Wisconsin Soil Survey Strategy

Historical Perspective

Soil Survey work in Wisconsin began in the early 1900s shortly after the inception of the National Cooperative Soil Survey.  From the beginning, soil surveys were produced as a joint effort between federal and state agencies.  During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, soil surveys depended on county cost-share monies and so work tended to leap-frog around the state. The last soil survey project area, the NW10 Counties, was begun in 1992.  In 2000, the State of Wisconsin made the decision to support and accelerate the initial soil survey in Wisconsin as well as help to create a digital Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO).  The goal of completing the NW10 soil survey mapping and of digitizing and SSURGO certifying the soil surveys in Wisconsin was accomplished ahead of schedule on May 15, 2006. 

New Challenge/ New Business Model

The first generation digital soil survey of the state is complete.  Our new challenge is to provide the knowledge that will ensure the effective and efficient use of this invaluable spatial and tabular database and to make improvements to meet the needs of Wisconsin. 

To meet this challenge, the Soil Survey Program in Wisconsin has been restructured and now functions through a new business model. The three dimensions of the model are Mission, Products, and Value. The central focus of our program occurs where these three dimensions coincide. Our focus is to efficiently help people understand the land with new and improved interpretations that add value for customers and NRCS.  We will deliver this value through Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) Offices, building on our digital soil survey of the state.

  Value is created by providing soil survey products for users that also add value back to soil survey (viable programs must generate support that “pay their way.”)  Mission is “what we do best” and have been doing for 100 years, understanding the land (soil and its relationships with the other natural resources) and documenting this.   Products represent our new “passion” of communicating that understanding to customers through our interpretations (interpretations are defined broadly as an improved translation of our knowledge to customers.)  This could include new map products that better explain our message.  Our Central Focus is where these three principles meet and this should control our decisions on what needs to be done and what should not be done.  It should guide all Soil Survey Upgrade projects. 

Strategic Objectives/ Wisconsin Users’ Groups

A state level users group was formed in March of 2006 to advise NRCS of important issues with the existing data and to help direct our planning.  This state level users group defined several near term initiatives and began the evaluation process for longer term upgrade projects that meet their needs.  Building from our business model and input from our state agency user group, we developed the following 4 objectives for the next few years:

Strategic Objectives

1.      Seamless Databases

2.      Consistency in Data

3.      New and Improved Interpretations (Upgrade projects)

4.      Targeted increases in Customers

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