Roboflow Universe vs USGS Water Services

Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms
P95 · ms
AuthapiKeynone
CORSnoyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedPublic domain (U.S. Government work)
Free tierFree tier — API key requiredFree — no API key required
Rate limitUnpublishedUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Roboflow Universe vs USGS Water Services: common questions

Which is more reliable, Roboflow Universe or USGS Water Services?

On our scheduled checks, USGS Water Services leads on measured uptime — Roboflow Universe at —% versus USGS Water Services at —% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.

Do Roboflow Universe and USGS Water Services need an API key?

USGS Water Services needs no key, while Roboflow Universe requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for USGS Water Services first.

Can I call Roboflow Universe and USGS Water Services from the browser?

Only USGS Water Services is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Roboflow Universe needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.

Are Roboflow Universe and USGS Water Services free for commercial use?

Roboflow Universe has unclear commercial terms, and USGS Water Services allows commercial use on its free tier. We track service terms and the data license as separate fields — see the Commercial use and Data license rows above, and confirm both before shipping either in a paid product.