Proposal for NCSS Digital Soil Mapping Framework

Date: 6/7/2006

Prepared By: Western Regional Applied Technology Standing Committee, Bill Ypsilantis, Chair; Dave Hoover, Co-Chair

Prepared For: NCSS New Technology Standing Committee, Jon Hempel, Chair, Pete Biggam, Co-Chair

Vision Statement: National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) standards that provide guidance for producing and using high quality, consistent digital soil survey products that meet customer needs. These standards will effectively and efficiently integrate digital soil mapping methods into the NCSS on a national basis and support the appropriate use, management, and maintenance of soil survey data.

Issue: Digital soil mapping methods are rapidly being incorporated into soil survey procedures at local, state, and regional levels; however, no overarching national framework for the application of these methods exists.  Current National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) standards for digital soil mapping and digital soil map products are primarily cartographic and do not address key issues in digital data analysis, management, and use.  A framework is needed to effectively and efficiently integrate digital soil mapping methods into the NCSS on a national basis, and subsequently to support the appropriate use, management, and maintenance of the resulting data

Recommendations:

• Form an NCSS committee, subcommittee, or work group to review existing NCSS mapping standards for the soil and ecology business areas and their transfer to a digital geospatial environment.¹ This committee, subcommittee or work group should be representative of the NCSS partners and regions.
• Coordinate with appropriate national and regional NCSS committees and work groups, such as the existing Standards, New Technology, and Applied Technology committees.
• Examine existing related NCSS issues relative to other entities including the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) committees and workgroups, and the International Union of Soil Scientists.
• Develop a framework for digital mapping standards, their review and documentation.
• Establish a special team of knowledgeable scientists to work toward this goal by the 2007 National NCSS meeting.

Contacts: Sharon Waltman, NRCS, 304-293-8232; Don Fallon, USFS, 801-625-5361; Bill Ypsilantis, BLM, 303-236-3404

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