GIS for Environmental Science

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GIS for Environmental Science

• ENSC 3603
• Class 18
• 3/12/09

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Topics for Today

• GIS Implementation Phases continued
• Soil Survey
• Soil Analysis

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GIS Implementation Phases

• Assessment and evaluation of the current
  situation
• Development of a business concept
• Identification and specification of user
  requirements
• Identification and acquisition of data
• Benefit-cost analysis
• Devising a strategic plan
• Choice of hardware and software
• Defining and obtaining the necessary expertise
• Choosing a GIS supplier
• System implementation
• Operation and maintenance of the system
• (Bernhardsen, 1999)

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Benefit-cost analysis

• Justification usually begins with an effort to
  identify and assign a price to the benefits and
  cost of adopting a GIS.
• What are the Costs of using current methods?
• Will using a GIS improve efficiency enough to
  justify the cost of implementation and
  maintenance.

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Devising a strategic plan

• Business management consists of two general
  categories strategic and tactical.
• Strategic management is laying out the overall
  long-term course of an enterprise.
• Tactical management is taking the short-term
  actions that keep the enterprise on the course
  provided by the strategic plan (Kay and Edwards).

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Strategic plan Examples

• Arkansas Division of Agriculture
• http//division.uaex.edu/news_publications/strateg
  ic_plan/strategic_plan.pdf
• Tucson, AZ Water
• http//www.terrasw.com/tucwater/statplan/default.h
  tm
• Ontario, CA City Plan
• http//www.ci.ontario.ca.us/index.cfm/3306

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Choice of hardware and software

• The right choices are essential.
• Can be easy in that technical characteristics and
  prices can be compared.
• Can be difficult because future applications are
  unknown and computer technologies change
  continuously. (Bernhardsen)

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Defining and obtaining the necessary expertise

• Will you train in house or hire someone with
  experience?
• If you train current employees, how long will
  that take and will their GIS duties compete with
  other work duties on the job?
• Consultants are not essential. If needed they
  can guide the process.

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Choosing a GIS supplier

• Factors that will affect GIS acquisition
• Procedural requirements of your organization
• The characteristics of the planned system
• System Acquisition Steps
• Request for Qualifications
• Request for Information
• Request for Proposals
• Receipt and evaluation of proposals
• Benchmark Test
• Negotiation and contract
• Site preparation
• Hardware and software installation
• Acceptance testing (Tomlinson)

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Choosing a GIS supplier

• Selection Criteria
• Functionality will it perform required
  functions
• Cost
• Training Availability and quality
• System capacity/ scalability
• System speed
• System support
• Vendor reliability (stability, market share,
  references from other users) (Tomlinson)

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System implementation

• Site Preparation are the servers and network
  connections available for system installation?
• Hardware and software installation The
  complexity of the system will determine if the
  vendor will provide this service. Often, the
  vendor and the client are involved.
• Acceptance testing Does the installed system
  meet the criteria bid.

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Operation and maintenance of the system

• Continue to provide training support and upgrades
  to the system.

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Soil Survey

• Soil Survey is a systematic examination,
  description, classification, and mapping of the
  soils in a given area.
• Brady and Weil. 1996

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Soil Survey

• Cooperative effort between the NRCS, Land Grant
  Universities and Counties where Survey is being
  conducted.
• You can get print versions if available at
  USDA/NRCS and Cooperative extension service
• NRCS Web Soil Survey
• http//websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/

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Soil Survey Components

• Mapping of the soils
• Characterization of the Mapping Units
• Classification of the Mapping Units
• Correlation to other Soil Surveys
• Interpretation of the soil suitability for
  various land uses

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Soil Survey Components

• Map Units a collection of the areas which have
  similar defined soil properties. Due to these
  similar soil properties, interpretations can be
  made for use and management of the soils in the
  Mapping Unit
• Map Units have a two letter code that is Capital
  then lower case, this is usually followed by a
  slope class code ( a Capital letter form A to F)
• Example CaB Captina silt loam, 1 to 3 percent
  slopes
• Le Leaf silt loam

