Digital Soil Mapping: Bridging Research, Environmental Application, and Operation

Digital Soil Mapping is the creation and the population of a geographically referenced soil database. It is generated at a given resolution by using field and laboratory observation methods coupled with environmental data through quantitative relationships. Digital soil mapping is advancing on different fronts at different rates all across the world. This book presents the state-of-the art and explores strategies for bridging research, production, and environmental application of digital soil mapping.It includes examples from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The chapters address the following topics: - exploring new environmental covariates and sampling schemes - using integrated sensors to infer soil properties or status - innovative inference systems predicting soil classes, properties, and estimating their uncertainties - using digital soil mapping and techniques for soil assessment and environmental application - evaluating and using legacy soil data - protocol and capacity building for making digital soil mapping operational around the globe. Key themes: soil science --digital soil mapping - -soil survey and inventory - -soil information -geographic information systems Janis Boettinger is Professor of soil science at Utah State University, engaged in digital soil mapping research and outreach. Alfred E. Hartemink coordinates GlobalSoilMap.net from ISRIC - World Soil Information in The Netherlands. David Howell, Amanda Moore, and Suzann Kienast-Brown are digital soil mapping practitioners in the USA Soil Survey Program.