Thinkng nside the (Tool) Box: Geomorphometric Analysis for the Soil Survey Update ot Potter County, Pennsy vania

摘要

Home improvement is an apt metaphor for a soil survey update. In a house, the living room needs a new coat of paint, the kitchen needs more counter space, and the avocado green linoleum and leaky tile in the bathroom need to be replaced. In a soil survey, new high resolution imagery and elevation data are available, map units occur in anomalous places, and the survey is so old it can't support modern interpretations. Hammers haven't changed much over the years, and our tools and techniques aren't exactly new either. But our architectonic approach to investigating soil series and developing new models for their locations parallels the sequence of planning and construction for home renovation. Each soil survey, like each home, is unique, and the application of tools, raw materials and skills varies by the job.