Regional Hydrometeorological Data Network for South America, Central America, and the Caribbean (R-HydroNET 1.0)

R-HydroNET 1.0 is a regional hydrometeorological data bank to support water sciences and water resource assessment in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, using joint pan-American scientific and monitoring station information resources. The assembly and use of such hydromet data consolidates ongoing computerized data bank activities including UNESCO ROSTLAC/LACHYCIS (Latin and Central American Hydrological Cycle and Water Resources Activities Information System) and the Global River Discharge Database (RivDIS 1.0) published recently by UNESCO as part of the Technical Documents in Hydrology series.

Version 1.0 of the R-HydroNET data bank involves the assembly of existing hydromet data resources among the participating organizations, including RivDIS v1.0; Legates and Willmott temperature and precipitation data; Global Historic Climatology Network (GHCN V2); Amazonian precipitation data (DNAEE / UCSB); station-based meteorological and river monitoring data sets from the participating regional hydromet services; USGS Discharge Gauging Stations data in the humid tropical region; and UNH Simulated Topological Networks, 30-min. spatial resolution (STN-30).

All data holdings are geographically-referenced. Gridded data have a spatial resolution of 30 minutes (lat x long). For data of a time-varying nature, monthly composite data have been assembled. Currently, data in the Level-1 Archives are available for public access at the R-HydroNET 1.0 website (http://www.r-hydronet.sr.unh.edu/) while data in Level 2 Archives are available online to approved subscribers and database contributors. Future enhancements include CD-ROMs of data content.

Supporting agencies in this collaborative effort include the University of New Hampshire (http://www.udel.edu/), University of Delware (http://www.udel.edu/), UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Technology [ROSTLAC / Montevideo, Uruguay (http://www.unesco.org.uy/)], Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin American and the Caribbean [CATHALAC / Panama City, Panama (http://www.cathalac.org/)], and U.S. Committee on Scientific Hydrology, NASA. ROSTLAC is responsible for organizing the participation of South American hydrometeorological organizations in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. CATHALAC is responsible for organizing the participation of Central American/Caribbean hydrometeorological organizations and those in South America in the following countries: Columbia, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Suriname, and Venezuela. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is responsible for the technical implementation of the R-HydroNET 1.0 system, importation of electronic data, error-checking, and creation of metadata listings. The system adheres to protocols of the UNH Global Hydrological Archive and Analysis System (GHAAS).

R-HydroNET 1.0 provides baseline data upon which to better plan for the wise and sustainable use of water. It serves as a tool for regional water resources activities, including regional workshops, and as a prototype water resources data bank for projects such as the Large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment (LBA) in Amazonia.