Web Soil Survey 2.3 New Features

Web Soil Survey URLs

Web Soil Survey now allows you to save your AOI as a Web Soil Survey URL. This means you can create an AOI, and then bookmark it for later use.

Your URL also saves the particular view to which you’ve zoomed the map. You can even edit the URL to mark a particular location with a location marker.

Create an AOI using one of the AOI map tools.
Open the Link control by clicking Link in the Navigation Bar.
The link records your AOI (if set) and the location you’ve zoomed to.
Copy and paste the link, or right-click it to Add to Favorites... or Bookmark this Link.

To add a location marker, see the Help in the Link control.

Export AOI

Web Soil Survey now allows you to save your AOI as a zipped shapefile.

Create an AOI using one of the AOI map tools.
Underneath the AOI Properties pane, click Export AOI.
Click Export AOI as Zipped Shapefile.
Enter a value for Base filename.
Click the Export AOI button.
Your zipped shapefile will be made available as a link, which you can download.

Import AOI

Web Soil Survey now allows you to create an AOI from a saved shapefile or zipped shapefile. To create an AOI from a zipped shapefile (for example, from an AOI that you have already exported):

In the Area of Interest panel, click Import AOI.
Click Create AOI from Zipped Shapefile.
Press the Browse... or Choose File button.
In the File Upload dialog, select a zipped shapefile, such as one you exported in an earlier Web Soil Survey session, and press Open or Choose.
Click the Set AOI button.
Web Soil Survey will create an AOI from your zipped shapefile.

To create an AOI from an unzipped shapefile instead:

Click Create AOI from Shapefile.
For the .shp file, press the Browse... or Choose File button.
In the File Upload dialog, select the .shp component from a shapefile, and press Open or Choose.
Next, for the .prj file, press the Browse... or Choose File button.
In the File Upload dialog, select the .prj component from the same shapefile, and press Open or Choose.
Click the Set AOI button.
Web Soil Survey will create an AOI from your shapefile.

Aerial Photography Background Map Layer Updates

The Aerial Photography background map layer is in the process of being updated to display more recent imagery from NAIP in some areas. In particular, new imagery is available for the following states:

Arkansas (2010)
Louisiana (2010)
Maine (2009)
New Mexico (2009)
Pennsylvania (2010)
Texas (2010)

Quick Navigation By Latitude and Longitude Usability Changes

The Quick Navigation by Latitude and Longitude form now accepts its input all on one line, instead of requiring you to break it in pieces. This means that you can now cut and paste Latitude/Longitude values from other web applications, like Google Maps and Bing Maps, or copy them from a GPS system. Coordinates are accepted in many different formats, including:

Decimal Degrees
Degrees/Minutes/Decimal Seconds
Degrees/Decimal Minutes
GPS
Well-Known Text

For more information, see the Help in the Quick Navigation by Latitude and Longitude form.

Quick Navigation Includes U.S. Territories

The Quick Navigation by Address and State and County forms now allow navigating to U.S. territories, including: