Full name:
Gridded Soil Survey Geographic Database
Version:
-
Organization or Author:
Abstract:
Gridded SSURGO (gSSURGO) is similar to the standard USDA-NRCS Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database product but in the format of an Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI®) file geodatabase. A file geodatabase has the capacity to store much more data and thus greater spatial extents than the traditional SSURGO product. This makes it possible to offer these data in statewide or even conterminous United States (CONUS) tiles. gSSURGO contains all of the original soil attribute tables in SSURGO. All spatial data are stored within the geodatabase instead of externally as separate shapefiles. Both SSURGO and gSSURGO are considered products of the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) partnership.
The gridded SSURGO (gSSURGO) dataset was created for use in national, regional, and statewide resource planning and analysis of soils data. The raster map layer data can be readily combined with other national, regional, and local raster layers, including the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Crop Data Layer (CDL), and the National Elevation Dataset (NED).
The gSSURGO Database is derived from the official Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database. SSURGO generally has the most detailed level of soil geographic data developed by the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) in accordance with NCSS mapping standards. The tabular data represent the soil attributes and are derived from properties and characteristics stored in the National Soil Information System (NASIS). The gSSURGO data were prepared by merging the traditional vector-based SSURGO digital map data and tabular data into statewide extents, adding a statewide gridded map layer derived from the vector layer, and adding a new value-added look up table (Valu1) containing “ready to map” attributes. The gridded map layer is a file geodatabase raster in an ArcGIS file geodatabase. The raster and vector map data have a statewide extent. The raster map data have a 10-meter cell size that approximates the vector polygons in an Albers Equal Area projection. Each cell (and polygon) is linked to a map unit identifier called the map unit key. A unique map unit key is used to link the raster cells and polygons to attribute tables.
Due to file size, the raster layer for the conterminous United States is only available in a 30-meter resolution.
The gridded SSURGO (gSSURGO) dataset was created for use in national, regional, and statewide resource planning and analysis of soils data. The raster map layer data can be readily combined with other national, regional, and local raster layers, including the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Crop Data Layer (CDL), and the National Elevation Dataset (NED).
The gSSURGO Database is derived from the official Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database. SSURGO generally has the most detailed level of soil geographic data developed by the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) in accordance with NCSS mapping standards. The tabular data represent the soil attributes and are derived from properties and characteristics stored in the National Soil Information System (NASIS). The gSSURGO data were prepared by merging the traditional vector-based SSURGO digital map data and tabular data into statewide extents, adding a statewide gridded map layer derived from the vector layer, and adding a new value-added look up table (Valu1) containing “ready to map” attributes. The gridded map layer is a file geodatabase raster in an ArcGIS file geodatabase. The raster and vector map data have a statewide extent. The raster map data have a 10-meter cell size that approximates the vector polygons in an Albers Equal Area projection. Each cell (and polygon) is linked to a map unit identifier called the map unit key. A unique map unit key is used to link the raster cells and polygons to attribute tables.
Due to file size, the raster layer for the conterminous United States is only available in a 30-meter resolution.
Service location:
Geographical Coverage:
National - USA
GIS Data Type:
Raster
Spatial resolution:
10 m (10 x 10 m pixel)
Publication date:
2020-11-16
Reference period-start:
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Reference period-stop
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License:
Key Soil Properties:
Water Content, Soil Organic Carbon Stock, Root Zone Depth, Drought Vulnerability
Soil deph coverage (cm):
Up to 999 cm
Soil Functions:
-
Soil Threats:
-
Citation:
Soil Survey Staff. Gridded Soil Survey Geographic (gSSURGO) Database for the United States of America and the Territories, Commonwealths, and Island Nations served by the USDA-NRCS. United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Available online at USDA:NRCS:Geospatial Data Gateway:Home . November 16, 2020.SoilGrids 2.0: producing soil information for the globe with quantified spatial uncertainty , 2021.
