Welcome to the NSSC-GRU

The Geospatial Research Unit (GRU) of the National Soil Survey Center (NSSC) supports the natural resource business needs of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) through the innovative use of geographic information sciences and related technologies. We are responsible for the use, application, and integration of geo-technology tools to support and expand the efficient delivery of NRCS programs, with an emphasis on natural resource inventory and mapping activities. The GRU works closely with NRCS staff at field, state, and national offices, other federal agencies, university researchers, and the private sector to achieve these goals.

The GRU is a collaboration of the USDA and the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, Division of Plant and Soil Sciences at West Virginia University. We are located in Morgantown, West Virginia. Our personnel include NRCS and WVU staff, contractors, and WVU undergraduate and graduate students.