Water survey, monitoring and assessment system in America and implications for China

Systematic reviews of water survey, monitoring and assessment system in developed countries provide useful reference for construction of natural resources survey and monitoring system in China．Historical developments in water survey, monitoring and assessment in America are reviewed by literature search．The current status of water survey, monitoring and assessment in America was outlined by focusing on monitoring technology, organization, survey objectives, survey contents and assessment methods．Progress in water survey, future-plan of water survey in America are summarized．Current problems in water survey and assessment in Chinas are compared and analyzed．Lessons could be learned in four areas: data sharing, uncertainty analysis, development and application of hydrological models, and promotion of remote sensing technology．