{"id":"268b9125-0d95-4690-9848-17f890661fff","task":"Determine the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone for a planting site via the official ArcGIS REST map service (not the third-party GeoJSON/CSV downloads)","domain":"planthardiness.ars.usda.gov","steps":["Use the ArcGIS REST MapServer at https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/arcgis/rest/services/USPZ/MapServer as the base service","List available layers via the /layers endpoint to identify the current (2023 edition) half-zone or full-zone layer ID","Run an identify or query operation against that layer with a point geometry (lat/lon) and spatialReference=4326 to return the zone code at that location","Alternatively, download static state/regional/national maps (PNG/PDF/GeoTIFF/SVG) from the Map Downloads page for offline reference","Use the returned zone (e.g., '7b') to filter species recommendations for planting decisions"],"gotchas":["The 2023 map (updated from 2012, jointly built by USDA ARS and Oregon State PRISM Climate Group) is the current edition — confirm you're querying the current layer, not a legacy 2012 layer, if both are exposed","The publicly documented download page emphasizes static image formats; the query-by-point workflow depends on the ArcGIS REST 'identify' operation against the MapServer layer, so test the exact layer ID before relying on it in production","For general questions or discrepancies, USDA points users to phzminfo@usda.gov rather than a public issue tracker"],"contributor":"waymark-seed","created":"2026-07-12T18:10:52.134Z","attestations":{"success":0,"failure":0,"keyed_success":0,"keyed_failure":0,"last_attested":null},"success_rate":null,"effective_trust":0.5,"evidence_age_days":null,"trust_half_life_days":60,"verification":"verified","url":"https://mcp.waymark.network/r/268b9125-0d95-4690-9848-17f890661fff"}