FLOwPER Field App

Internal Tool Developers: Jonathan Burnett, Sherri Johnson, Steve Wondzell

External Tool Developers: Dunham, Jason; U.S. Geological Survey; Jaeger, Kris; U.S. Geological Survey; Brown, Mike; USDI Bureau of Land Management

Description

The FLOwPER Field app was developed as part of the Western Oregon Streamflow Permanence Project. The project’s goal is to improve understanding of streamflow permanence in forested headwater streams by 1) providing a framework for simple, standardized data collection of observations of surface water presence and a system for easy archiving in a centralized database, and 2) using the latest digital mapping and modeling technologies to provide predictions on the presence of late summer surface flow of headwater streams in western Oregon.

Get the App and Other Resources

• FLOwPER Application download
• FLOwPER Quick Guide (PDF 496 KB)
• FLOwPER Detailed Users Guide (PDF 5.2 MB)
• Using the FLOwPER v2 Field Form in the Survey 123 App (PDF 103 KB)
• Publicly accessible FLOwPER observation data
• Informational FLOwPER flyer (PDF 811 KB)
• Informational Handout (PDF 593 KB)

Purpose and Scope

FLOwPER is a collaborative effort of the research branches of the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey. It was developed in partnership with U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land managers to address the need for standardized, easy to implement, and widely accessible field observations of surface water presence/absence. The FLOwPER application increases the efficiency of field observation of surface water presence by providing a flexible (Android and IOS) mobile GIS platform for standardizing the collection of observations and leveraging the advantages of cloud storage technology to consolidate and share data. These data can be used to evaluate patterns of flow permanence at any time of year, including times when stream networks are greatly expanded during wet seasons or in late summer, as well as when streamflows reach their annual minimum and the extent of the stream network is most limited.

Figure 1: A portion of the FLOwPER interface on a mobile device.

FLOwPER supports land managers by providing a state of art tool for data collection and archiving. It facilitates access to data pertinent to project planning or broader-scale assessment and planning. It also supports research and development by providing standardized, accessible data that can be used to support inquiry into range of questions, including streamflow permanence across landscapes.

The FLOwPER app makes it possible to more easily collect and access accurate data about streams in western Oregon. Use of a common tool such as FLOwPER means that observations from different projects can be accurately compared to glean insights now and in the future.  

Use

The FLOwPER mobile app consists of a field data collection application, detailed instructions for consistent data collection, and links to a cloud-hosted centralized geodatabase for uploading data, once internet is available. FLOwPER was developed to be usable with a mobile device such as a tablet or phone loaded with ESRI geo-enabled software (fig. 1) and a high-accuracy (< 1 meter) global navigation satellite system positioning data (i.e., GPS) for precise location information.

The application guides the user through a series of questions designed to address the flow status of an observation reach (e.g., continuous surface flow, discontinuous flow or dry) and provide important context about the setting (e.g., upstream of a road crossing) and geomorphic condition (e.g., bedrock channel). The application also allows the user to collect data of surface water presence or absence along the length of a stream (fig. 2).

Uploading the field data to the database is as simple as connecting the tablet to the internet and pressing a button. The database is hosted through ArcGIS Online. To request access, contact gs-flowper@usgs.gov.

Figure 2: Depiction of changing flow status along a stream.

Implementation

FLOwPER is a data collection form programmed to work in multiple mobile GIS technologies:

• Survey123
• S1 (Android only)
• Collector for ArcGIS
• ESRI Field Maps

The open and flexible nature of this application allows collaborators, partners, and cooperators to seamlessly and consistently contribute to building a data base of wet and dry stream observations across landscapes.

FLOwPER is being used broadly. To date, the FLOwPER application has been used in six states by more than 15 independent private, state, tribal and federal entities. The database now contains more than 9,000 unique observations of streamflow status (fig. 3).

Figure 3: Snapshot of locations of more than 9,000 streamflow observations collected using the FLOwPER app. Data as of September 2022.

Partners: U.S. Geological Survey; USDI Bureau of Land Management Oregon Office; Oregon State University Aerial Information Systems Laboratory; USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region; Portland Water Bureau; Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education