Soil Survey Data

Soil survey data are a product of the National Cooperative 

Soil Survey, a joint effort of the USDA Natural Resources 

Conservation Service and other Federal agencies, State 

agencies including the Agricultural Experiment Stations, 

and local participants.

Web Soil Survey (WSS)

The Web Soil Survey provides agricultural producers, 

agencies, Technical Service Providers, and others 

electronic access to relevant soil and related information 

needed to make land-use and management decisions.

The WSS:

• Provides an alternative to traditional

 hardcopy publication,

• Provides the means for quicker delivery of

 information,

• Provides electronic access to full soil survey

 report content,

• Provides access to the most current data, 

• Allows customers to get just the information

 they want, and

• Provides customers with the ability to download

 spatial, tabular, and thematic soils data for use in 

 GIS.

• Additional help is available at “Contact Us” or by

 emailing soilshotline@lin.usda.gov.

Print a Hydric Soil Map

• Complete Steps 1, 2, and 3.

• From the Soil Data Explorer tab, click the

 Suitabilities and Limitations for Use tab.

• Click Land Classifications.

• Click Hydric Rating by Map Unit.

• Click the View Rating button.

• Click the Legend tab to open or close the

 map symbol legend.

• Click the Printable Version button.

• Click the View button.

• On the browser menu bar, select File and

 Print; or click the print icon.

Print a Soil Chemical Properties Report

• Complete Steps 1, 2, and 3.

• From the Soil Data Explorer tab, click the

 Soil Reports tab.

• Click Soil Chemical Properties.

• Click Chemical Soil Properties.

• Click the View Soil Report button.

• Click the Printable Version button.

• Click the View button.

• On the browser menu bar, select File and

 Print; or click the print icon.

Natural Resources Conservation Service

National Cooperative Soil Survey

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

August 2016
Step 4. Add Items to the Free Shopping Cart 

and Check Out

WSS allows you to collect a variety of thematic maps 

and reports in the Shopping Cart, then print or 

download the content into one file or document.

• Soil map, map unit legend, and map unit descriptions 

are automatically added.

• Items viewed in Step 3 can be added by clicking the 

Add to Shopping Cart button.

• View your cart contents by clicking the Shopping 

Cart (Free) tab. Items checked on the Table of 

Contents are included.

• Get your Custom Soil Resource report.

 -- Click the Check Out button.

 -- Select a delivery option and click OK.

Step 5. Download Soils Data for Use in GIS

WSS allows you to download spatial and tabular 

SSURGO and STATSGO2 soils data for use in your local 

GIS. SSURGO data can be downloaded for your defined 

AOI or for a soil survey area. STATSGO2 data can be 

downloaded for individual states or for the whole 

United States.

NOTE: At any time during Steps 2, 3, 4, or 5, you can redefine 

the soil map location by clicking the Area of Interest tab and 

clicking the Clear AOI button. Repeat Step 1.

Accessing Web Soil Survey

• Open the Web Soil Survey (WSS) site

at: http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov

and click the Start WSS button.

Step 1. Define Your Area of Interest (AOI)

• Several methods are available to zoom into a 

geographic area of interest. You can enter an address; 

select a state and county; enter section, township, 

and range information; or import a boundary file 

from your local computer to set the AOI.

• Click the View button to see the area.

• Use the Zoom In tool (plus sign) to click and drag a 

rectangular box around a specific area. Repeat, as 

necessary, to zoom further.

• Select an AOI tool to draw a rectangular box or 

irregular polygon that defines the AOI and allows 

selection of associated soil data. Once the AOI has 

been defined, you can save it for use at a later date.

Step 2. View and Print Your Soil Map

• Click the Soil Map tab.

• Click a map unit name to view a map unit description. 

Click the X to close the narrative.

• Print your soil map by clicking the Printable Version

button; then click the View button. On the browser 

menu bar, select File and Print; or click the print icon. 

Close the window.

Step 3. Explore Your Soil Information

WSS generates thematic maps of soil interpretations, 

ecological sites, and chemical or physical properties. 

Tabular data reports are also available.

• Click the Soil Data Explorer tab.

• Click the tabs below Soil Data Explorer and explore 

available information (the default tab is Suitabilities 

and Limitations for Use).