CROHMS - an example of successful interagency coordination in data collection

In October 1978 the central computer facility for the Columbia River Operational Hydromet Management System (CROHMS) was placed into operation, thus marking the completion of 10 years of coordination between agencies of the Pacific Northwest in developing a shared data collection system. The CROHMS system consists of a number of automated remote data collection networks, under ownership and operational responsibility of several federal agencies, including the SCS SNOTEL System. Data being collected include snow water equivalent, precipitation, streamflow, and operating data from dams. Data from network controllers are periodically relayed to the CROHMS Central Facility, an extensive data bank in portland, where it is validated, stored, and made available to interagency users on a near 'real-time' basis. Basic policies for the interagency coordination were established by a Memorandum of Understanding, signed in 1970, and implementation has been carried out through the Hydromet Data Committee of the Columbia River Water Management Group.