Soil parameters overview
| Soil Parameter name | Unit of measurement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| aws0_5 | mm | Available water storage estimate (AWS) in a standard zone 1 (0-5 cm depth), expressed in mm. The volume of plant available water in this layer. |
| aws5_20 | mm | Available water storage estimate (AWS) in a standard layer 2 (5-20 cm depth), expressed in mm. The volume of plant available water in this layer. |
| aws20_50 | mm | Available water storage estimate (AWS) in a standard layer 3 (20-50 cm depth), expressed in mm. The volume of plant available water in this layer. |
| aws50_100 | mm | Available water storage estimate (AWS) in a standard layer 4 (50-100 cm depth), expressed in mm. The volume of plant available water in this layer. |
| aws100_150 | mm | Available water storage estimate (AWS) in standard layer 5 (100-150 cm depth), expressed in mm. The volume of plant available water in this layer. |
| aws150_999 | mm | Available water storage estimate (AWS) in standard layer 6 (150 cm to the reported depth of the soil profile), expressed in mm. |
| soc0_5 | g/m2 | Soil organic carbon stock estimate (SOC) in standard layer 1 or standard zone 1 (0-5 cm depth). The concentration of organic carbon present in the soil expressed in grams C per square meter to a depth of 5 cm. NULL values are presented where data are incomplete or not available. |
| soc5_20 | g/m2 | Soil organic carbon stock estimate (SOC) in standard layer 2 (5-20 cm depth). The concentration of organic carbon present in the soil expressed in grams C per square meter for the 5-20 cm layer. NULL values are presented where data are incomplete or not available. |
| soc20_50 | g/m2 | Soil organic carbon stock estimate (SOC) in standard layer 3 (20-50 cm depth). The concentration of organic carbon present in the soil expressed in grams C per square meter for the 20-50 cm layer. NULL values are presented where data are incomplete or not available. |
| soc50_100 | g/m2 | Soil organic carbon stock estimate (SOC) in standard layer 4 (50-100 cm depth). The concentration of organic carbon present in the soil expressed in grams C per square meter for the 50-100 cm layer. NULL values are presented where data are incomplete or not available. |
| soc100_150 | g/m2 | Soil organic carbon stock estimate (SOC) in standard layer 5 (100-150 cm depth). The concentration of organic carbon present in the soil expressed in grams C per square meter for the 100-150 cm layer. NULL values are presented where data are incomplete or not available |
| soc150_999 | g/m2 | Soil organic carbon stock estimate (SOC) in standard layer 6 (150 cm to the reported depth of the soil profile). The concentration of organic carbon present in the soil expressed in grams C per square meter for the 150 cm and greater depth layer. NULL values are presented where data are incomplete or not available. |
| rootznemc | cm | Root zone depth is the depth within the soil profile that commodity crop (cc) roots can effectively extract water and nutrients for growth. Root zone depth influences soil productivity significantly. Soil component horizon criteria for root-limiting depth include: presence of hard bedrock, soft bedrock, a fragipan, a duripan, sulfuric material, a dense layer, a layer having a pH of less than 3.5, or a layer having an electrical conductivity of more than 12 within the component soil profile. If no root-restricting zone is identified, a depth of 150 cm is used to approximate the root zone depth (Dobos et al., 2012). Root zone depth is computed for all map unit major earthy components (weighted average). Earthy components are those soil series or higher level taxa components that can support crop growth (Dobos et al., 2012). Major components are those soil components where the majorcompflag = 'Yes' (SSURGO component table). NULL values are presented where data are incomplete or not available. |
| droughty | - | Drought-vulnerable soil landscapes are mapped as a binary raster: 1 (drought vulnerable) when the root zone's available water storage is ≤ 152 mm, and 0 (not drought vulnerable) when it is greater. NULL is assigned to areas like water bodies or where data is unavailable. Values are calculated as a weighted average for major earthy components that support crop growth (Dobos et al., 2012) |