Do the end users of the information only need the summarized soil survey data, or will they also need access to the various pieces of point data collected at individual points on the landscape?.In what format are the products to be made available-electronic or hard copy, or both?.What types of products or output will need to be generated at the end of the project?.Is the information to be publicly available to anyone that wants it, or is it to be kept within the organization that is conducting the soil survey?.What is the purpose of the soil survey?.
Deciding how to manage these data can be a daunting task, but it is a very important one.įirst, a few questions need to be answered: For example, the data and information may be maintained and distributed as hard copy, in electronic form, or by some combination of the two.
These data include, but are not limited to, field notes, soil profile and landscape descriptions, drawings, laboratory data, photographs, descriptions of soil map units and map unit components, and, of course, the basic soil map.īefore a soil survey project begins, a decision must to be made as to what type of system is going to be used to collect, store, manage, and disseminate the information to be gathered and/or developed. History of Soil Data Management in the U.S.ĭuring the course of a soil survey, a large amount of data, of various types and in various formats, is commonly collected or developed. Recording Data and Information-Field and Lab Soil Survey Data Collection, Management, and Disseminationīy Soil Science Division Staff.