NLDI XSTools

Version: 0.13.0

Generate topographic cross-sections for any point within CONUS using NHDPlus V2 data, the Network Linked Data Index (NLDI), and the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP).

from nldi_xstool.nldi_xstool import getxsatpoint, getxsatendpts, getxsatpathpts

# Cross-section at a point, snapped to the nearest NHD stream segment
xs = getxsatpoint(point=(-103.8011, 40.2684), numpoints=100, width=1000.0)

# Cross-section between two user-defined endpoints
xs = getxsatendpts(path=[(-103.801134, 40.267335), (-103.800787, 40.272798)], numpts=100)

All functions accept WGS 84 longitude/latitude coordinates and return GeoDataFrames with GeoJSON output support.

Tools

Cross-Section at Point (xsatpoint) — Snaps a point to the nearest NHD stream segment via the NLDI, then generates a perpendicular topographic cross-section using 3DEP elevation data. Configurable width, number of points, and DEM resolution.

Cross-Section at Endpoints (xsatendpts) — Generates a topographic cross-section between two user-defined endpoints using 3DEP elevation data. No stream snapping is performed.

Cross-Section at Path (xsatpathpts) — Generates a topographic cross-section along a user-defined path of coordinate pairs using 3DEP elevation data.

Tip

3DEP does not specifically include bathymetry. For measured bathymetric cross-sections, see the ExtADCPBathy class in the modules documentation.

Installation

pip install nldi-xstool

Or with uv:

uv add nldi-xstool

Requirements: Python 3.10 – 3.14.

For development setup, see the Contributing.

Authors

Richard McDonald — Lead Developer — USGS

Acknowledgments