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Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool (EDIT)
The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool (EDIT) provides a standard framework for cataloging knowledge about the characteristic soil and vegetation properties of distinctive ecosystem classes throughout the United States. The knowledge contained in EDIT is a foundational resource for interpreting the effects of land use, management practices, and natural phenomena on the critical services that ecosystems provide to the American people (such as crop, forage, and timber productivity; fire, flood, and disease mitigation; soil, wildlife, and water quality; recreational, cultural, and spiritual enrichment). EDIT serves as the primary repository of Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) produced by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and partners. Each ESD contains a box and arrow diagram depicting ecosystem change in response to land use and management history (known as a state-and-transition model) and the effects of ecosystem change on the services they provide.
The organization of EDIT follows the NRCS land resource hierarchy. Keys are available within EDIT to help users identify different ecological sites within each major land resource area (i.e., ecoregion) nationwide. ESDs can be downloaded as PDFs, explored directly within the interactive EDIT web application, or analyzed via the Application Programming Interface (API). EDIT integrates with other NRCS software systems to ensure conservation planners, NRCS partners, and the public have easy access to reliable ecosystem knowledge throughout the country.
Resources
2 resources available
-
Web services documentation
FILE -
Ecological Site Descriptions (ESD)
FILE
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Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | public |
| accrualPeriodicity | R/PT1S |
| bureauCode |
[ "000:00" ] |
| contactPoint |
{ "fn": "Soils Hotline", "@type": "vcard:Contact", "hasEmail": "mailto:SoilsHotline@usda.gov" } |
| dataQuality |
true
|
| describedBy | https://edit.sc.egov.usda.gov/resources/esd |
| describedByType | text/html |
| description | The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool (EDIT) provides a standard framework for cataloging knowledge about the characteristic soil and vegetation properties of distinctive ecosystem classes throughout the United States. The knowledge contained in EDIT is a foundational resource for interpreting the effects of land use, management practices, and natural phenomena on the critical services that ecosystems provide to the American people (such as crop, forage, and timber productivity; fire, flood, and disease mitigation; soil, wildlife, and water quality; recreational, cultural, and spiritual enrichment). EDIT serves as the primary repository of Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) produced by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and partners. Each ESD contains a box and arrow diagram depicting ecosystem change in response to land use and management history (known as a state-and-transition model) and the effects of ecosystem change on the services they provide. The organization of EDIT follows the NRCS land resource hierarchy. Keys are available within EDIT to help users identify different ecological sites within each major land resource area (i.e., ecoregion) nationwide. ESDs can be downloaded as PDFs, explored directly within the interactive EDIT web application, or analyzed via the Application Programming Interface (API). EDIT integrates with other NRCS software systems to ensure conservation planners, NRCS partners, and the public have easy access to reliable ecosystem knowledge throughout the country. |
| distribution |
[ { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "Web services documentation", "accessURL": "https://edit.sc.egov.usda.gov/resources/esd", "description": "Much of the data housed in the Ecological Dynamics Interpretive Tool (EDIT) can now be accessed via web services. These services enable users to consume EDIT data directly into external applications and custom scripts written in their preferred language, among other uses. Documentation is organized into three sections according to the file format returned by each service: JSON, tab-delimited text, and PDF. All web service requests are made using the HTTP GET method. Users can therefore call EDIT web services via URL or other standard means (e.g., AJAX). Detailed examples of using EDIT web services can be found in the tutorial sections of this page. Developers are encouraged to specify a version when including web service calls in their application code. They are also encouraged to check for, and appropriately handle, 404 errors returned by web service requests. The current version will become deprecated following release of a new version, and all requests to deprecated versions will return a 404 error. Specify a version by adding a version query parameter to the web service call, as illustrated below. The most recent version will be used if no parameter is included." }, { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "Ecological Site Descriptions (ESD)", "accessURL": "https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/getting-assistance/technical-assistance/ecological-sciences/ecological-site-descriptions", "description": "Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) are reports that provide detailed information about a particular kind of land - a distinctive Ecological Site." } ] |
| identifier | NRCS0017 |
| keyword |
[ "EDIT", "ESD", "NCSS", "NRCS", "ecological sites", "soil survey", "soils", "usda" ] |
| landingPage | https://edit.sc.egov.usda.gov/ |
| language |
[ "en-US" ] |
| license | https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ |
| modified | 2026-06-16 |
| programCode |
[ "000:000" ] |
| publisher |
{ "name": "Natural Resources Conservation Service", "@type": "org:Organization", "subOrganizationOf": { "name": "Natural Resources Conservation Service", "@type": "org:Organization" } } |
| references |
[ "https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/getting-assistance/technical-assistance/ecological-sciences/ecological-site-descriptions" ] |
| rights |
"true"
|
| spatial | United States, Territories, Commonwealths, Island Nations |
| title | Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool (EDIT) |
