Digital Mapping and Updating Course

Editing Tools Team

West Texas Telecommunications Project - Field Soil Scientist Toolbox



Draft from Oklahoma (revised August 2009) Hydrometer Particle Size Calculator



Proposed Data Model Changes to NASIS for the week of March 19th 2007 NASIS-Proposed Model Changes Version 2

NASIS-Proposed Model Changes Group 2

The Point Data Collection Team is currently developing a list of fields for "soft" data and methods. A form 638-3 (Proposed Amendment to Soil Data Dictionary) has been prepared for some of these elements and submitted to NSSC for possible inclusion in the next release of NASIS. Please review this list and provide additional comments to the Point Data Collection Team. Revised Proposed Amendment to Soil Data Dictionary

Potential data model changes to NASIS are being discussed. The following are some documents being reviewed prior to official submission of data elements for inclusion in the NASIS model. Buisness Requirements for NASIS for time and space.doc

Examples of shape files from NSSL point data are provided at the bottom of this web page, along with a description of how to use hyperlinks to pull reports from NASIS and the National Soil Survey Laboratory Repository.

Soft data, is the data that is generated by field soil scientists performing analysis on soil samples locally.

The following is a choice list of values included in the Pedon PC 2.0 pick list for Field Measured Properties.
  • Very Coarse Sand % |NAME - VCOS >#18 <#10 <2mm
  • Coarse Sand % |NAME - COS >#35 <#18 <2mm
  • Medium sand % |NAME - MS >#60 <#35 <2mm
  • Fine sand % |NAME - FS >#140 <#60 <2mm
  • Very fine sand % |NAME - VFS >#300 <#140 <2mm
  • Very fine sand % |NAME - VFS >#270 <#140 <2mm
  • Percent Silt by hydrometer |NAME -Silt 40 second - 6 hr
  • Percent clay by hydrometer |Clay 6 hr
  • Name = pH NaF (In NASIS Horizon)
  • Name - Aluminum Saturation
  • Name - Base Saturation
  • Name - CaCO3 (Exists in NASIS Horizon)
  • Name - CaCO3 clay %
  • Name - Gypsum %
  • Name - COLE
  • Name - Odor
  • Name - Bulk density*
  • Unit of Measure - Percent
  • Unit of Measure - petrochemical?
  • Unit of Measure - sulfurous?
  • Unit of Measure - none
  • Unit of Measure - grams per cc
    *Field Moist Bulk Density -

    A draft of the Soil Survey Field and Laboratory Methods Manual is now available Draft Soil Survey Field and Laboratory Methods Manual

    * Some of the fields that currently exist in the pedon horizon table in NASIS.

    Some of this data has been recorded in the field measured properties table and some has been moved to the pedon horizon table already.

    Additional elements which have not been added to the field measured properties pick list.

    • Moisture content - Percent

    Further discussion of metadata: Metadata discussion

    Another issue is to decide whether or not method codes should be added for each of the fields or group of fields (an example of a group would be sieve data). Examples of fields already in NASIS that include a method code for each measurement are EC and EC metod, and pH and pH method.

    Related issue: Rough start at summarizing data fields from multiple laboratories: Laboratory_data.xls

    Appendix concerning some shape files from the NSSL data:

    Shape files from the National Soil Survey Laboratory Data

    These files were generated from the National Soil Survey Laboratory Repository. You may find them of some use.

    There are four shape files here that were made a few weeks ago. They have been made from the data that is available from the National Characterization Data site.

    http://ssldata.nrcs.usda.gov/querypage.asp

    Each shape file represents part of the data. The NSSL NAD 27 data is all in one file. The NSSL NAD 83 data is all in one file.

    The points for which no datum was defined (Datum was null) have been placed into two separate shape files. One of the shape files has been defined with a NAD27 while the other has been defined with a NAD83.

    What can be done with these files?

    It is possible to overlay these point files with SSURGO and imagery to see where the laboratory samples were taken.

    In the case of the Null Datum data, it is possible to compare the location in NAD27 to the Location using NAD83 to decide which is more appropriate. The idea would be to identify the appropriate Datum and forward that information to Lincoln so that the database can be updated.

    There are four columns in the attribute table that can be of use. These hyperlinks are designed to allow you to run the reports that are available from the web using ArcMap and the hyperlink tool.

    The four reports are: Primary Characterization Report Supplementary Characterizationi Report Taxonomy Report NASIS Pedon Description Report

    To acivate the hyperlink tool, perform the following tasks:

    • 1. Load the point layers
    • 2. Right click on the legend and choose "Properties"
    • 3. In the Layer Properties choose "Display"
    • 4. In the "Display" tab check the Support Hyperlinks using field box
    • 5. Choose one of the last four fields in the attribute table corresponding to the report you want to run
    • 6. Choose OK
    • 7. Activate the hyperlink tool which looks like a bolt of lightning

      At this point all you have to do is to point the bolt of lightening at the point you are interested in. (The point probably has a blue dot in it representing the fact that it is a hyperlink) The result will be a report generated either from the laboratory data, or from NASIS corresponding to the point on the map.

      How this could be used:

      A point has been sampled.

      In NAD27 projection it lands in a floodplain unit.

      In NAD83 projection it lands in an upland unit.

      The hyperlink is activated and a report is generated.

      The series sampled is a typical pedon for a floodplain unit.

      You can then let the National Soil Survey Laboratory know that the Datum for that sample is NAD27 and future analysis will make more sense than if you used the NAD83 projection which put the point outside of the Map Unit that it represented.



    • Communications

     Pedon PC

     Draft-powerpoint-Job Aids

     NASIS Reports - Interpretations

     Educational Page

     Erosion and Sediment Control

     Field Measured Properties

     Metadata

     Quality Assurance of Point Data

     Analysis Tools

     Data_Acquistion_and_Integration

    NCSS Characterization Data

     Historical_replicas