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Information Provided by Soil Survey

• 1. Properties of Soil Map Units
• color permeability stoniness depth to bedrock
• pH structure salinity texture
• slope H2O availability horizon
  thickness engineering properties
• erosion hazard
• and other physical and chemical properties
• 2. Position on the Landscape
• 3. Percent Area in the Landscape
• 4. Capacities
• Yield for crop, pasture and vegetable
• Suitability for silviculture or forestry,
  floriculture or flowering plants, recreation,
  wildlife and water infrastructure
• Engineering potentials and hazards

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Captina

• Captina Series - Missouri Distribution
• The Captina series consists of deep, moderately
  well drained soils on uplands. These soils formed
  in a thin layer of loess and in cherty sediments.
  They have a fragipan. Permeability is moderate in
  the upper part of the profile and slow in the
  fragipan. Slopes range from 2 to 9 percent.
• Typical pedon of Captina silt loam, 2 to 5
  percent slopes, 2,200 feet south and 800 feet
  west of the northeast corner of sec. 22, T. 26
  N., R. 3 E.
• A0 to 5 inches brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam,
  light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry weak fine
  granular structure very friable many fine and
  medium roots common fine pores common worm
  channels and casts very strongly acid clear
  wavy boundary. BE5 to 12 inches yellowish brown
  (10YR 5/4 and 5/6) silt loam weak fine
  subangular blocky structure friable in the E
  part, firm in the B part common fine and medium
  roots common fine pores common worm channels
  few fine pieces of carbonized material very
  strongly acid gradual smooth boundary.

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• Bt12 to 26 inches strong brown (7.5YR 5/6)
  silty clay loam moderate medium subangular
  blocky structure firm common fine and medium
  roots few faint clay films on faces of peds
  common fine pores few worm channels and casts
  very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam in old root
  channels extremely acid clear wavy
  boundary.Bx126 to 30 inches light yellowish
  brown (10YR 6/4) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6)
  silty clay loam moderate fine subangular blocky
  structure brittle in place firm few fine
  roots few fine pores about 10 percent chert
  fragments extremely acid abrupt wavy
  boundary.Bx230 to 36 inches mottled brownish
  yellow (10YR 6/8), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), and
  light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very cherty silty
  clay loam moderate fine subangular blocky
  structure brittle in place firm about 60
  percent chert fragments extremely acid clear
  wavy boundary.Bx336 to 60 inches mottled light
  olive brown (2.5Y 5/6), strong brown (7.5YR 4/6),
  and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cherty silty
  clay loam brittle in place chert-controlled
  structure firm thick clay flows along polygonal
  structure lines about 60 percent chert
  fragments extremely acid.

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• Depth to the fragipan ranges from 16 to 28
  inches. In uncultivated areas the A horizon has
  chroma of 2 or 3. The content of chert in this
  horizon ranges from 0 to 5 percent. The BE
  horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR and chroma of 4
  to 6. It is silt loam or silty clay loam. The Bt
  horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR and chroma of 4
  to 8. The Bx horizon is mottled with hue of 7.5YR
  to 2.5YR and chroma of 2 or 8 and shades of gray
  and yellowish red. It is silt loam, silty clay
  loam, or the cherty or very cherty analogs of
  those textures. The content of chert in this
  horizon ranges from 10 to 60 percent.

