These resources are brought to you by the Cooperative Extension System and your Local Institution

Geospatial Technology Home

Have a question? Try asking one of our Experts

What is a digital soil survey or SSURGO?

Last Updated: August 06, 2009

View as web page


The most detailed standardized national soils mapping done by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is used to create the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) database. SSURGO soil maps are compiled at scales from 1:12,000 to 1:63,360. Digital versions of SSURGO are available from the NRCS and usually are distributed by county. SSURGO data include soil polygons and extensive attribute data that define soil characteristics, properties, and potential uses.

These data are used in a variety of applications by many stakeholders, including researchers, natural resource managers, municipal and county planners, agricultural operators, and developers.

Browse related Faqs by tag: geospatial technology


Have a specific question? Try asking one of our Experts

Unlike most other resources on the web, we have experts from Universities around the country ready to answer your questions.