The Geospatial Data Gateway (GDG) provides access to a map library of over 100 high resolution vector and raster layers in the Geospatial Data Warehouse. It is the One Stop Source for environmental and natural resources data, at any time, from anywhere, to anyone. It allows you to choose your area of interest, browse and select data, customize the format, then review and download. This service is made available through a close partnership between the three Service Center Agencies (SCA); Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD).

The Geospatial Data Gateway (GDG) provides access to a map library of over 100 high resolution vector and raster layers in the Geospatial Data Warehouse. It is the one stop source for environmental and natural resource data, available anytime, from anywhere. It allows a user to choose an area of interest, browse and select data, customize the format, then download or have it shipped on media. The map layers include data on: Public Land Survey System (PLSS), Census data, demographic statistics, precipitation, temperature, disaster events, conservation easements, elevation, geographic names, geology, government units, hydrography, hydrologic units, land use and land cover, map indexes, ortho imagery, soils, topographic images, and streets and roads. This service is made available through a close partnership between the three Service Center Agencies (SCA): Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Rural Development (RD). Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Geospatial Data Gateway. File Name: Web Page, url: https://gdg.sc.egov.usda.gov This is the main page for the GDG that includes several links to view, download, or order various datasets. Find additional status maps that indicate the location of data available for each map layer in the Geospatial Data Gateway at https://gdg.sc.egov.usda.gov/GDGHome_StatusMaps.aspx

This layer is a clip of the Ohio Gridded Soil Survey Geographic (gSSURGO) data published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The digital soil survey dataset was developed by the National Cooperative Soil Survey, compiling information from digitized maps and remotely-sensed data. This data is available for download through the USDA NRCS GeoSpatial Data Gateway. Included with the geographic data are tables including tabular data on a variety of soil statistics and attributes. For the convenience of its residents, SCGIS joined the tabular hydric data to the soil survey polygon layer clipped to the Stark County boundary in 2015. This data reflects the last major update to the gSSURGO dataset and SCGIS has no intention of updating or adding additional tabular data to this layer in the future. For the complete dataset, including any updates, please visit the USDA NRCS GeoSpatial Data Gateway using the link provided above.

This data set contains 4-band natural color and false color infrared imagery from the National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP). NAIP acquires digital ortho imagery during the agricultural growing seasons in the continental U.S. A primary goal of the NAIP program is to enable availability of ortho imagery within one year of acquisition.

The source files are 1 meter ground sample distance (GSD) ortho imagery rectified to a horizontal accuracy of within +/- 6 meters of reference digital ortho quarter quads (DOQQ's) from the National Digital Ortho Program (NDOP) or from NAIP. The tiling format of NAIP imagery is based on a 3.75' x 3.75' quarter quadrangle with a 300 meter buffer on all four sides. NAIP imagery is formatted to the UTM coordinate system using NAD83. NAIP imagery may contain as much as 10% cloud cover per tile.

The natural color county mosaic files downloadable from the USDA NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway were generated by compressing NAIP imagery that cover the county extent. MrSID compression was used. Target values for the compression ratio are (15:1).

The Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo) created this metadata record to describe the entire NAIP 2013 dataset, using information from Farm Service Agency metadata. Each natural color county file available from the USDA NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway is accompanied by the original FSA metadata for that county.

The SSURGO database contains information about soil as collected by the National Cooperative Soil Survey over the course of a century. The information can be displayed in tables or as maps and is available for most areas in the United States and the Territories, Commonwealths, and Island Nations served by the USDA-NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service). The information was gathered by walking over the land and observing the soil. Many soil samples were analyzed in laboratories. The maps outline areas called map units. The map units describe soils and other components that have unique properties, interpretations, and productivity. The information was collected at scales ranging from 1:12,000 to 1:63,360. More details were gathered at a scale of 1:12,000 than at a scale of 1:63,360. The mapping is intended for natural resource planning and management by landowners, townships, and counties. Some knowledge of soils data and map scale is necessary to avoid misunderstandings. The maps are linked in the database to information about the component soils and their properties for each map unit. Each map unit may contain one to three major components and some minor components. The map units are typically named for the major components. Examples of information available from the database include available water capacity, soil reaction, electrical conductivity, and frequency of flooding; yields for cropland, woodland, rangeland, and pastureland; and limitations affecting recreational development, building site development, and other engineering uses. SSURGO datasets consist of map data, tabular data, and information about how the maps and tables were created. The extent of a SSURGO dataset is a soil survey area, which may consist of a single county, multiple counties, or parts of multiple counties. SSURGO map data can be viewed in the Web Soil Survey or downloaded in ESRI® Shapefile format. The coordinate systems are Geographic. Attribute data can be downloaded in text format that can be imported into a Microsoft® Access® database. A complete SSURGO dataset consists of:

