Soil Intelligence · Prove It · Soil Data Metrics

Proving the Value
of Soil Data

In 2025, the National Cooperative Soil Survey (SSURGO) requests nearly doubled from the year prior. In FY2023, SDA received 121 million requests - 4.6 million from CART alone. the national soil viewer created 3.4 million Areas of Interest. These aren't just statistics. They're the measured impact of national soil data on every conservation decision in America.

Explore Data Stories ↗ SHAPE Curves SHAPE Curves
121M
SDA Requests
FY2023 · Distinct queries
3.4M
the viewer Areas of Interest
FY2023 · AOIs created
4.6M
CART SDA Requests
FY2023 · Conservation planning
2×
SDA Growth
2025 vs. prior year
1
Chapter One
How to Read the Metrics
Interpretation Guide · Not Straightforward

The numbers tell a story.
If you know how to read them.

Comparing metric counts from year to year requires context. Each metric type measures a different user action, at a different scale. SDA traffic is always higher than the viewer because SDA's API is embedded in dozens of external applications and GIS tools - each of those generates many API requests per user action.

National Cooperative Soil Survey (SSURGO) Requests
Distinct queries submitted to the National Cooperative Soil Survey (SSURGO) web service. Includes direct queries, application-embedded calls (CART, ArcGIS, web apps), and automated pipelines. One user action in CART may generate multiple SDA queries.
Unit: distinct query submissions · Scale: millions per year
National soil viewer - Areas of Interest Created
Areas of Interest created in National soil viewer - each represents a farm field, parcel, or project area that a user drew or imported. The best proxy for "unique soil questions answered" because it directly counts user intent.
Unit: AOIs created · Scale: millions per year · Peaks: March & October
National soil viewer - Sessions Started
the viewer sessions initiated. Higher than AOI counts because users browse the viewer without always setting an AOI - reading soil maps, looking at reports, or downloading data directly without drawing a field boundary.
Unit: sessions · Always > AOI count · Not directly comparable to SDA
Top Soil Reports Generated
The top 100 soil reports generated from the national soil viewer by survey area and year. Shows which report types matter most to users - Engineering Properties, Physical Properties, Map Unit Description are typically dominant.
Unit: report generations · Category = report name
Top Soil Ratings Viewed
The top 100 soil ratings (interpretations) viewed. Hydrologic Soil Group, Hydric Rating, Farmland Classification, and NCCPI consistently rank highest - these are the interpretations driving the most land use decisions.
Unit: rating views · Category = interpretation name
AOI Size Range & How Users Set Areas
Who is setting areas and how big are they? Definition Type shows whether users drew their own field boundary vs. selected an entire soil survey area. Size distribution reveals whether users are planning at the farm, watershed, or county scale.
Unit: AOI count by type/size class · Use together for full picture
"Comparing chart numbers from year to year doesn't mean much. It just shows the impact soils data has on conservation. Soils is integral to every aspect of conservation assessments."
2
Chapter Two
Annual Trends - SDA & the viewer
Live Data · wss_metric_query_results

Year over year.
The growth is real.

Monthly counts aggregated annually. SDA traffic reflects both direct user queries and all external applications embedding soil data into their workflows. The 2025 near-doubling reflects growing API adoption by conservation technology partners.

SDA API Requests - Annual (CY)
Distinct queries · National · Monthly counts summed by calendar year
the viewer Activity - Annual (CY)
AOIs created and Session Starts · National
Live SDA Data

Source: wss_metric_query_results · query_frequency='M' summed by year · National (state='xnational').

3
Chapter Three
Soil Application Metrics - Interactive
SDA Soil Application Metrics · All Query Types

Select your metric.
See the data.

Query any metric type, any year, any frequency. The wss_metric_query_results table stores all platform activity - API calls, the viewer actions, downloads, AOI definitions, and what soil data users are actually viewing.

