Job Aids
A job aid is, simply put, something that can be used on the job to improve performance. These job aids come from the NSSC, MLRA Offices, and State Offices and are posted on the Web sites of these offices.
Quick Links
Classification
Correlation
GIS and Digital Soil Mapping for Soil Survey
Investigations
Operations & Management
Photography
Promoting the Soil Survey
Soil Databases, General
Soil Databases, NASIS
Soil Survey Graphics
Technical Soil Services, Education
Technical Soil Services, General
Technical Writing
Other Job Aids
Classification
Soil Taxonomy Forum
Java Newhall Simulation Model (jNSM)
English to Metric Conversion Chart (XLS; 188 KB)
Glossary of soil science terms by the Soil Science Society of America, 2001
Rounding off numbers (PDF; 12 KB)
Identifying/Classifying Buried Soil Horizons (Dr. John M. Galbraith, Virginia Tech) (PDF; 1.32 MB)
Guy Smith Interviews
Clarification of the Definition of Aniso Class
Reaction (pH) in Soil Taxonomy, Use of
USDA Soil Texture Calculator. Enter the percent sand and clay, and let the calculator do the rest. Enter up to four points on the Excel version.
Control Sections (PDF; 181 KB)
Correlation
Analysis PC
Populating Map Unit Data: Taxonomic Classes and Map Unit Components
GIS and Digital Soil Mapping for Soil Survey
General
Define Project Area and Scope
Identify Physical Features of Interest
Data Sources and Preprocessing
Data Development and Landform Analysis
Data Development and Spectral Analysis
Sampling for Training Data
Predict Soil Classes or Properties
Calculate Accuracy and Uncertainty
Geodatabase
Geospatial Data Gateway
GPS
Soil Resource Inventory Toolbox (SRITB)
Investigations
EM38 Meter Cookbook (PDF; 11.1 MB)
Installing Monitoring Wells in Soils (PDF; 1.9 MB)
Mobile Computing
Assessing Carbonates in the Field with a Dilute Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) Solution
Pedon Description Form
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity
Soil Color Contrast
Operation of EM38RT Meter W/ Garmin Map76 GPS Receiver & Allegro CX Field Computer a DVD video available upon request.
USDA Soil Texture Calculator. Enter the percent sand and clay, and let the calculator do the rest. Enter up to four points on the Excel version.
USDA Sand, Silt, and Clay Range Calculator. Workbook to develop/check ranges of sand, silt, and clay per allowed textures for multiple horizons. Calculate and save results.
Separating Roots from the Soil by Hand Sieving (PDF; 263 KB)
Estimated Soil Organic Matter -- Field Method (PDF; 330 KB)
Pedon PC
Operations & Management
Workload Analysis Tools
Careers in Soil Survey
Photography
Scaling Soil Profile Publication Images (PDF; 3.4 MB)
Adding a Graph to a Photograph of a Pedon (PDF; 368 KB)
Soil Survey Photography (PDF; 6.8 MB)
Digital Soil Survey Images (PDF; 34 KB)
Digital Photography (PDF; 207 KB)
Using the Olympus C4000 (PDF; 28 KB)
Promoting the Soil Survey
Web Soil Survey 3x5 quick reference card (contact Mike Wigginton for more information)
Soil Databases, General
Recall and Commit Official Soil Survey Data (PDF; 923 KB)
Export and Commit Official Soil Survey Data (link to YouTube video)
How to Create an ODBC Connection and Setup SoilDB for Use with R (PDF; 50 KB)
Assigning Generalized Horizon Labels to Assist in Data Aggregation and Analysis
How to Review Pedon Data with RStudio (DOCX; 52 KB)
How to create a comma-delimited list using Excel (DOCX; 268 KB)
R Stats - How to Review Pedon Data with Rcmdr (DOCX; 871 KB)
Digital Editing Tools and SDV (recorded live meeting from Texas) (WMV; 28.3 MB)
Web Soil Survey (click on “Web Soil Survey – How to Use It”)
Soil Data Viewer (click on “Browse the Soil Data Viewer Online User Guide”)
Soil Data Access (SQL experience required) (Use the “I want help with –” area for assistance)
Using Microsoft Access
Soil Databases, NASIS
Map Unit Data: Taxonomic Classes and Map Unit Components, Populating
Soil Moisture Status in the National Soil Information System
Taxonomic Moisture Class and Subclass in NASIS, Populating
Importing Soil Descriptions (232 forms)
Soil Survey Graphics
More than 3,750 block diagrams (line drawings) from published soil surveys are available. Most of the diagrams relate soils to landscape positions. You may search for diagrams three ways: an interactive map, a comprehensive spreadsheet, or a brief spreadsheet. The interactive map shows the location of survey areas for which a diagram is available. The comprehensive spreadsheet is linked to the diagrams in PDF, TIF (image), and AI (Adobe Illustrator) formats. The brief spreadsheet is linked to the diagrams only in PDF format. Users can search the spreadsheets for specific key words, such as a series name or a county.
Block Diagrams for Soil Interpretations (PDF; 8.87 MB)
- Includes instructions on how to draw block diagrams.
- Compiled by Robert W. Eikleberry. 1968. United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Lincoln, Nebraska.
A Modern Approach to Creating Block Diagrams for Soil Survey (PDF; 4.76 MB)
- Developed for use with several present-day digital tools
- Not designed to be a standalone method for developing diagrams or to replace traditional methods
- Many steps in Eikleberry’s 1968 publication apply to this method
Technical Soil Services, Education
NASA site for soils educational materials
Educational Resources
What is Soil?
Careers in Soil Survey
Technical Soil Services, General
Visual Simulation for Resource Planning
Technical Writing
Guides for Editing and Publishing Technical Reports
- Internal documents for authorized personnel located on SharePoint.
Other Job Aids
Videos and Webinars
USDA Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Soils Document Manager
- Enterprise Content Management software manages files and websites across a large organization. ~For internal use only.~
Presenting Expert Testimony (YouTube video)
- A training course by Jane Cornwell (OGC, Kansas City) which includes cases where the agency is not a party; subpoenas, pretrial preparation, and qualifying witnesses; giving testimony for depositions and trials; a top-10 list of courtroom bloopers; refinements for a witness; and a question and answer session.