GIS data (as ESRI® Shapefiles) attribute data (dbf files - a multitude of separate tables) database template (MS Access format - this helps with understanding the structure and linkages of the various tables) metadata

Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: SSURGO Metadata - Tables and Columns Report. File Name: SSURGO_Metadata_-_Tables_and_Columns.pdfResource Description: This report contains a complete listing of all columns in each database table. Please see SSURGO Metadata - Table Column Descriptions Report for more detailed descriptions of each column.

Find the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) web site at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/vt/soils/?cid=nrcs142p2_010596#Datamart Title: SSURGO Metadata - Table Column Descriptions Report. File Name: SSURGO_Metadata_-_Table_Column_Descriptions.pdfResource Description: This report contains the descriptions of all columns in each database table. Please see SSURGO Metadata - Tables and Columns Report for a complete listing of all columns in each database table.

Find the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) web site at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/vt/soils/?cid=nrcs142p2_010596#Datamart Title: SSURGO Data Dictionary. File Name: SSURGO 2.3.2 Data Dictionary.csvResource Description: CSV version of the data dictionary

The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), created a series of geospatial mapping products of the Scotts Creek Watershed in Lake County, California, using National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery from 2018, 2020 and 2022 and Open Street Map (OSM) from 2019. The imagery was downloaded from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Geospatial Data Gateway (https://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/) and Geofabrik GmbH - Open Street Map (https://www.geofabrik.de/geofabrik/openstreetmap.html), respectively. The imagery was classified using Random Forest (RF) Modeling to produce land cover maps with three main classifications - bare, vegetation, and shadows. An updated roads and trails map for the Upper Scotts Creek Watershed, including the BLM Recreational Area, was created to estimate road and trail densities in the watershed. Separate metadata records for each product (Land_Cover_Maps_Scotts_Cree ...

Link to Gridded Soil Survey Geographic (gSSURGO) Database download (by state or continental U.S.), via USDA-NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway (GDG).

SSURGO depicts information about the kinds and distribution of soils on the landscape. The soil map and data used in the SSURGO product were prepared by soil scientists as part of the National Cooperative Soil Survey.The dataset was downloaded on 1/26/2021 from the NRCS GeoSpatial Data Gateway (https://gdg.sc.egov.usda.gov/GDGOrder.aspx) and processed by NH GRANIT staff at the UNH Earth Systems Research Center to:1) Project to NH State Plane feet, NAD832) Clip to the NH state boundary3) Attach key soil attributes from the collection of related tables distributed by NRCS (see SSURGO_Metadata_-_Table_Column_Descriptions.pdf for descriptions)4) Add and populate the "acres" fieldThe remainder of this metadata record is as provided with the downloaded source data, with the exception of the addition of several theme keywords and updating the Spatial Reference Information to reflect the processing described above.

