You can retrieve and import time-series data from the USGS NWIS database via the web using the USGS plug-in tool. 


The USGS data retrieval plug-in will retrieve daily, hourly and annual peak flows from the NWIS web service at: https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis


To use the USGS plug-in, you must be connected to the internet.


1. Open your DSS file, from the Data Entry menu, point to Import, click USGS Web. This will open the USGS Download plug-in interface with an empty station identifier table.
2.You can either open a previously saved table, manually enter the station information for the stations that you want, or automatically populate the table with a list of stations available on a state by state basis. An example of the USGS Download window can be seen below.





3.To open a previously saved table, from the File menu, click Open Station Table. Browse to the directory and file that you want to access and then click Open. Optionally, you can select a file from the most recently used file list at the bottom of the File menu. To save a table, from the File menu, click Save Station Table. Browse to the directory where you want to save your table and then enter the file name and click Save. Tables are in text format and are saved with an extension of ".usgs".
4. To manually enter station information, select the USGS Station ID cell on a blank row. Enter the USGS station ID number and then fill in the basin or river name, location name, parameter and version in the subsequent columns or accept the defaults provided after entering the station ID. If you need to add additional rows, select the Edit menu and then Insert Rows. Fill in the identifiers for any remaining stations that you want. Once you have completed your table, save it using Save Station Table from the File menu.
5.You can sort the station table by pressing on the column header of the column that you want to sort by. A second press of the column header will perform an inverse sort.
6.You may find the list of stations easier to use if you delete those stations that you are not interested in. To do this, highlight the rows in the table that you want to delete and then select Delete Checked Rows from the Edit menu. You can save your table by selecting Save Station Table from the File menu.
7. You can query for the starting date and ending date of available data for selected stations. To do this, select the check boxes for the stations that you want and then press the Get Available Dates button. Each station has to be queried independently, so select only those stations that you are interested in. The date range for the selected stations will be displayed in the two right most columns of the table.
8. To retrieve data from the USGS web site and import into HEC-DSS, select the Data Type you want (either Daily, Instantaneous (Hourly), Real Time or Annual Peak Data) from the drop down selector near the top panel of the screen. If you want daily, you can enter a start date and end date for the time frame that you are interested in or select the Retrieve Period of Record check box to retrieve the period of record data. The date should be entered in the form of DDMMMYYYY (e.g., 03FEB2005). Selecting the small box in the date field will provide a calendar tool to aid in setting the date. Even though you may specify dates, only data that is available within those dates from the web site can be retrieved. If you want real time data, enter the number of days back that you want to retrieve data for. The USGS offers data for the last thirty-one days for real time data.
9.Use caution when selecting a time period for instantaneous historical data, as you might unintentionally request excessive number of values. For example, if data is given in 15 minute intervals, a year's worth of data will be 35,040 values, which can take a long time to retrieve.
10.After the data type and time span have been set, select the stations from the table that you want data for by checking the box in the Import Data column for those stations. If you want to retrieve data for all stations in your table, press the Select All button. The data retrieval process will begin when you press the Import button. This operation will take some time, depending on your connection speed to the internet and how much data you have requested. A Retrieve Progress dialog box will display the progress of the process. After data has been retrieved, the main catalog screen in HEC-DSSVue will be automatically updated.
11.Daily data is stored with an E part of "1DAY". The interval for real-time data will be set based on the frequency of the data retrieved. If the frequency varies, the data will be store in an irregular interval format. You may want to use the interval modification functions available from the Time Functions tab in the Math Functions screen to change the data to a desired interval.
12. Data can be directly plotted, tabulated or sent to Microsoft Excel from the plug-in by selecting the desired data sets and then pressing the appropriate tool bar button. You do not need to import the data first; it will be automatically imported and stored in the HEC-DSS file for you. To send the data to Microsoft Excel, you must have installed the Excel plug-in, available from the HEC-DSSVue plug-in web page, or you must have an Excel capable version (currently under development) of the program.
13.Some offices require proxy information to be set to access the internet. Proxy information can be set by selecting the Options item from the Edit menu. This will display the screen shown in below. Fill in the appropriate values and then click OK. The information will be retained between sessions.




14.The USGS plug-in currently has limited error detection capabilities. If you think that there are problems, you should check the HEC-DSSVue log screen for messages. The log screen is usually minimized in your task bar.


The USGS plug-in will indicate when data cannot be retrieved, but it may not give the reason why. You should check the USGS web page with a browser to ensure that what you are requesting is available. The web address is: https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis