Connector Details
Type
Virtual machines, Single VM , BYOL
Runs on
Google Compute Engine
Last Update
24 October, 2024
Category
USGS Earthquake Connector
Overview
The USGS Earthquake Connector provides a RESTful interface to access real-time and historical earthquake event data worldwide. Powered by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) through the FDSN Event Web Service, this connector supports filtering by time, location, magnitude, and other parameters. It is ideal for integration into disaster response tools, seismic dashboards, geospatial research, or educational platforms.
Integration Overview
The USGS Earthquake Connector offers the following integration points for retrieving earthquake-related data:
Supported Integration Action Points
- Get Supported Parameters – Retrieve all supported filter values for querying events.
- Get WADL Description – Get WADL XML format description of the service.
- Get Available Catalogs – List available earthquake event catalogs.
- Get Contributors – Retrieve all organizations contributing seismic data.
- Count Matching Events – Count the number of earthquakes that match filter conditions.
- Query Events – Retrieve detailed earthquake data with custom filters.
- Get API Version – Returns the version of the FDSN Event Web Service.
Detailed Integration Documentation
Get Supported Parameters
| Operation ID | getSupportedParameters |
| Endpoint | /application.json |
| Purpose | Lists supported query parameters and values. |
| Output | JSON containing valid input ranges and descriptions. |
| Workflow Example | Use this to dynamically build UI filters for event search forms. |
Get WADL Description
| Operation ID | getWADL |
| Endpoint | /application.wadl |
| Purpose | Provides WADL XML metadata for the API. |
| Output | XML |
| Workflow Example | Can be used for code generation or service introspection tools. |
Get Available Catalogs
| Operation ID | getCatalogs |
| Endpoint | /catalogs |
| Purpose | Lists all earthquake event catalogs available. |
| Output | Text or JSON with catalog names. |
| Workflow Example | Used to filter events by specific seismic event catalogs. |
Get Contributors
| Operation ID | getContributors |
| Endpoint | /contributors |
| Purpose | Lists contributing agencies or sources. |
| Output | List of contributor codes/names. |
| Workflow Example | Display metadata or attribution alongside event details. |
Count Matching Events
| Operation ID | countEarthquakeEvents |
| Endpoint | /count |
| Parameters |
starttime, endtime (ISO8601 datetime) minmagnitude, maxmagnitude (float) format (required) – geojson, xml, text |
| Purpose | Returns a count of earthquake events matching given filters. |
| Output | Integer count |
| Workflow Example | Use to show total number of relevant events before fetching details. |
Query Events
| Operation ID | queryEarthquakeEvents |
| Endpoint | /query |
| Parameters |
format (required) – geojson, xml, csv, kml, text starttime, endtime minlatitude, maxlatitude minlongitude, maxlongitude minmagnitude, maxmagnitude eventtype, orderby |
| Purpose | Retrieve detailed data for earthquake events. |
| Output | Geospatial formats (e.g., GeoJSON) with event properties. |
| Workflow Example | Plot earthquake events on a map, chart magnitude distribution, or trigger alerts. |
Get API Version
| Operation ID | getAPIVersion |
| Endpoint | /version |
| Purpose | Returns the version of the API in use. |
| Output | Version string |
| Workflow Example | Ensure compatibility before sending requests. |
Workflow Creation with the Connector
Example Workflow: Global Seismic Activity Dashboard
| Step 1: Retrieve Filters and Metadata |
|
| Step 2: Count Earthquakes in an Area/Time |
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| Retrieve Parameters |
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| Query Locations |
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| Retrieve Sensors by Location |
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| Fetch Latest Measurements |
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| Analyze Historical Data |
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| Check Data Quality |
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Pricing
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