Geospatial Data Layers available to public via Geospatial Gateway

Two seamless soils datasets based on USDA’s SSURGO and STATSGO databases were created for the entire DRB region, and information pertaining to various soil-related factors such as erodibility (k factor), available water - holding capacity, texture, etc. were compiled and summarized for discrete mapping units at these two scales. The SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic) database is compiled at the detailed county-level survey scale that most soil information users are familiar with, and has two basic components: 1) digital boundaries of the detailed soil mapping units, and 2) tabular information on a wide range of soil parameters associated with each mapping unit. The STATSGO (State Soil Geographic) database summarizes similar soils information at a much more generalized “soil association” scale. Both of these datasets for the DRB area were downloaded from USDA’s “geospatial data” site at http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov. Once downloaded, considerable effort was then expended to first seam together the data from the separate states overlapping the DRB, and then to “populate” both soil databases by linking a number of “attribute tables” to the soils polygons contained within the DRB boundary. In this case, over 325,000 soil polygons were populated with information extracted from about a dozen different attribute tables.

This data is hosted at, and may be downloaded or accessed from PASDA, the Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access Geospatial Data Clearinghouse http://www.pasda.psu.edu/uci/DataSummary.aspx?dataset=1506

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) from The National Map (TNM) defines the perimeter of drainage areas formed by the terrain and other landscape characteristics. The drainage areas are nested within each other so that a large drainage area, such as the Upper Mississippi River, is composed of multiple smaller drainage areas, such as the Wisconsin River. Each of these smaller areas can further be subdivided into smaller and smaller drainage areas. The WBD uses six different levels in this hierarchy, with the smallest averaging about 30,000 acres. The WBD is made up of polygons nested into six levels of data respectively defined by Regions, Subregions, Basins, Subbasins, Watersheds, and Subwatersheds. For additional information on the WBD, go to https://nhd.usgs.gov/wbd.html. The USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) service is a companion dataset to the WBD. The NHD is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that encodes information about naturally occurring and constructed bodies of surface water (lakes, ponds, and reservoirs), paths through which water flows (canals, ditches, streams, and rivers), and related entities such as point features (springs, wells, stream gages, and dams). The information encoded about these features includes classification and other characteristics, delineation, geographic name, position and related measures, a "reach code" through which other information can be related to the NHD, and the direction of water flow. The network of reach codes delineating water and transported material flow allows users to trace movement in upstream and downstream directions. In addition to this geographic information, the dataset contains metadata that supports the exchange of future updates and improvements to the data. The NHD is available nationwide in two seamless datasets, one based on 1:24,000-scale maps and referred to as high resolution NHD, and the other based on 1:100,000-scale maps and referred to as medium resolution NHD. Additional selected areas in the United States are available based on larger scales, such as 1:5,000-scale or greater, and referred to as local resolution NHD. For more information on the NHD, go to https://nhd.usgs.gov/index.html. Hydrography data from The National Map supports many applications, such as making maps, geocoding observations, flow modeling, data maintenance, and stewardship. Hydrography data is commonly combined with other data themes, such as boundaries, elevation, structures, and transportation, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map viewer allows free downloads of public domain WBD and NHD data in either Esri File or Personal Geodatabase, or Shapefile formats. The Watershed Boundary Dataset is being developed under the leadership of the Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data, which is part of the Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), along with many other federal agencies and national associations, have representatives on the Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data. As watershed boundary geographic information systems (GIS) coverages are completed, statewide and national data layers will be made available via the Geospatial Data Gateway to everyone, including federal, state, local government agencies, researchers, private companies, utilities, environmental groups, and concerned citizens. The database will assist in planning and describing water use and related land use activities. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD). File Name: Web Page, url: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/water/watersheds/dataset/?cid=nrcs143_021630 Web site for the Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD), including links to:

Review Data Availability (Status Maps) Obtain Data by State, County, or Other Area Obtain Seamless National Data offsite link image
Geospatial Data Tools National Technical and State Coordinators Information about WBD dataset

The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), created a series of geospatial products of the Scotts Creek Watershed in Lake County, California, using National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery from 2018, 2020 and 2022. The imagery was downloaded from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Geospatial Data Gateway (https://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov). The NAIP imagery from 2018, 2020 and 2022 was classified using Random Forest Modeling to produce land cover maps with three main classifications – bare, vegetation, and shadows. A total of 600 independent reference points were used in the accuracy assessment. The overall accuracy for all classes for each dataset is 98%. See attached ScottsCreek_20XX_AccuracyAssessment.csv files (contained within each LandCoverMap_associated_files_20XX.zip for each year respectively) for details. A preview image of the land cover map for 2018 is attached to this data release as an example (see LandCoverMap_RF_ScottsCreekWatershed_USGS2022_CC0.png). The percentage of bare, vegetation and shadow pixels were calculated for the complete watershed and each individual NHDPlus2.1 catchment basins (slightly modified to support hydrological modeling). These metrics can be used to quantify bare and vegetated areas and detect and quantify vegetation changes over time. Users should be aware of the inherent errors in remote sensing products.

