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 Xtreme
−www.drs-ts.com
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
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, 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
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
Wild Cat Creek
Flowed Here
An Esker
An Esker
An Esker
bedrock
outcrop
esker trough
kame
esker
gravel pit
4 miles
A Scoured
Outwash Plain
A Scoured Outwash Plain
~9 miles
A Scoured Outwash Plain
Tablet PCs on All Day Field Trips
Fall 2006
Fall 2005
Michigan
City
Northern Indiana
Field Trip
Glacier
Outwash
Plain
Sand
Plain
89 miles
End
Moraine
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
−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
“… a bird’s eye view
with x-ray vision …”