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Mobile Maps: Understanding Soils and Landscapes Using GIS in the Field
Darrell G. Schulze & Phillip R. OwensAgronomy DepartmentPurdue UniversityWest Lafayette, IN
Background
• Soils occur in landscapes in predictable, repeating patterns−parent material−topography −vegetation−climate−time of formation
Instructional Problem
• It is difficult to see differences
−when vegetation covers surface
−as distances and the size of the features increase• 100’s of meters to 100’s of kilometers
Instructional Problem• Helping students (and teachers!) develop their
own mental models of soil landscapes.
Conceptual models presented in the
classroom
Landscape features in the field
Paper Maps?
• Advantages−inexpensive, low-tech
• Disadvantages−need several map scales
• small scale for overview, large scale for details −need different kinds of maps
• topographic maps, geology maps, soil maps, etc.−difficult to locate one’s position on map
• especially when driving
Electronic Maps?
• Advantages−potential for many maps−vary map scale as needed−locate position with GPS unit
• Disadvantages−expense−need electric power −possible reliability issues
Taking Computers to the Field• must be rugged−dirt, water, bumps
• display must be visible in sunlight
Extremely Rugged Tablet PCs
• Hammerhead Xtreme
−www.drs-ts.com • 933 MHz or 1.1 GHz Pentium III• 40 gigabyte hard drive• all-vis display (sunlight readable)• Windows XP Tablet Edition• External Garmin GPS10x• external accessories−power supplies for 12 V & 120 V,
extra batteries
Tablet PCs & GIS in the Field
College of Agriculture Instructional Innovation Grant Program and Purdue Agronomy Department
ITaP Teaching & Learning with Technology Digital Content Development Grant
Primary Data Sets for Tippecanoe County• Indiana 2005 Digital Elevation Model
−Indiana Spatial Data Portal−1.5 x 1.5 m, down-sampled to 5 x 5 m−hillshade & transparent color ramp
• SSURGO Soils −NRCS Soil Data Mart−detailed, 2nd order soil survey
• covers almost all of agricultural areas of U.S.−soil parent material, loess thickness, drainage
class• Other maps
−roads, towns, aerial photography, etc.−downloaded from IndianaMap
Soil Maps
• Dominant Soil Parent Material−based on soil series description−generally deepest material, or most
unique material in profile• Loess Depth−thickness of wind-blown silt
• Soil Drainage Class−presence of a seasonal high water
table
Dominant Soil Parent Materials for Tippecanoe County
• wide variety of glacial deposits−till (dense)−glaciofluvial sediments−outwash (coarse sand & gravel)−alluvium (modern flood plains)−eolian sands & sandy sediments−lacustrine deposits (deep silts)−organic deposits (anywhere in profile)
• residuum (sandstone & siltstone)• water
Soil Parent Material• red = till• pink =
glaciofluvial sediments
• green = outwash• lt. blue = alluvium
Soil Parent Material• red = till• pink =
glaciofluvial sediments
• green = outwash• lt. blue = alluvium
Northern Indiana Field Trip
89 milesGlacier
OutwashPlain
EndMoraine
SandPlain
MichiganCity
WestLafayette
Software with GPS support
• ArcGIS 9.0 or higher−http://www.esri.com
• Google Earth−http://earth.google.com
• Global Mapper−http://www.globalmapper.com
GPS receiver
• use high sensitivity receiver −i.e., Garmin GPS10x
(SiRFstarIII receiver)−receives signal inside bus or
van, in woods• Bluetooth
−reduces cords−may be problematic
Future Plans
• Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences (Isee) into Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Curricula−expand our data model to the whole state−make data available via the Internet
• Google Earth −integrate a geospatial approach into our
undergraduate teaching program