description: The vertical land change activity focuses on the detection, analysis, and explanation of topographic change. These detection techniques include both quantitative methods, for example, using difference metrics derived from multi-temporal topographic digital elevation models (DEMs), such as, light detection and ranging (lidar), National Elevation Dataset (NED), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR), and qualitative methods, for example, using multi-temporal aerial photography to visualize topographic change. The geographic study area of this activity is Perry County, Kentucky. Available multi-temporal lidar, NED, SRTM, IFSAR, and other topographic elevation datasets, as well as aerial photography and multi-spectral image data were identified and downloaded for this study area county. Available mine maps and mine portal locations were obtained from the Kentucky Mine Mapping Information System, Division of Mine Safety, 300 Sower Boulevard, Frankfort, KY 40601 at http://minemaps.ky.gov/Default.aspx?Src=Downloads. These features were used to spatially locate the study areas within Perry County. Previously developed differencing methods (Gesch, 2006) were used to develop difference raster datasets of NED/SRTM (1950-2000 date range) and SRTM/IFSAR (2000-2008 date range). The difference rasters were evaluated to exclude difference values that were below a specified vertical change threshold, which was applied spatially by National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) 1992 and 2006 land cover type, respectively. This spatial application of the vertical change threshold values improved the overall ability to detect vertical change because threshold values in bare earth areas were distinguished from threshold values in heavily vegetated areas. Lidar high-resolution (1.5 m) DEMs were acquired for Perry County, Kentucky from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Geospatial Data Gateway at https://gdg.sc.egov.usda.gov/GDGOrder.aspx#. ESRI Mosaic Datasets were generated from lidar point-cloud data and available topographic DEMs for the specified study area. These data were analyzed to estimate volumetric changes on the land surface at three different periods with lidar acquisitions collected for Perry County, KY on 3/29/12 to 4/6/12. A recent difference raster dataset time span (2008-2012 date range) was analyzed by differencing the Perry County lidar-derived DEM and an IFSAR-derived dataset. The IFSAR-derived data were resampled to the resolution of the lidar DEM (approximately 1-m resolution) and compared with the lidar-derived DEM. Land cover based threshold values were applied spatially to detect vertical change using the lidar/IFSAR difference dataset. Perry County lidar metadata reported that the acquisition required lidar to be collected with an average of 0.68 m point spacing or better and vertical accuracy of 15 cm root mean square error (RMSE) or better. References: Gesch, Dean B., 2006, An inventory and assessment of significant topographic changes in the United States Brookings, S. Dak., South Dakota State University, Ph.D. dissertation, 234 p, at https://topotools.cr.usgs.gov/pdfs/DGesch_dissertation_Nov2006.pdf.; abstract: The vertical land change activity focuses on the detection, analysis, and explanation of topographic change. These detection techniques include both quantitative methods, for example, using difference metrics derived from multi-temporal topographic digital elevation models (DEMs), such as, light detection and ranging (lidar), National Elevation Dataset (NED), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR), and qualitative methods, for example, using multi-temporal aerial photography to visualize topographic change. The geographic study area of this activity is Perry County, Kentucky. Available multi-temporal lidar, NED, SRTM, IFSAR, and other topographic elevation datasets, as well as aerial photography and multi-spectral image data were identified and downloaded for this study area county. Available mine maps and mine portal locations were obtained from the Kentucky Mine Mapping Information System, Division of Mine Safety, 300 Sower Boulevard, Frankfort, KY 40601 at http://minemaps.ky.gov/Default.aspx?Src=Downloads. These features were used to spatially locate the study areas within Perry County. Previously developed differencing methods (Gesch, 2006) were used to develop difference raster datasets of NED/SRTM (1950-2000 date range) and SRTM/IFSAR (2000-2008 date range). The difference rasters were evaluated to exclude difference values that were below a specified vertical change threshold, which was applied spatially by National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) 1992 and 2006 land cover type, respectively. This spatial application of the vertical change threshold values improved the overall ability to detect vertical change because threshold values in bare earth areas were distinguished from threshold values in heavily vegetated areas. Lidar high-resolution (1.5 m) DEMs were acquired for Perry County, Kentucky from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Geospatial Data Gateway at https://gdg.sc.egov.usda.gov/GDGOrder.aspx#. ESRI Mosaic Datasets were generated from lidar point-cloud data and available topographic DEMs for the specified study area. These data were analyzed to estimate volumetric changes on the land surface at three different periods with lidar acquisitions collected for Perry County, KY on 3/29/12 to 4/6/12. A recent difference raster dataset time span (2008-2012 date range) was analyzed by differencing the Perry County lidar-derived DEM and an IFSAR-derived dataset. The IFSAR-derived data were resampled to the resolution of the lidar DEM (approximately 1-m resolution) and compared with the lidar-derived DEM. Land cover based threshold values were applied spatially to detect vertical change using the lidar/IFSAR difference dataset. Perry County lidar metadata reported that the acquisition required lidar to be collected with an average of 0.68 m point spacing or better and vertical accuracy of 15 cm root mean square error (RMSE) or better. References: Gesch, Dean B., 2006, An inventory and assessment of significant topographic changes in the United States Brookings, S. Dak., South Dakota State University, Ph.D. dissertation, 234 p, at https://topotools.cr.usgs.gov/pdfs/DGesch_dissertation_Nov2006.pdf.

What is NAIP?The National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) acquires aerial imagery during the agricultural growing seasons in the contiguous U.S. A primary goal of the NAIP program is to make digital ortho photography available to governmental agencies and the public within a year of acquisition.NAIP is administered by the USDA's Farm Production and Conservation Business Center through the Aerial Photography Field Office in Salt Lake City. The APFO as of August 16, 2020 has transitioned to the USDA FPAC-BC's Geospatial Enterprise Operations Branch (GEO). This "leaf-on" imagery is used as a base layer for GIS programs in FSA's County Service Centers, and is used to maintain the Common Land Unit (CLU) boundaries.How can I Access NAIP?On the web GEO (APFO) public image services can be accessed through the REST endpoint here. Compressed County Mosaics (CCMs) are available to the general public through the USDA Geospatial Data Gateway. All years of available imagery may be downloaded as 1/2, 1, or 2 meter CCMs depending on the original spatial resolution. CCMs with a file size larger than 8 GB are not able to be downloaded from the Gateway. Full resolution 4 band quarter quads (DOQQs) are available for purchase from FPAC GEO. Contact the GEO Customer Service Section for information on pricing for DOQQs and how to obtain CCMs larger than 8 GB. A NAIP image service is also available on ArcGIS Online through an organizational subscription.How can NAIP be used?NAIP is used by many non-FSA public and private sector customers for a wide variety of projects. A detailed study is available in the Qualitative and Quantitative Synopsis on NAIP Usage from 2004 -2008: Click here for a list of NAIP Information and Distribution Nodes.When is NAIP acquired?NAIP projects are contracted each year based upon available funding and the FSA imagery acquisition cycle. Beginning in 2003, NAIP was acquired on a 5-year cycle. 2008 was a transition year, a three-year cycle began in 2009, NAIP was on a two-year cycle until 2016, currently NAIP is on a 3 year refresh cycle. Click here >> for an interactive PDF status map of NAIP acquisitions from 2002 - 2018. 2021 acquisition status dashboard is available here.What are NAIP Specifications?NAIP imagery is currently acquired at 60cm ground sample distance (GSD) with a horizontal accuracy that matches within four meters of photo-identifiable ground control points.The default spectral resolution beginning in 2010 is four bands: Red, Green, Blue and Near Infrared.Contractually, every attempt will be made to comply with the specification of no more than 10% cloud cover per quarter quad tile, weather conditions permitting.All imagery is inspected for horizontal accuracy and tonal quality. Make Comments/Observations about current NAIP imagery.If you use NAIP imagery and have comments or find a problem with the imagery please use the NAIP Imagery Feedback Map to let us know what you find or how you are using NAIP imagery. Click here to access the map.**The documentation below is in reference to this items placement in the NM Supply Chain Data Hub. The documentation is of use to understanding the source of this item, and how to reproduce it for updates**Title: National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) History 2002-2021Item Type: Web Mapping Application URL Summary: Story map depicting the highlights and changes throughout the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) from 2002-2021.Notes: Prepared by: Uploaded by EMcRae_NMCDCSource: URL referencing this original map product: https://nmcdc.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=445e3dfd16c4401f95f78ad5905a4cceFeature Service: https://nmcdc.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=8eb6c5e7adc54ec889dd6fc9cc2c14c4UID: 26Data Requested: Ag CensusMethod of Acquisition: Living AtlasDate Acquired: May 2022Priority rank as Identified in 2022 (scale of 1 being the highest priority, to 11 being the lowest priority): 8Tags: PENDING