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Generalized Landscape Positions 1 Summit 2 and
3 Shoulder Slope 4 and 5 Backslope 6
Footslope 7 Toeslope
Position helps understand relative Alluvial vs.
Colluvial material deposition.
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Slope Classes

• 0 2 or 0 3 sometimes 0 6 A
• 2 8 or 3 8 sometimes 2 6 B
• 8 15 C
• 15 25 sometimes 12 20 D
• 25 35 sometimes 20 45 E
• 35 60 F
• Designated by a A, B, C, D, E or F at the end of
  the Map Unit Symbol

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Drainage Classes
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Redox Features and Mottling in Relation to
Drainage Classes

• 0 6 in. very poorly drained
• 6 12 in. poorly drained
• 12 20 in. somewhat poorly drained
• 20 32 in. moderately well drained
• 32 42 in. well drained
• 42 52 in. somewhat excessively well drained
• gt 52 in. excessively well drained

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Soil Analysis

• Physical analysis
• Particle size
• Moisture content
• Bulk density
• Available water capacity
• Chemical analysis
• Electrical conductivity
• pH
• Available NPK
• Organic matter content

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Physical Soil Analysis

• Soil Particle size Analysis
• Soil consists of discrete particles of various
  shapes and sizes. The object of a particle size
  analysis is to group these particles into
  separate ranges of sizes and so determine the
  relative proportion by weight of each size range.
• The method employs sieving and sedimentation of a
  soil/water/dispersant suspension to separate the
  particles. The sedimentation technique is based
  on an application of Stokes law to a soil/water
  suspension and periodic measurement of the
  density of the suspension.
• Uses a soil hydrometer, graduated cylinders, a
  sieve, timer.

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Physical Soil Analysis
Soil texture relative proportion of different
grain sizes Of mineral particles in the
soil. Sand, Silt, Clay
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Physical Soil Analysis

• Soil moisture content measurements (partial list)
• Gravimetric. This involves collecting a sample,
  weighing it, drying it, and then reweighing it.
• Porous resistance blocks. Can be calibrated to
  measure either content or potential. Their
  performance is only acceptable in relatively dry
  soil where the q - y relation is more or less
  linear. They are easy to use once calibrated, but
  are not particularly accurate
• Neutron probes. Provide high accuracy and
  non-destructive testing, by measuring water
  content surrounding an access tube installed in
  the soil. Use is declining because of the health
  risk and legal reporting requirements.
• Theta Probe -

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Physical Soil Analysis

• Bulk Density
• The weight of a volume of bulk soil. Water is the
  standard by which other densities are compared.
  For water 1 g/cc 1 Mg/m3 1 kg/L

http//soil.gsfc.nasa.gov/pvg/6-1inst.jpg
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Physical Soil Analysis

• Available water capacity
• The range of available water that can be stored
  in soil and be available for growing crops.

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Chemical Soil Analysis

• 1954 to 1986
• NH4 Acetate by sequential Atomic Adsorption (AA)
• K
• CA
• Mg
• Na
• Bray P1 by Spec 20
• P04 -P

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Soil Analysis

• 1997 to present
• Mehlich-3 by simultaneous Inductively Coupled
  Argon Plasma Spectrophotometry (ICP-AE)
• Ca, Mg, K, Na
• Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu
• B
• PO4-P
• SO4-S
• 11 analyses every 60s

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Soil Analysis

• What is a good extractant?
• Mimics a plant root.
• Plant available nutrients released form the soil
  during the growing season
• Good Procedure
• Rapid
• Inexpensive
• Analysis are well correlated to crop nutrient
  response

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Soil Analysis

• Extactants
• NH4 Acetate
• Major nutrients
• DTPA
• Minor nutrients
• Bray P1
• Phosphorus
• Mehlich-3 (used in Arkansas soil testing lab)
• All the above

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Soil Analysis

• Analytical Instrumentation
• Spectrophotometer (Spec 20)
• PO4-P
• Bray P1
• Walkley-Black soil organic matter (Chromic Acid)

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Soil Analysis

• Analytical Instrumentation
• Flame Atomic Adsorption (AA)
• Ca, Mg, K, Na (NH4 Acetate)
• Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, (DTPA)
• Acetylene flame

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Soil Analysis

• Analytical Instrumentation
• Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma
  Spectrophotometry (ICP-AE)
• Ca, Mg, K, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B, P, S, (Mehlich-3)
• Argon Carrier

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Soil Analysis

• Analytical Instrumentation
• pH Ionic Strength
• Soils can be difficult
• Buffer solution high
• Sample low
• Selective Ion Electrodes
• 12 pH
• NO3-N

