
DSWx Product Suite
Due to an upstream data anomaly in the input HLS surface reflectance QA band (see LPDAAC known issues), the OPERA Project, with concurrence from the SNWG Management Office, has decided to postpone the official release of the Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWx-HLS) product from the end of February 2023 to the beginning of April 2023. This allows OPERA to promptly implement a solution to ensure optimal data quality. We appreciate your patience.
Meanwhile, we invite community members to explore the sample products already available through PO.DAAC.
The Dynamic Surface Water eXtent (DSWx) products map pixel-wise surface water detections using optical or SAR imagery. The DSWx suite is composed of complementary products, which are named according to their respective leveraged input datasets. Specifically, a separate DSWx product is generated from Sentinel-1, NISAR, SWOT, and the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 data. The products are designed to share the same structure, GeoTiff file format, file-naming convention, and have posting of 30 m. These DSWx products are provided as an analysis ready dataset but are not harmonized across the different sensors. All products will be accessible through NASA’s Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC).
Below we provide per DSWx product the product specification document as well as the corresponding product samples conforming to the detailed specifications. Interactive guides are provided demonstrating how products can be loaded and manipulated in an open source GIS package. Interactive white papers provided through a Jupyter notebook environment outline product introductions and showcase select applications.
DSWx from Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (DSWx-HLS)

DSWx-HLS Product Specification Document
This document describes the specifications of the OPERA Level-3 Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWx) product that uses Harmonized Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2A/B (HLS) as the primary image-based inputs. Accordingly, this data product is referred to by the short name DSWx-HLS.

Products
Access the latest release of provisional products through NASA’s Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC). Note that sample products shared further below are older, legacy versions.

Legacy Sample Product
Following intense storms, the Edenville and Sanford Dams in central Michigan, USA, failed successively between May 19 and 20, 2020, resulting in a “500-year” flooding downstream the Tittabawassee River in Midland, Michigan. The catastrophic event led to evacuation of >10,000 residents and more than $200M reported damage to infrastructure and livelihood. Below is the B01-WTR layer from the OPERA DSWx-HLS provisional product derived from a Landsat-8 HLS acquisition showing water extent maps before (April 02, 2020) and after (May 20, 2020) the dams breached.
Interactive Guides

Visualization Guide
Refer to the following visualization guide, which illustrates how users can manipulate products in the open-source QGIS software.
Jupyter Notebook Tutorials
Guides below are written in Jupyter notebook environment outline and are intended to outline product introductions and showcase select applications.
- Data Discovery
Demonstrations on how to query data using CMR STAC or using direct file links (HTTPS or AWS S3).
Stream and Visualize from the Cloud
Stream and Visualize from a PO.DAAC link
- Flood Mapping Application
How to generate floods maps using OPERA DSWx-HLS without downloading the data locally.
Flood Extent Application
- Reservoir Monitoring Application
How to use OPERA DSWx-HLS to monitor water extent changes, i.e. Lake Mead, Nevada, USA
Reservoir Monitoring Application
To contact us or give feedback: opera.sep@jpl.nasa.gov
CL#21-6388