Download Free Basin, Lake and River Shapefiles for every Country

In this tutorial, you will learn how to download basin boundaries, lakes and river data as shapefiles using HydroSHEDS. This guide will help you navigate the HydroSHEDS website and extract useful geospatial data for your Geographic Information System (GIS) projects.

Step 1: Access the HydroSHEDS Website

Open your browser and type in HydroSHEDS in the search bar. Click on the first link that appears in the search results.

Step 2: Explore the Data

On the HydroSHEDS homepage, you will find a lot of information about the datasets available. Look for the option to Explore the Data and click on it.

HydroATLAS is like a master database that combines various layers of hydrological data to give you detailed hydro-environmental info across the globe—perfect for comprehensive analysis.

HydroLAKES offers shoreline polygons for over a million lakes worldwide, helping you dive into lake-specific characteristics like surface area and volume.

 HydroRIVERS, which maps out a global network of rivers with details on flow, length, and more, all neatly tied to their respective watersheds. 

 HydroBASINS breaks down the world’s river basins into sub-basins, making it super easy to analyze hydrological connectivity. Each of these datasets is seamlessly interconnected, making it straightforward to combine them in your projects. 

Step 3: Download Basin Boundaries

To download basin boundaries, click on the option labelled Hydro Basins. Scroll down to find the section for continental downloads.

Select the continent you are interested in; for example, if you want to download for Asia, click on the Asia option. The download will start immediately.

Step 4: Download River Data

Next, look for the Hydro RIVERS option at the top of the page. Click on it to access the river data.

Similar to the basin data, you will see options to download river data by continent. Click on the download option for Asia to start the download.

Step 5: Extracting the Data

Once the downloads are complete, navigate to your downloads folder. Extract the downloaded files for both the basin and river data.

Step 6: Load Basin Data into QGIS

Open QGIS and add the basin data by selecting Add Layer and then Add Vector Layer. Browse to the location of the extracted basin shapefiles and add them to your project.

Step 7: Visualize and Analyze the Data

Once the basin data is loaded, you can visualize it in QGIS. You will see various levels of basins available for analysis. Zoom in on specific areas to explore the data further.

Step 8: Load River Data into QGIS

Now, repeat the process to load the river shapefiles. Select Add Layer and then Add Vector Layer again, this time browsing for the river data you extracted.

Step 9: Clip River Data

If you wish to clip the river data to match a specific watershed, use the Clip tool in QGIS. Set the river layer as the input and the watershed layer as the overlay.

Step 10: Export the Clipped River Layer

After clipping, you can export the river layer by selecting Save Selected Features As and choosing your desired format and coordinate system.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is HydroSHEDS?

   HydroSHEDS is a mapping product that provides hydrographic information for regional and global-scale applications.

2. Are the datasets free to download?

   Yes, all datasets available on HydroSHEDS are freely accessible.