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Soil Analysis

• Soil pH
• Soil pH is a measure of hydrogen-ion (H)
  activity in a soil suspension. This property
  influences the many aspects of crop production
  and soil chemistry, including availability of
  nutrients and toxic substances, activity and
  diversity of microbial populations, and activity
  of certain pesticides. Soil pH is defined as the
  negative logarithm (base 10) of the H activity
  (moles per liter) in the soil solution. As the
  activity of H in the soil solution increases,
  the soil pH value decreases. Soils with pH values
  below 7 are referred to as acid pH values
  above 7 are referred to as alkaline soils at
  pH 7 are referred to as neutral. 
• Saturated paste used for testing pH
• 11
• 12
• 15
• 110
• 0.01M CaCl2
• 1.0M KCl

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Soil Analysis

• Soil electrical conductivity
• The purpose To determine the concentrations of
  soluble salts. All soil has some water soluble
  salts which include essential nutrients for
  plants to grow. If the water soluble salts exceed
  an certain level then harmful effects on plant
  growth occur. The common unit of measurement for
  electrical conductivity is microsiemens/centimeter
  formerly micromhos/cm.

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Soil Analysis

• Soil Organic Matter
• Total Organic Carbon
• 900oC
• Walkley-Black (Old)
• Low heat chromic acid digest
• Loss on Ignition (Old)
• 450oC

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Chemical Soil Analysis

• Factors that Affect Analysis
• Temperature
• Extractant
• Shaking Time
• Extraction Ratio
• Instrumentation
• Sample partial size
• Technique
• (The Soil Analysis information is from Bill Baker)

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Soil Analysis

• Arkansas Soil testing Lab
• http//www.uark.edu/depts/soiltest/
• Understanding your soil test report
• http//www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/F
  SA-2118.pdf

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Example Exam Questions

• Other Example Quiz questions
• 1. What is the first GIS implementation Phase?
• 2. A _______ _______ defines a organizations
  purpose and forms the basis for defining tasks to
  be implemented by the organization
• 3. Name two examples of how you might identify
  and specify GIS user requirements.
• 4. Define Data Quality.
• 5. The level of data quality should be balanced
  against the ________________________________.
• 6. _________ is the degree to which data agree
  with the values of the real-world features that
  they represent.
• 7. ___________ is a measure of how exact data
  are measured and stored.

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Example Exam Questions

• 8. T of F. High precision always means high
  accuracy
• 9. List three types of errors.
• 10. What type of error refers to mistakes.
  They can be detected and avoided via
  well-designed and careful data collection.
• 11. What implies the lack of confidence in the
  use of the data due to incomplete knowledge of
  the data.
• 12. Name the five data quality components and be
  able to define them.
• 13. List and be able to describe Geographic Data
  Standards.

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Example Exam Questions Cont.

• What is a soil Survey?
• List the five components of a Soil Survey.
• 16. Name four properties of soil map units in a
  soil survey.
• 17. List four types of information provided by a
  soil survey.
• 18. What are the factors that affect soil test
  analysis.
• 19. Why would you want to do a Benefit-Cost
  Analysis before you started a GIS for an
  organization?
• 20. What is Strategic Management?
• What are three selection Criteria that you can
  use to choose a GIS supplier.
• What are two characteristics of a good soil
  analysis extractant?

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Read and Do

• Lab at the Farm Tuesday the 24th
• Exam Thursday the 26th
• Review, look at quizzes, ESRI ArcGIS tutorials
  through module 8. Review Exam 1, chapters in Lo
  (2007)
• Turn in ESRI Learning ArcGIS Tutorial module 8
  Today.

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-Ultimately all you will have left at the end of
the day are your name and your reputation. Invest
in them wisely and you and others will
simultaneously reap the rewards. Leonard A.
Schlesinger - Management expert -I am always
doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may
learn how to do it." - Pablo Picasso 1881-1973