ID of the corresponding reach catchment (i.e., the small catchment area directly draining into the reach) in which the lake's pour point is located. For lakes with a pour point that is located directly on a river reach the two IDs are identical; for lakes with a pour point that is off-stream, only the reach catchment ID exists.

See the technical documentation of HydroATLAS for more details.

Do the rivers, lakes, and basins in HydroRIVERS, HydroLAKES, and HydroBASINS have names?

It is currently not possible to identify the name of each waterbody or watershed in HydroRIVERS, HydroLAKES, or HydroBASINS. The HydroATLAS database provides country areas for the year 2012 from the Global Administrative Areas (GADM) database v2.0.

Will HydroSHEDS be updated?

Yes, we are in the process of developing HydroSHEDS v2 from TanDEM-X 12 m elevation data. Read more about the development of HydroSHEDS v2.

Data will be released beginning in 2025, so stay tuned for updates!

How can I get customized versions of HydroSHEDS data?

If you need HydroSHEDS data in a customized format or tiling, or through an alternative download or access option (including on external media), please contact Confluvio Consulting to learn about options and processing fees.

You can also inquire with Confluvio Consulting about possibilities for additional data post-processing, customizations or tool development to enhance the data and/or its applicability according to customer needs.

How can I collaborate with or sponsor the HydroSHEDS project?

If you are interested in collaborating with us or sponsoring HydroSHEDS, please reach out via our sponsors & collaborators page here.

I sent you a message through the contact form, when will I hear back from you?

HydroSHEDS is produced by a very small team, and as such we do not have capacity to respond to all emails. We aim to keep the FAQ up-to-date with the most frequent concerns, so please read through these questions to see if we already have an answer.

If you cannot find the information you need in the FAQ, we recommend visiting the HydroSHEDS forum where users can ask and answer questions, look for advice, discuss ideas, and more.

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If you are interested in collaborating with us or sponsoring HydroSHEDS, please reach out here.

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