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Gage Home Gage Menu Lake Data Gage History What is it? How it works Watershed Map


Learn How a Lake or Streamflow Gage Works

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Click each piece of equipment in the diagram to find out what it does.
Or, click here to read or print the entire explanation of the equipment.

Clickable diagram of equipment in USGS Lake Gage; See text above to link to paragraph format.

 

HOW DO THE MEASUREMENTS TRAVEL TO USGS COMPUTERS?

Diagram showing flow of information from lake to gage to satellite to satellite dish to computers

The data-collection platform periodically sends a signal by radio waves through an antenna on top of the gage to a satellite circling the earth. The satellite beams the data as signals back to earth to computers at the USGS. The data are then posted to the USGS Web site in the form of graphs and tables. Because the data is made available very quickly after it is collected, it is referred to as real-timeLook up 'real-time' in the glossary. data.
Click to go to data on internet Click to see photo of gage Click to see NASA photo of satellite Click to see NASA photo of satellite dish Solar Panel Data-collection Platform Pressure Transducer Battery Probe Satellite Antenna -- See diagram below Satellite Antenna -- See diagram below Plastic Pipe Staff Gage
Gage Home Gage Menu Lake Data Gage History What is it? How it works Watershed Map

Take Pride image First Gov image U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://vt.water.usgs.gov/echo_gage/operation.htm
Page Contact Information: webmaster-nh@usgs.gov
Page Last Modified: August 31, 2006

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