This workshop will overview techniques and methods that can be used to utilize and interpret digital soils data. Detailed digital soils (SSURGO) data is now available for most of Pennsylvania; to date, 64 out of the 67 Pennsylvania counties are available. Within the year, the entire state will be available. Working with SSURGO data within GIS requires software, hardware and special knowledge and techniques that will be addressed at the workshop. There are new technologies, that will be presented that address efficient access and analysis of soils data. Internet-based tools including the online soils data view, SoilMap, will be demonstrated that simplify access and interpretation of data.
Dr. Day is an Associate Professor of Soil Science and Environmental Information Systems in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State University. His current position is divided among cooperative extension, resident education, and research. He serves as Director of the Land Analysis Laboratory, Director of the Cooperative Extension Geospatial Technology Program, and Director of the Penn State – Chesapeake site of the National Consortium for Rural Geospatial Innovations (RuralGIS). Dr. Day has over 24 years of experience in geospatial sciences. Dr. Day’s extension activities focus on technology transfer of geospatial information system technologies to users throughout Pennsylvania and the surrounding region for use in environmental assessment, agriculture, K-12 education, local government, and land use planning and management. Dr. Day’s research interests include (1) the development of new applications of advanced geospatial technologies in natural resource, agricultural, and environmental studies, and (2) field soil science emphasizing soil physical properties and processes. Basic research interests have been in spatial data analysis, soil morphology, soil hydrologic processes, watershed hydrology, and nutrient and sediment transport modeling. Applied research is focused on the application of advanced information system technologies such as geographic information systems, remote sensing, terrain analysis, global positioning systems and computer modeling, to environmental assessment and management.
Tim Enderlein is a senior Extension Associate at the Geospatial Technology Program from the Pennsylvania State University. He is working as a GIS Applications Developer by a direction of Dr. Rick Day.