ABSTRACT:
Digital image processing of Landsat multispectral scanning data has proven to be a complementary tool for mapping soils on rangeland in Arizona. Digitally processed Landst data, stratified by landform and parent material, proved useful in denoting change in more homogenous soil areas. Representative study sites were selected within each stratum, studied in detail, and used to refine the Landsat classification into the most useful patterns for mapping soils. Landsat output products were used in the office as planning and organizing tools. These products were compared with aerial photographic interpretation for compatibility with soil mapping units. This process provided the field soil scientist with an efficient, effective guide for locating areas where soil series description, soil transects, and vegetative descriptions could be obtained. The use of Landsat MSS data was cost-effective, saving time and money, as well as enhancing the quality of the soil survey.
Footnotes
R. D. Roudabush is a soil scientist with the Bureau of Land Management, 225 North Bluff, St. George, Utah 84770; R. C. Herriman, R. L. Barmore, and C. W. Schellentrager arc soil scientists with the Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Copyright 1985 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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