Metric Type
Frequency
Year
State
Loading…
National Cooperative Soil Survey (SSURGO) Requests · 2023 · National · Monthly
Select parameters above to update
4
Chapter Four
Seasonal Patterns
National soil viewer - Monthly Area of Interest Patterns · Live Data

Spring planting.
Fall harvest.

the viewer usage peaks in March and October - driven by planting season soil assessments and fall conservation planning deadlines. The January and June dips reflect winter dormancy and summer field-season gaps. This heatmap shows the monthly pattern year over year.

National soil viewer - Areas of Interest Created Monthly by Year
Relative intensity (darker = more areas) · National · All years on record
Spring Peak - March
The largest annual spike in the viewer usage aligns with spring planting deadlines. Farmers and conservation planners need soil drainage class, flooding frequency, and crop suitability data before field operations begin.
Top Ratings: Hydrologic Soil Group · Drainage Class
Fall Peak - October
The second annual peak corresponds to fall program enrollment deadlines (CSP, EQIP, CRP). Conservation planners and field staff run the most soil assessments in October as applications and resource concern evaluations peak.
Top Reports: Map Unit Description · Engineering Properties
5
Chapter Five
CART & Application Usage
Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool · FY2023

4.6 million CART queries.
Out of 121 million.

Of FY2023's 121 million SDA requests, approximately 4.6 million came from CART - the Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool used by conservation planners to assess resource concerns and rank program applications. That's 1 in every 26 SDA queries serving a direct conservation planning decision.

121M
Total SDA Requests
FY2023 distinct queries to the National Cooperative Soil Survey (SSURGO) from all sources - CART, external GIS tools, automated pipelines, and direct queries.
4.6M
CART Requests
FY2023 SDA requests originating from CART conservation planning workflows. Each represents a soil-informed conservation assessment.
3.8%
CART Share of SDA
CART accounts for 3.8% of all SDA traffic - but represents 100% of the soil data powering conservation program ranking decisions.
SoilWeb: 409,021 visits · FY2023
The standard SoilWeb application received 409,021 visits, with Soil Data Explorer at 199,152 visits and Series Extent Explorer at 55,240 visits. Roughly 50% of visits were from mobile devices. SoilWeb logged 4,000-5,000 unique data requests per day.
~500 mobile requests/day from the field
Rural demand, not urban
the viewer AOI density analysis shows peak usage in areas with population density similar to Nebraska - distinctly rural. Most customers using soil survey data are making land management decisions on working lands, not in cities.
AOI centroid density peaks at ~Nebraska population density
Why SDA >> the viewer Traffic
SDA receives far more requests than the viewer because SDA's REST API is embedded in CART, ArcGIS tools, state agency GIS systems, university research pipelines, and commercial applications. Each of those generates multiple API calls per user action.
Many-to-one: apps → SDA queries → user decisions
2025: Nearly Doubled
In 2025, the number of SDA requests nearly doubled from the year prior - demonstrating a continued trend of more organizations streaming soils data into their applications to make informed decisions for land management.
2025 growth reflects new API adoption by technology partners
"The clear and consistent demand for soil data, across a wide variety of geographic settings, demonstrates that the national soil viewer, the National Cooperative Soil Survey (SSURGO), and SoilWeb play an important role in sustainable land management."
Data note: SDA metrics are sourced from the wss_metric_query_results table via the public National Cooperative Soil Survey (SSURGO). CART request counts (FY2023 = 4.6M) are derived from the SDA BAFLOG audit log database, which filters on application="CART" in the SDA audit trail. These internal counts are not directly queryable via the public API but are derived from the SDA BAFLOG audit log database.
6
Chapter Six
The Demand Curve
SDA Annual Requests · Every Year on Record · Live Data

From millions to
hundreds of millions.

the National Cooperative Soil Survey (SSURGO) has become infrastructure. In FY2023, it fielded 121 million queries. In 2025, requests nearly doubled again. What began as a specialized federal data service now flows into farm management software, conservation planning tools, university research pipelines, and state GIS systems across the country.