This dataset contains soil type and soil classification, by area. If viewing this description on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center’s open data portal (http://www.wprdc.org), this dataset is harvested on a weekly basis from Allegheny County’s GIS data portal (http://openac.alcogis.opendata.arcgis.com/). The full metadata record for this dataset can also be found on Allegheny County’s GIS portal. You can access the metadata record and other resources on the GIS portal by clicking on the “Explore” button (and choosing the “Go to resource” option) to the right of the “ArcGIS Open Dataset” text below. Category: Environment Organization: Allegheny County Department: Geographic Information Systems Group; Department of Administrative Services Temporal Coverage: 2000 Data Notes: Coordinate System: Pennsylvania State Plane South Zone 3702; U.S. Survey Foot Development Notes: This data set is a digital soil survey and generally is the most detailed level of soil geographic data developed by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. The information was prepared by digitizing maps, by compiling information onto a planimetric correct base and digitizing, or by revising digitized maps using remotely sensed and other information. This data set consists of georeferenced digital map data and computerized attribute data. The map data are in a soil survey area extent format and include a detailed, field verified inventory of soils and miscellaneous areas that normally occur in a repeatable pattern on the landscape and that can be cartographically shown at the scale mapped. A special soil features layer (point and line features) is optional. This layer displays the location of features too small to delineate at the mapping scale, but they are large enough and contrasting enough to significantly influence use and management. The soil map units are linked to attributes in the National Soil Information System relational database, which gives the proportionate extent of the component soils and their properties. The soil map and data used in the SSURGO product were prepared by soil scientists as part of the National Cooperative Soil Survey Other: none Related Document(s): Data Dictionary for SOIL_CODE Related Document(s): https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/pennsylvania/PA003/0/legends.pdf - the last page includes the soil legend for this dataset. Frequency - Data Change: As needed Frequency - Publishing: As needed Data Steward Name: Eli Thomas Data Steward Email: gishelp@alleghenycounty.us

This data package was produced by researchers working on the Shortgrass Steppe Long Term Ecological Research (SGS-LTER) Project, administered at Colorado State University. Long-term datasets and background information (proposals, reports, photographs, etc.) on the SGS-LTER project are contained in a comprehensive project collection within the Digital Collections of Colorado (http://digitool.library.colostate.edu/R/?func=collections&collection_id=3429).
The data table and associated metadata document, which is generated in Ecological Metadata Language, may be available through other repositories serving the ecological research community and represent components of the larger SGS-LTER project collection.

