Obtain instantaneous streamgage records from the USGS web services

(and learn about variables and types in the process)

What are web services?

A way to automatically access a database through the web

If you go to a streamgage record (and I went to this on the old way, clicking my way through the website), the URL has a pattern...

http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?cb_00060=on&format=rdb&site_no=06730200&period=&begin_date=2013-09-08&end_date=2013-09-14

http://nwis.waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv/?format=rdb&sites=06730200&startDT=2013-09-08&endDT=2013-09-14&parameterCd=00060

http://waterservices.usgs.gov/rest/IV-Test-Tool.html



In [10]:

    
url = 'http://nwis.waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv/?format=rdb&sites=06730200&startDT=2013-09-08&endDT=2013-09-14&parameterCd=00060'



In [11]:

    
url









    Out[11]:





'http://nwis.waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv/?format=rdb&sites=06730200&startDT=2013-09-08&endDT=2013-09-14&parameterCd=00060'



In [ ]: