The service
Live and historical high resolution environmental observation data can be accessed directly via a web-browser, or programmatically, by making use of a data retrieval API.
N.B. Users of this API will benefit from prior coding experience, or an analytical mind and perseverance.
Documentation
The API documentation comprises:
- Background information about the monitoring network, the time series data available via this API, and the controls on their quality, and restrictions on data retrieval - read this first!
- A description of the API, an introduction to the available commands, a key:value reference, and a quick-start walk-through of exploring and returning time series data.
- Information on how to obtain an API access key in order to enable enhanced data access.
- Examples of API calls and the data they return.
In addition, the News and Updates page provides a summary of revisions to the data and this service. See How does data validity change to understand why previously downloaded data may become obsolete.
Use of the data
The data are provided as open data under the Open Government Licence with no requirement for registration. If you make use of these data please acknowledge SEPA in the attribution statement.
Disclaimer
Hydrometric data are gathered by SEPA to help fulfill its statutory duties. We publish them online because we recognise that these data may also be useful to others, but we cannot guarantee their novelty or availability.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, neither Scottish Environment Protection Agency, nor its employees or agents can be held responsible for any inaccuracies or omissions, whether caused by negligence or otherwise. All data may be subject to later revision and it is your responsibility to assess the data and to determine whether they are suitable for your purpose.