  No Abstract Available

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive aggregated collection of hydrologic unit data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. WBD polygon attributes include hydrologic unit codes (HUC), size (in the form of acres and square kilometers), name, downstream hydrologic unit code, type of watershed, non-contributing areas, and flow modifications. The HUC describes where the unit is in the country and the level of the unit. WBD line attributes contain the highest level of hydrologic unit for each boundary, line source information and flow modifications. At a minimum, the HUCs are delineated at 1:24,000-scale.Credits: US Geological Survey (USGS) Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD), February 2020.Obtained from USDA NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway.

Subsurface sewage disposal systems (SSDS) consist of a house sewer, a septic tank followed by a leaching system, any necessary pumps and siphons, and a groundwater control system upon which the operation of the leaching system depends. This interpretation focuses mainly on the septic tank leaching field and groundwater control system Soil Potential Ratings Soil potential ratings indicate the relative quality of a soil for a particular use compared to othersoils in a given area, in this case the State of Connecticut.The rating criteria were developed by a committee of State and local sanitarians, engineers, and installers. The soils data was provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the performance and site conditions for a typical system were defined. This information provided a standard against which various combinations of properties of soils within Connecticut could be compared.The engineering and installation practices used to overcome various soil limitations were listed, and their costs estimated. This information was used to identify limitations and costs associated with installing an SSDS on each soil in Connecticut. Soils with no or minor limitations for the installation of an SSDS were rated the highest. Conversely, soils requiring extensive site modification and design were rated the lowest. The ease of system installation, and therefore cost, formed the basis of the rating scheme.Rating ClassesThe rating class definitions refer to installation of an SSDS that meets State and local health code regulations. Soils with high potential have characteristics that meet the performance standard. A typical system can be installed at a cost of "x", which represents the going rate for installing an SSDS. The actual value of x varies depending upon many factors unrelated to soil properties. The cost of installing a leaching field is expressed as a multiple of x and called the cost factor. For example, a cost factor of 3x to and 3.5x means that the estimated cost of installing a leaching field in the particular soil ranges from 3 to 3.5 times more than that of installing a field in a soil with high potential. The cost factors provide relative estimates of the costs of installing an SSDS.The soil potential ratings and associated cost factors, assuming a typical system, are defined below.High Potential - These soils have the best combination of characteristics or have limitations that can be easily overcome using standard installation practices. The cost factor is 1x to 2.0x.Medium Potential - These soils have significant limitations, such as low percolation rate, that generally can be overcome using commonly applied designs. The cost factor ranges from 2.0x to 2.5x.Low Potential - These soils have one or more limitations, such as low percolation rate and depth to seasonal high water table, that require extensive design and site preparation to overcome. The cost factor ranges from 2.5x to 3.5x.Very Low Potential - These soils have major soil limitations, such as depth to bedrock, that require extensive design and site preparation to overcome. A permit for an SSDS may not be issued unless the naturally occurring soils meet the minimal requirements outlined in the State health code. It is unlikely that these soils can be improved sufficiently to meet State health code regulations. The cost factor ranges from 4.25x to 6.0x.Extremely Low Potential - These soils have multiple major limitations, such as flooding and depth to seasonal high water table, which are extremely difficult to overcome. A permit for an SSDS may not be issued unless the naturally occurring soils meet the minimal requirements outlined in the State health code. It is unlikely that these soils can be improved sufficiently to meet State health code regulations. Not Rated - Areas labeled Not Rated have soil characteristics that show extreme variability from one location to another. The work needed to overcome adverse soil properties cannot be estimated. These areas commonly are urban land complexes or miscellaneous areas. An on-site investigation is required to determine soil conditions at the site.This data set is a digital soil survey and generally is the mostdetailed level of soil geographic data developed by the NationalCooperative Soil Survey. The information was prepared by digitizingmaps, by compiling information onto a planimetric correct baseand digitizing, or by revising digitized maps using remotelysensed and other information.This data set consists of georeferenced digital map data andcomputerized attribute data. The map data are in a soil survey areaextent format and include a detailed, field verified inventoryof soils and miscellaneous areas that normally occur in a repeatablepattern on the landscape and that can be cartographically shown atthe scale mapped. The soil map units are linked to attributes in theNational Soil Information System relational database, which givesthe proportionate extent of the component soils and their properties.