This data set consists of general soil association units. It was developed by the National Cooperative Soil Survey and supersedes the State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) data set published in 1994. It consists of a broad based inventory of soils and nonsoil areas that occur in a repeatable pattern on the landscape and that can be cartographically shown at the scale mapped. The data set was created by generalizing more detailed soil survey maps. Where more detailed soil survey maps were not available, data on geology, topography, vegetation, and climate were assembled, together with Land Remote Sensing Satellite (LANDSAT) images. Soils of like areas were studied, and the probable classification and extent of the soils were determined.

Map unit composition was determined by transecting or sampling areas on the more detailed maps and expanding the data statistically to characterize the whole map unit.

This data set consists of georeferenced vector digital data and tabular digital data. The map data were collected in 1-by 2-degree topographic quadrangle units and merged into a seamless national data set. It is distributed in state/territory and national extents. The soil map units are linked to attributes in the National Soil Information System data base which gives the proportionate extent of the component soils and their properties.

MnGeo adapted the NRCS metadata record to create this record.

The gridded National Soil Survey Geographic Database (gNATSGO) is a USDA-NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) Soil & Plant Science Division (SPSD) composite ESRI file geodatabase that provides complete coverage of the best available soils information for all areas of the United States and Island Territories. It was created by combining data from the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), State Soil Geographic Database (STATSGO2), and Raster Soil Survey Databases (RSS) into a single seamless ESRI file geodatabase. The gNATSGO database contains a 10-meter raster of the soil map units and 70 related tables of soil properties and interpretations. It is designed to work with the SPSD gSSURGO ArcTools. Users can create full coverage thematic maps and grids of soil properties and interpretations for large geographic areas, such as the extent of a State or the conterminous United States. SSURGO is the SPSD flagship soils database that has over 100 years of field-validated detailed soil mapping data. SSURGO contains soils information for more than 90 percent of the United States and island territories, but unmapped land remains. The current completion status of SSURGO mapping is displayed (PDF). STATSGO2 is a general soil map that has soils data for all of the United States and island territories, but the data is not as detailed as the SSURGO data. The Raster Soil Surveys (RSSs) are the next generation soil survey databases developed using advanced digital soil mapping methods. The first version of gNATSGO was created in 2019. It is composed primarily of SSURGO data, but STATSGO2 data was used to fill in the gaps. Three RSSs have been published as of 2019. These were merged into the gNATSGO after combining the SSURGO and STATSGO2 data. The extent of RSS is expected to increase in the coming years. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Website Pointer for Gridded National Soil Survey Geographic Database (gNATSGO). File Name: Web Page, url: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/geo/?cid=nrcseprd1464625 The gNATSGO website provides an Overview slide presentation, Download links for gNATSGO databases (CONUS or States), ArcTools, Metadata, Technical Information, and Recommended Data Citations.

A soil temperature and soil moisture simulation model developed in 2011 in response to a USDA-NRCS need to better understand soil climate in soil survey, the Java Newhall Simulation Model or jNSM is an update to a traditional soil climate simulation model called Newhall Simulation Model (NSM) by Franklin Newhall. The jNSM application takes batch run input in the form of a CSV file (easily created from standard spreadsheets), and also allows interactive input of data comprising a single model run. Output products are displayed on screen and can be saved and printed in PDF format. Output reports include soil moisture and temperature regime classification, biological window calendars and precipitation/potential evapo-transpiration climographs, plus a summary of model inputs and user information. The jNSM software is a mesoscale model that is appropriate for use in regional geospatial analyses that support the MLRA update of published digital soil geographic databases (SSURGO/STATSGO2). This software can be used with monthly, serially complete records from weather stations, Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) stations, and local soil climate monitoring sensors. Such data sources can be used with jNSM to refine soil moisture and temperature regime boundaries to assist in correlation, map soil and temperature regimes with existing vegetation, study orographic and "rain shadow" effects in the soil landscape, and study the change of soil climate through time to help formulate climate change adaptive strategies. The jNSM version 1.5.1 application is a product of the National Cooperative Soil Survey partnership of the Pennsylvania State University (Center for Environmental Informatics) and the USDA-NRCS (National Soil Survey Center - Geospatial Research Unit). Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Java Newhall Simulation Model (jNSM). File Name: Web Page, url: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/class/?cid=nrcs142p2_053559 A soil temperature and soil moisture simulation model developed in 2011. User Guide; Download; Sample Input Weather Station Datasets (xlsx, CSV); Sample output(XML); Link to Useful Climate Data and Information Sources.