Mobile Maps: Understanding Soils and Landscapes Using GIS in the Field Darrell G. Schulze & Phillip R. Owens Agronomy Department Purdue University West Lafayette, IN

Outline Using GIS to teach soil science Some practical aspects of using GIS in the field

Background Soils occur in landscapes in predictable, repeating patterns − parent material − topography − vegetation − climate − time of formation

Background Soils occur in landscapes in predictable, repeating patterns.

Instructional Problem It is easy to see differences over a few 10’s of meters.

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

Instructional Solution Refer to well-designed maps while observing 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, etc.

Taking Computers to the Field must be rugged − dirt, water, bumps display must be visible in sunlight

Extremely Rugged Tablet PCs Hammerhead X treme −

Extremely Rugged Tablet PCs Hammerhead X treme − 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

Software ArcGIS 9.2 − supports GPS receiver location on the maps is always displayed

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, 2 nd 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

Elevation hillshade 20 miles

Elevation hillshade + transparent color ramp 510 to 834 ft. (155 to 254 m) ASL

Elevation hillshade

Soil Parent Material red = till pink = glaciofluvial sediments green = outwash lt. blue = alluvium

Loess Depth white = <10 in. dk. blue = > 55 in

Soil Parent Material red = till pink = glaciofluvial sediments green = outwash lt. blue = alluvium

Ice Fronts, Tunnel Valleys, Eskers ice front tunnel valley? tunnel valleys & eskers ice front

Wild Cat Creek Flowed Here

An Esker

esker kame esker trough bedrock outcrop gravel pit 4 miles

A Scoured Outwash Plain

~9 miles

A Scoured Outwash Plain

Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Tablet PCs on All Day Field Trips

Northern Indiana Field Trip 89 miles Glacier Outwash Plain End Moraine Sand Plain Michigan City West Lafayette

Outline Using GIS to teach soil science Some practical aspects of using GIS in the field

Software with GPS support ArcGIS 9.0 or higher − Google Earth − Global Mapper −

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

“… a bird’s eye view with x-ray vision …”