2019 SWCS International Annual Conference July 28-31, 2019 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1. NRCS Soil Databases: Information for
Answering Conservation Questions
2019-7-29 | Stephen Roecker, Jennifer Wood, Dylan Beaudette, Jason Nemecek,
Skye Wills, John Hammerly, Kevin Norwood

2. Outline
1. Backround
1. Why do we map soils?
2. What does soil data look like?
3. A bit of history
2. How is soil data used?
1. Soil SURvey GeOgraphic Database (SSURGO)
2. STATe Soil GeOgraphic Database (STATSGO)
3. Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL)
4. Official Series Descriptions (OSD)
3. Who is using soil data?
4. The Future (?)

3. Why Do We Map Soil?
Utilitarian – to reduce risk (control)
• Plant roots live there
• Water quality and quantity
• Waste disposal
Scientific – knowledge is empowering (McKenzie et al., 2008)
• Transfer
• Understanding
• Predict
• Inform

4. What Does Soil Data Look Like?

5. What Does Soil Data Look Like?- Maps
Vector (i.e. thematic) Raster
STATSGO (1:250K) SSURGO (1:24K) Digital Soil Map
(e.g. individual soil series)

6. What Does Soil Data Look Like? - Tables

7. A Bit of History

8. A Bit of History

9. Present Day

10. Where Can I Get Soil Data?

11. Where Can I Get Soil Data?
Soil Survey Databases
• Soil SURvey GeOgraphic database
(SSURGO)
• Web Soil Survey (WSS)
• Soil Data Access (SDA)
• Geospatial Data Gateway
• SoilWeb
• Soil Explorer
• GlobalSoilMap - US
• STATe Soil GeOgraphic database
(STATSGO2)
• NCSS Soil Characterization (KSSL)
• Rapid Carbon Assessment
• Geochemical Data
• Official Soil Series Descriptions (OSD)
• Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA)
• Ecological Dyanmic Interpretive Tool
(EDIT)
Other USDA Databases/Datasets
• Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN)
• USKSAT
• STEWARDS
• GRACEnet
• Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG)

12. What is SSURGO?

13. Comparison of SSURGO derivatives
Interface Ease of Use Niche Platform
SoilWeb ++ Fast web viewer Browser / App
Web Soil Survey + It does everything Brower
File Geodatabase n Desktop GIS Desktop GIS
GlobalSoilMap ? Modeling ?
Soil Data Access - Custom queries SQL/ R / Python /
JavaScript
soilDB - Importing data R

14. How is SSURGO Used?
Internally
• Wetland determination
• Highly Erodible Land (HEL)
• Conservation Planning and Models (e.g. APEX, CART)
Externally
• Off-site septic system assessment
• Prime Farmland
• Tax assessment / land evaluation
• Soil Intrepretations (e.g. NCCPI, Site Index, HSG)
• Experimental unit for corn yields
• Carbon sequestration

15. What is STATSGO

16. How is STATSGO Used?
Internally
• When SSURGO isn’t available (e.g. Alaska)
• Teaching Tool
Externally
• Regional Climate and Hydrology Modeling
• Estimate Soil Carbon Stocks
• Application of EPIC and SWAT models

17. NCSS Characterization Database

18. NCSS Characterization Database

19. How is Lab Data Used?
Internally
• To support the develop and update of SSURGO
• Classify soil series
• Estimate representative values and ranges for soil components
• Pedotransfer functions (i.e. calculations)
External Examples
• World Soil Information Service (WoSIS)
• Evaluate Organic Matter vs Available Water Capacity
• Detecting Temporal Change in Soil Properties
• Mapping Soil Organic Carbon (regionally and globally)

20. Official Soil Series Descriptions (OSD)

21. How Are OSDs Used?
Internally
• Soil Classification
• Grouping Soils for Sampling and Estimation (e.g.
ranges)
• Off-site wetland determinations
Externally
• Educational tool
• Off-site septic system assessment
• Off-site wetland determinations

22. So Who’s Using this Data?

23. So Who’s Using this Data?
Web Soil Survey SoilWeb

24. Achievement

25. The Future (?)
1. Update SSURGO
2. Collecting new data (i.e.
dynamic soil properties,
ecological sites)
3. Finish mapping of the lower
48 and Alaska by 2026
4. Disaggregate existing data?
– Vector -> Raster