The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) are used to portray surface water on The National Map. The NHD represents the drainage network with features such as rivers, streams, canals, lakes, ponds, coastline, dams, and streamgages. The WBD represents drainage basins as enclosed areas in eight different size categories. Both datasets represent the real world at a nominal scale of 1:24,000-scale, which means that one inch of The National Map data equals 2,000 feet on the ground. To maintain mapping clarity not all water features are represented and those that are use a moderate level of detail.

The NHD and WBD are digital vector datasets used by geographic information systems (GIS). These data are designed to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of surface water systems. In order to make a map these data must be used by a GIS to render the data and then print a map or make an image. The NHD is portrayed on the US Topo map product produced by the USGS and the NHD and WBD can be viewed on the Hydrography Viewer or the general mapping oriented The National Map Viewer.

In mapping, the NHD and WBD are used with other data themes such as elevation, boundaries, transportation, and structures to produce general reference maps. The NHD and WBD are often used by scientists using GIS. GIS technologies take advantage of a rich set of attributes imbedded in the data to generate specialized information. These analyses are possible because the NHD contains a flow network that allows for tracing water downstream or upstream. The NHD and WBD use an addressing system based on reach codes and linear referencing to link specific information about the water such as water discharge rates, water quality, and fish population.

The WBD exists in six levels of a nested hierarchy permitting the analysis to determine which drainage basin a particular location is enclosed in. This makes it possible to determine which rivers and lakes could be affected by an event such as a toxic spill. Using basic NHD features like flow network, linked information, and other characteristics, along with one of the six levels of WBD areas, it is possible to study cause and effect relationships, such as how a source of poor water quality upstream might affect a fish population downstream.