USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants to make sure landowners are aware of the recent release of the iOS and Android SoilWeb app, version 2.0. NRCS, together with the University of California at Davis Soil Resource Laboratory, notes the new app has a cleaner and more modern interface with GPS-location-based links to access detailed digital soil survey data published by the NRCS. The SoilWeb app provides users with information relating to soil types that are associated with their location. The images are then linked to information about the different types of soil profiles, soil taxonomy, land classification, hydraulic and erosion ratings and soil suitability ratings. Identifying soil types is important to understanding land for agricultural production purposes and determining flooding frequencies.
All of the soil information in SoilWeb was collected from the National Cooperative Soil Survey, organized by the NRCS, and accesses soil survey information the agency has been collecting since the 1890s. The database makes it possible to generate specialized maps using computer-aided techniques.
While the SoilWeb app was first developed back in 2010, by 2017 it was no longer in compliance with requirements set by Apple and Google. So anyone with the older app on their phone can do a simple update to access the newest version. The newly updated SoilWeb smartphone application is available as a free download on Google Play and Apple App Store. Or for more information contact your local NRCS office.