Source: wss_metric_query_results · query_frequency='M' · SDA_Usage · National · Summed by calendar year

121M
FY2023
The year the Soil Data Metrics article first formally quantified the impact of national soil data
~2×
2025 growth
SDA requests nearly doubled from the prior year as API adoption accelerated among technology partners
3.4M
the viewer AOIs · FY2023
Areas of Interest created in National soil viewer - the best proxy for unique soil questions answered by a real user
4-5K
daily requests
Unique SoilWeb data requests every day; ~500 from mobile devices actively in the field
7
Chapter Seven
One in Every 26
CART Share of SDA Traffic · FY2023 · Conservation Program Planning

3.8% of the traffic.
100% of the conservation decisions.

Of FY2023's 121 million SDA queries, CART contributed 4.6 million - roughly one in every 26. That fraction powers the conservation planning tool used by field staff in every county to rank program applicants and justify resource investments on working lands.

1 CART query - a conservation planning decision    25 other SDA queries - GIS tools, pipelines, applications, research

Each square above represents one unit of SDA traffic. The gold square is CART. The other 25 represent every other application streaming soil data: ArcGIS extensions, state systems, universities, and commercial platforms.

409,021
SoilWeb visits · FY2023
The standard SoilWeb application logged over 400,000 visits - roughly half from mobile devices. Farmers checking drainage class and flooding frequency before field operations begin.

SoilWeb Application Family · FY2023 Visits

SoilWeb
409,021
Soil Data Explorer
199,152
Series Extent Explorer
55,240
Mobile share
~50%

Source: National soil data metrics · FY2023

8
Chapter Eight
Soil Data Has Seasons
Monthly Demand Pattern · the viewer AOI · All Years Averaged · Live SDA Data

March. October.
The farm calendar, written in queries.

Every year, without exception, the viewer usage spikes in March and again in October. Spring planting drives the first wave. Fall conservation program enrollment deadlines drive the second. The chart below shows average monthly AOI creation across all years on record - the agricultural rhythm encoded in data.

Average monthly AOI count across all years · National · wss_ActivityCounts AOI

March
Spring planting peak
Farmers and planners need drainage class, flooding frequency, and crop suitability before field operations begin. March consistently records the highest monthly AOI count of any year.
October
Fall enrollment deadline
CSP, EQIP, and CRP application windows close in October. Field staff and conservation planners run their peak soil assessments as program enrollment closes nationwide.
9
Chapter Nine
Where the Demand Comes From
Geographic Demand · Top States · the viewer AOI Activity · Live SDA Data

Not the cities.
Where the soil is.

AOI centroid analysis shows peak the viewer usage in areas with the population density of rural Nebraska - not metropolitan centers. The users asking soil questions are making real land management decisions on working lands. The chart below ranks states by total cumulative the viewer AOI activity across all years on record.

~Nebraska
Peak AOI density profile
the viewer AOI centroids cluster in rural agricultural counties - the same population density as rural Nebraska, not suburban or urban zones
50%
SoilWeb mobile visits
Half of all SoilWeb sessions come from mobile devices - users are in the field, on the land, making decisions in real time
500/day
Field mobile requests
Of 4,000-5,000 daily SoilWeb data requests, ~500 come from mobile devices actively out in the field
Top 20 States - Cumulative the viewer AOI Activity
Total AOIs by state · All years on record · wss_ActivityCounts AOI · M frequency · Live SDA data
10
Chapter Ten
Where Soil Data Is Being Used
Geographic Demand · All States · Live SDA Data

Every county.
Every decision.

Soil data requests don't cluster in cities - they trace working lands. The map below shows cumulative the national soil viewer and SDA usage by state across all years on record. Select a metric to see where the demand is strongest.

Top States - the viewer AOI Activity
Click a state on the map to highlight · All years on record