This dataset contains survey data including wading and real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS) of water surface elevation and channel bed topography at cross section 5 (xs5) on March 20, 2018, which is adjacent to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage at Arkansas River at Parkdale, Colorado (USGS 07094500). The RTK Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) surveys were performed using a local base station associated with the streamgage and Trimble R8 ® and R10 ® receivers while wading the channel at xs5. The survey data were post-processed by performing the National Oceanic and Atmopheric Administration Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) correction of the static observations collected by the base and adjusting all the survey points accordingly. The survey data were exported to comma separated text (.csv) files, and the resulting file contains a survey point identification, spatial coordinates, elevations in meters above North American Vertical Datum of 1988, and a descriptive code for each point number. The data release also provides a channel cross-sectional area for each river stage in 0.01-meter increments derived from the survey data.

This dataset contains survey data including wading and real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS) of water surface elevation and channel bed topography at cross section 5 (xs5) on March 20, 2018, which is adjacent to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage at Arkansas River at Parkdale, Colorado (USGS 07094500). The RTK Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) surveys were performed using a local base station associated with the streamgage and Trimble R8 and R10 receivers while wading the channel at cross section 5. The survey data were postprocessed by performing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) correction of the static observations collected by the base and adjusting all the survey points accordingly. The survey data were exported to comma separated text (.csv) files, and the resulting file contains a survey point identification, spatial coordinates, elevations in meters above North American Vertical Datum of 1988, and a descriptive code for each point number. The data release also provides a channel cross-sectional area for each river stage in 0.01-meter increments derived from the survey data.

This dataset contains survey data including wading and real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS) of water surface elevation and channel bed topography at cross section 5 (xs5) on March 20, 2018, which is adjacent to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage at Arkansas River at Parkdale, Colorado (USGS 07094500). The RTK Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) surveys were performed using a local base station associated with the streamgage and Trimble R8 ® and R10 ® receivers while wading the channel at xs5. The survey data were post-processed by performing the National Oceanic and Atmopheric Administration Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) correction of the static observations collected by the base and adjusting all the survey points accordingly. The survey data were exported to comma separated text (.csv) files, and the resulting file contains a survey point identification, spatial coordinates, elevations in meters above North American Vertical Datum of 1988, and a descriptive code for each point number. The data release also provides a channel cross-sectional area for each river stage in 0.01-meter increments derived from the survey data.

This dataset contains survey data including wading and real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS) of water surface elevation and channel bed topography at cross section 5 (xs5) on March 20, 2018, which is adjacent to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage at Arkansas River at Parkdale, Colorado (USGS 07094500). The RTK Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) surveys were performed using a local base station associated with the streamgage and Trimble R8 ® and R10 ® receivers while wading the channel at xs5. The survey data were post-processed by performing the National Oceanic and Atmopheric Administration Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) correction of the static observations collected by the base and adjusting all the survey points accordingly. The survey data were exported to comma separated text (.csv) files, and the resulting file contains a survey point identification, spatial coordinates, elevations in meters above North American Vertical Datum of 1988, and a descriptive code for each point number. The data release also provides a channel cross-sectional area for each river stage in 0.01-meter increments derived from the survey data.

Field-based real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS surveys of water surface elevation and channel bed topography were collected along the Colorado River, focusing on two cross-sections from which remotely sensed data were obtained. These data were used to assess the accuracy of river bed elevations inferred from the ASTRALiTe bathymetric lidar, acquired from an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). These data sets were collected to support research focused on developing innovative methods for non-contact measurement of river discharge based on various forms of remotely sensed data. The RTK GNSS surveys were performed using a local base station and Trimble R8 and R10 receivers while wading the channel at each cross-section. The survey data were post-processed by performing an OPUS correction of the static observations collected by the base and adjusting all of the survey points accordingly. The survey data were exported to a comma-separated text file and the resulting *.csv file contain for each point number a point ID, spatial coordinates, elevations, and a depth.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is actively investigating the use of innovative remote-sensing techniques to estimate surface velocity and discharge of rivers in ungaged basins and river reaches that lack the infrastructure to install conventional streamgaging equipment. By coupling discharge algorithms and sensors capable of measuring surface velocity, streamgage networks can be established in regions where data collection was previously impractical or impossible. One of the remote-sensing techniques uses a Doppler (velocity) radar (QCam) mounted and integrated on a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS or drone). QCam measures the along-track surface velocity by spot dwelling in a river cross section at a vertical where the maximum surface velocity is recorded. To evaluate the extensibility of the method, five science flights were conducted on four rivers of varying size including the Arkansas and South Platte Rivers in Colorado and the Salcha and Tanana Rivers in Alaska. QCam surface velocities and QCam river discharges were compared to conventional streamgaging methods.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is actively investigating the use of innovative remote-sensing techniques to estimate surface velocity and discharge of rivers in ungaged basins and river reaches that lack the infrastructure to install conventional streamgaging equipment. By coupling discharge algorithms and sensors capable of measuring surface velocity, streamgage networks can be established in regions where data collection was previously impractical or impossible. One of the remote-sensing techniques uses a Doppler (velocity) radar (QCam) mounted and integrated on a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS or drone). QCam measures the along-track surface velocity by spot dwelling in a river cross section at a vertical where the maximum surface velocity is recorded. To evaluate the extensibility of the method, five science flights were conducted on four rivers of varying size including the Arkansas and South Platte Rivers in Colorado and the Salcha and Tanana Rivers in Alaska. QCam surface velocities and QCam river discharges were compared to conventional streamgaging methods.

This child item contains information about associating the calibration images and video to real-world distances using ground control points for each field site. The data included here can be used to provide a pixel ground scale distance for each video.
Each field site is abbreviated in various files in this data release. File and folder names quickly identify which site a particular file or dataset represents. The following abbreviations are used:

• ACS: Anthracite Creek at Somerset, Colorado, USA
• BRA: Blue River below Dillon, Colorado, USA (collected in August 2023)
• BRJ: Blue River below Dillon, Colorado, USA (collected in June 2023)
• CRG: Colorado River below Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA
• CRR: Colorado River above Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA
• MCA: Maroon Creek near Aspen, Colorado, USA

This child item contains information about associating the calibration images and video to real-world distances using ground control points for each field site. The data included here can be used to provide a pixel ground scale distance for each video.
Each Field Site is abbreviated in various files in this data release. File and folder names quickly identify which site a particular file or dataset represents. The following abbreviations are used:

• ACS: Anthracite Creek at Somerset, Colorado, USA
• BRA: Blue River below Dillon, Colorado, USA (collected in August 2023)
• BRJ: Blue River below Dillon, Colorado, USA (collected in June 2023)
• CRG: Colorado River below Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA
• CRR: Colorado River above Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA
• ERW: Eagle River below Milk Creek near Wolcott, Colorado, USA
• MCA: Maroon Creek near Aspen, Colorado, USA
• RFG: Roaring Fork at Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA

This dataset includes vertical velocity profiles and river discharges at cross sections of interest acquired at the Arkansas and South Platte Rivers in Colorado and the Salcha and Tanana Rivers in Alaska. Velocity measurements were measured at various depths at the y-axis, which is the vertical in the cross section where the maximum velocity (umax) occurs. When wading was possible, velocity and depth measurements were recorded using a Flowtracker2 ® instrument (SonTek, 2020). When wading was not possible, stationary bed measurements were recorded using an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP)s. Data are presented in a comma separated value (.csv) file.