Monitoring Incoming Data

Monitoring the quality of incoming data is a key part of the data acquisition process. There are three main tools you can use to evaluate data quality, check that data streams are functioning properly, and identify any problem areas:

1. Quality Color Bars and Thumbnail Plots - These provide a quick, visual snapshot of data acquisition activity across the watershed within the selected time window.
2. Plots and Tables - Use these to examine incoming data in more detail and better understand the nature of any issues.
3. Data Status Lists - These lists let you group gages by type (e.g., all precipitation or all flow gages) and view information for more or fewer gages than those currently shown in the Map Window.

Quality Color Bars

Quality color bars provide a quick, visual summary of the data acquisition status at each location within the watershed. They dynamically show whether incoming data is acceptable, missing, or questionable, based on quality flags assigned according to thresholds you define. As part of your regular monitoring routine, review these color bars to quickly assess whether incoming data is valid and if further validation is needed.

Quality Color Bar Components

A quality color bar is a thick, segmented line that shows the history of data quality for a specific location over the selected time window.

• The location name appears next to the color bar.
• The length of the bar represents the full duration of the time window.
• Each segment corresponds to a specific time interval, and its color reflects the quality of data during that period, as defined by your quality legend.
• The bars update automatically based on the time interval you set in the Time Window Controls.

Color Bar Legend

Right-click on the icon in the Map Window and select Icon Legend. The legend displays the meaning of each color based on the quality color flags.

Thumbnail Plots

In some cases, you may want to use thumbnail plots to represent time series locations. These plots provide a small, visual representation of actual data values, allowing you to quickly identify which gages are responding to hydrometeorological events. The location name appears next to each thumbnail plot, and the plots are updated automatically according to the time interval set in the Time Window.

Thumbnail Legend

To view the legend for a thumbnail plot, right-click on the thumbnail plot and select Icon Legend. The legend shows the pathname, the color of the curve, and the minimum and maximum values of each curve displayed in the thumbnail. 

Plots and Tables

If the quality color bar or thumbnail plot shows that the incoming data for a location is questionable or poor, viewing the data in a plot or table can help you identify the issue.

To access plots or tables of incoming data, right-click a time series icon and select either Plot or Tabulate.

1. In the Map Window, right-click on a time series icon.
2. Select Plot from the shortcut menu.
3. A plot window will open, displaying the data for the selected location within the current time window.

The figure below shows sample plots for both flow and stage gages.

The figure below shows a sample table for flow and stage gages.

You can also tabulate the data shown in a plot. In the Plot dialog, go to the File menu and click Tabulate.

Data Status Lists

The Data Status Summary displays quality color bars and summary information for groups of time series gages (data status lists). These lists are customizable, allowing you to organize gages based on your specific needs.

For example, you can create lists to show:

• All precipitation gages
• All stream gages
• A custom mix of gages used for a specific forecast

This helps you quickly assess data quality and status across selected gage groups. Refer to Data Status Summary for more details.