Harmonize WQ

What Harmonize WQ is

Harmonize WQ is a free, open-source framework for preparing Water Quality Portal data for analysis on Linux. It helps identify differences in units, including speciation and basis, and in sampling or analytic methods. It can address data errors through transparent assumptions and reshape results from long to wide format.

The documented workflow uses Python’s dataretrieval package to query the Water Quality Portal. It cleans date and time and sample-depth values, separates characteristic-specific columns, and combines results by sample organization, activity, location, and date and time. Example outputs express depth and Secchi values in meters and temperature in degrees Celsius, with additional columns for quality issues.

The package is intended for people analyzing Water Quality Portal data. Domain experts decide which records meet their comparability standards and acceptance thresholds. Documentation links simple and detailed tutorial notebooks using data from Pensacola Bay, Tampa Bay, Cape Cod, and Gulf of Mexico estuaries. The package is under development, with bugs and enhancement ideas directed to its issue tracker. EPA describes its GitHub project code as provided as is and places responsibility for its use on users.

Who it suits

Harmonize WQ suits people who analyze Water Quality Portal data and need to clean, reshape, and standardize results. Domain experts can use its comparisons and quality issue columns while making their own decisions about comparability and acceptance.

Limits

The package is under development. Users assume responsibility for using the code, which EPA provides as is.

Getting started

1. Visit the Harmonize WQ documentation website.
2. Install the published package with the pip command in its documentation, or use the development version from GitHub.
3. Follow a simple or detailed tutorial notebook for Pensacola Bay, Tampa Bay, Cape Cod, or Gulf of Mexico estuaries.
4. Use Python’s dataretrieval package in the documented workflow to query the Water Quality Portal.

Verdict

Choose Harmonize WQ if your work involves preparing Water Quality Portal data and you want a Linux package for cleaning, comparison, and reshaping. Its documented workflow and regional tutorials provide concrete starting points. Domain experts still determine which data meet their standards, and the project remains under development.