The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) NWIS Web: Water Data for the Nation was selected by the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Technology Service for the 2002 Grace Hopper Government Technology Leadership Award. The award will be presented on December 3, 2002.

Of more than 140 projects submitted, the USGS NWIS Web was chosen as one of the top 10 government technology achievements of 2002. It was honored for "providing individuals and enterprises with access to useful government information."

The new, online National Water Information System (NWISWeb) at http://water.usgs.gov/nwis/ opens the doors to the public to more than 100 years of water data collected by the USGS and gives users access to several hundred million pieces of archival and real-time data ? all from their home or office computers.

NWISWeb is an integral part of the USGS mission to disseminate important water-quality and quantity data to the public. These data can help water managers, engineers, scientists, emergency managers, recreational water users, utilities, etc. to:

* evaluate current water supplies and plan for future supplies,
* forecast floods and droughts,
* operate reservoirs for hydropower, flood control, or water supplies,
* evaluate and control water quality,
* navigate rivers and streams,
* safely fish, canoe, kayak, or raft.

NWISWeb data comes from a vast, nationwide network of more than 1.5 million USGS water data collection stations including:

* 338,000 water-quality sites where samples are taken from rivers or aquifers,
* 21,200 past and present streamflow sites,
* 7,570 real-time sites including streams, lakes/reservoirs, ground water, and meteorological sites,
* 1.37 million wells.

The award will be presented on December 3 in Washington, D.C., and the site was featured in the November issue of Government Executive magazine.

As the Nation?s science agency for natural resources, hazards and the environment, the USGS is committed to meeting the health, safety and knowledge needs of the changing world around us.