HydroSHEDS

Business Profile

Core Value Proposition

HydroSHEDS provides seamless hydrographic data for global and regional applications.

Target Customer

{"Researchers and practitioners in hydrology and hydro-ecological research","GIS analysts and geospatial data scientists","Environmental scientists and conservation planners","Policy makers and government agencies involved in water resources"}

Key Differentiator

Global, seamlessly aligned hydrographic data layers across core/secondary/associated products, freely available in standard GIS formats, with evolving high-resolution data from TanDEM-X (HydroSHEDS v2) and global coverage.

Implementation Timeline

HydroSHEDS v2 data release is scheduled to start in early 2025.

Pain Points

1Need for globally consistent hydrographic data for regional and global hydro-environmental modeling
2Access to freely available data in standard GIS formats without licensing barriers
3Requirement for data that are co-registered and compatible across multiple hydrographic layers (catchments, rivers, lakes) for integrated analyses

Key Features

1Global suite of hydrographic data layers including catchment boundaries, river networks, and lakes at multiple resolutions
2Three product categories: Core (elevation, flow direction, flow accumulation, land mask, sinks), Secondary (HydroBASINS, HydroRIVERS, HydroLAKES, HydroATLAS), Associated (GLWD, HydroWASTE, GloRiC, HydroFALLS, LakeTEMP)
3Free data in standard GIS formats
4HydroSHEDS v2 in development with TanDEM-X 12 m DEM and global coverage (first releases scheduled for 2025)
5Aligned and co-registered data across core/secondary/associated products for compatibility

Target Customer Industries

Decision Makers

1Not specified in content

Client Results

1Supports hydrological, environmental, conservation, socioeconomic, and human health assessments by providing a geospatial framework
2Enables global/regional hydro-ecological research and modeling across multiple scales
3Serves as a data foundation used by international organizations and initiatives

Competitive Advantages

1Free/open access to hydrographic data
2Global coverage with multiple resolutions
3Data are co-registered and compatible across core, secondary, and associated products
4Incorporates high-resolution TanDEM-X DEM data for HydroSHEDS v2
5Adopted and used by notable organizations (e.g., UNEP, IUCN, WWF, Global Dam Watch) for diverse applications

Key Benefits

1Global hydrographic data ready for immediate GIS use

2Three-tier product structure (core/secondary/associated) for comprehensive analysis

3Consistency and alignment across datasets enabling integrated modeling

4Free access reduces barriers to research and policy work

5Progressive enhancement with higher-resolution data (v2) leveraging TanDEM-X

Case Studies & Success Stories

UN Environment Programme's Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer integration with HydroSHEDS

Case #1

Quantifies the status of freshwater ecosystems to support Sustainable Development Goal 6.6.

IUCN freshwater species distribution maps based on HydroBASINS

Case #2

Uses HydroBASINS delineations to map freshwater species distributions.

WWF Water Risk Filter

Case #3

Helps companies assess multiple aspects of water risk and supports corporate water stewardship.

Global Dam Watch integration

Case #4

Uses HydroSHEDS products to georeference, curate, and analyze global dam and reservoir distributions.

Additional Product Information

Product Description

HydroSHEDS provides seamless hydrographic data layers (catchment boundaries, river networks, lakes) generated from global elevation data. It includes core products (DEM, flow direction, flow accumulation, land mask, sinks), secondary products (HydroBASINS, HydroRIVERS, HydroLAKES, HydroATLAS), and associated products (GLWD, HydroWASTE, GloRiC, HydroFALLS, LakeTEMP). The data are freely available in standard GIS formats. HydroSHEDS v2 is derived from TanDEM-X with global coverage and a planned early-2025 release. The project began in 2006 by World Wildlife Fund US.

Target Market

Researchers, GIS professionals, hydrologists, environmental scientists, and policy makers involved in water resources and hydro-ecological analysis.

Unique Value Proposition

Global, freely accessible, and consistently aligned hydrographic data across a comprehensive product ecosystem, with ongoing improvements (e.g., TanDEM-X-based v2) to support large-scale hydro-ecological research and applications.

Technical Requirements

Access data in standard GIS formats; utilize GIS software to load and analyze layers.

Pricing Model

Free / Open access

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