Reference · built on requestCommons signalEarth, seismic & volcanic

USGS Geomagnetism Web Service

Magnetometer observations from USGS geomagnetic observatories as IAGA-2002 or JSON, at 1-second, 1-minute, and hourly rates.

Request accessPricing ↗

About

The USGS Geomagnetism Program operates magnetic observatories across the United States and its territories and serves their observations through the Geomagnetism Data Web Service at geomag.usgs.gov/ws. You request an observatory code, a list of elements such as X, Y, Z, F, H, D, or E, a sampling period, and a data type: variation, adjusted, quasi-definitive, or definitive. Output is IAGA-2002 or JSON. Companion endpoints list observatories, variometers, and elements, and algorithm endpoints return first derivatives and filtered series.

Through Fibric you follow field disturbance at the observatories nearest your grid assets or pipelines and pass sharp changes to operators that propose checks for your approval.

This is a reference listing. It documents what Fibric would read from USGS Geomagnetism Web Service and what it could propose, based on the publisher's published interfaces. Fibric builds it under a managed deployment when you request it; selecting it here installs nothing.

Inputs

  • Time series through /ws/data/ by observatory id, elements, starttime, endtime, sampling_period, type, and format
  • Data types variation, adjusted, quasi-definitive, and definitive, plus EDGE location codes such as R0
  • Sampling periods of 1, 60, and 3600 seconds; the OpenAPI enum also lists 0.1 and 86400
  • Elements including X, Y, Z, F, H, E, D, G (delta F), DIST (disturbance), and electric field E-E and E-N in mV/km
  • Observatory and variometer metadata through /ws/observatories/ and /ws/variometers/, and element definitions through /ws/elements/
  • First-order derivatives through /ws/algorithms/dbdt/ and filtered series through /ws/algorithms/filter/

Proposed actions

Read-only. This feed informs operators; it changes nothing.

Proposed actions are target capabilities. Every action runs propose-first and needs a validated deployment and the appropriate permissions.

What you can build

  • Reserve capacity during a geomagnetic storm

    Storm Reserve reads the DIST element and dbdt at the nearest observatory and proposes holding reserve on transformers or switching schedules when the field moves fast, for your approval.

    With Storm Reserve

  • Explain a grid anomaly with field data

    Anomaly Notice attaches the minute-rate H, D, and Z series for the same window to an unexplained alarm so the on-call engineer sees whether geomagnetic activity lines up.

    With Anomaly Notice

  • Warn on-call teams of rising disturbance

    Uptime Response reads DIST at the nearest observatory and proposes a notice to on-call teams when disturbance passes a threshold you set, with the series attached.

    With Uptime Response

Requirements

  • A three-letter observatory code such as BOU, FRD, HON, or SIT; /ws/observatories/ lists them
  • The element codes and sampling period you need; iaga2002 output allows at most 4 elements per request
  • UTC start and end times; the default window is the current UTC day
Authentication
No key or account. The web service is open; the Swagger UI at geomag.usgs.gov/ws/docs describes every parameter.

Limits

  • The OpenAPI states /ws/data/ is limited to 345600 data points; the USGS tools page states 144,000 for json and 576,000 for iaga2002
  • iaga2002 output allows a maximum of 4 elements per request; use json for more
  • The tools page lists valid USGS codes; /ws/observatories/ also returns stations from GSC, BGS, SANSA, and JMA
  • The service is versioned 0.1.0; defaults such as type=adjusted and sampling_period=60 may change

Access and pricing

Reference listing. Public feed access is separate from Fibric integration. If you request this feed, your quote covers the build, usage, and support.

Request USGS Geomagnetism Web Service ↗

Questions and answers

Which formats and rates does the web service return?
iaga2002 (the default) or json. Sampling periods of 1, 60, and 3600 seconds are documented on the USGS tools page; the OpenAPI enum also lists 0.1 and 86400. With iaga2002 you may request at most 4 elements per call.
Which observatories can I query?
The USGS tools page lists BDT, BOU, TST, BRW, BRT, BSL, CMO, CMT, DED, DHT, FRD, FRN, GUA, HON, NEW, SHU, SIT, SJG, and TUC. /ws/observatories/ also returns stations operated by GSC, BGS, SANSA, and JMA.
What data types does the service accept?
Four values of the type parameter: variation, adjusted, quasi-definitive, and definitive. /ws/data/ defaults to adjusted and the filter algorithm to variation. The service also accepts EDGE location codes such as R0 for internet variation.
Ask about USGS Geomagnetism Web Service

Ask about the capabilities and requirements in this listing.

For project-specific requirements, contact Fibric.

This Commons signal listing is developed, published, and supported by Fibric. It reads public data published by USGS Geomagnetism Program (geomag.usgs.gov). Upstream agencies and projects are the property of their respective owners, who are not affiliated with Fibric and do not sponsor or endorse this listing. Trademark policy