MLRA Soil Survey Updates

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MLRA Soil Survey Updates

• New Game For Most of Us Need to be Flexible and
  Patient
• Lots of Questions??????
• Challenges
• Here in MO6 most of us are still involved with
  initial soil survey work. Slowly transitioning
  to update work.
• Update by MLRA, or geographic area, but still
  must maintain and export individual county soil
  survey areas.
• Funding goes to host State but crews may work
  multiple States

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MLRA Soil Survey Updates

• Challenges
• General guidance available but specific guidance
  still needs further development. Feeling our way
  right now.
• Communications need to improve between MOs,
  States, and the MLRA SSOs
• Old Habits Die Hard
• Difficult to get folks thinking on an MLRA scale
• Must lose the urge to immediately remap/map
  everything
• Must get in the habit of evaluating, researching,
  documenting, and enhancing

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MLRA Soil Survey Updates

• General Guidance is found in Part 610 of the NSSH
• 610.doc
• What have other MOs/States Done?
• When the Mapping is Over.pdf

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A Suggested 10 Step Approach to MLRA Updates

• Establish and Fully Staff MLRA SSOs
• Make sure office is functional office space,
  furniture, equipment, computers, vehicles,etc.
• Start gathering up all information for the MLRA
  Soil Survey Area
• Documentation, old maps, spatial files, type
  location boxes, survey reports, correlation
  documents, progress reviews, lab data, etc.

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A Suggested 10 Step Approach to MLRA Updates

• Form the MLRA SSA Technical Team and the MLRA SSA
  Management Team for the MLRA SSA
• Technical Team SDQS, MLRA SSL, Key Local NRCS
  personnel (ACs, DCs, RMSs, RSSs), NCSS Partners.
• Provides technical advise to the MLRA SSL.
• Management Team State Soil Scientist(s), or
  State Soil Scientist plus the MLRA Team Leader
• Provides management support and direction for
  setting project priorities.
• The overall purpose of the teams is to provide
  technical and management assistance to the MLRA
  SSO with developing plans, priorities, and
  resolving issues.

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A Suggested 10 Step Approach to MLRA Updates

• Conduct Evaluations of Soil Survey Areas and
  other existing soil survey products
• Need not evaluate every map unit can be a
  sampling of map units
• Use geospatial tools to find inconsistencies in
  data and interpretations
• Identify Needed Special Investigations
• Identify Deficiencies, Inconsistencies, Needs
  Found during Evaluation Process

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A Suggested 10 Step Approach to MLRA Updates

• MLRA SSL with assistance from the MLRA SSA
  Technical Team Drafts
• MLRA Long Range Plan (LRP) This is essentially a
  needs and assessment inventory of the SSA
  including findings from the evaluation(s).
  Includes a description of the MLRA SSA and the
  major physiographic units in the MLRA SSA. The
  LRP is presented to the Management Team for
  review and approval.
• Project Plans - Project plans include updating
  soils by geographic subsets or catenas or
  special investigation projects such as water
  table studies. Generally, 1 to 5 year projects.
• Projects can be broken down into milestones
  that identify and track the progress of crucial
  steps needed to complete the project.
• Project Plans are presented to the Management
  Team for review and approval.
• Annual Work Plans consisting of all activities
  including Project Plan Work and Milestones.
• Plans are presented to the MLRA Management Team
  for review and approval.

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A Suggested 10 Step Approach to MLRA Updates

• Initiate and Complete Foundation Work
• Normalize boundaries with adjoining MLRA SSAs
  (much of this is accomplished by updating overlap
  tables in NASIS)
• Assess training needs and obtain training for
  staff
• Obtain and/or develop all needed supporting
  spatial layers, including a point data layer
• Draft Soil-Veg-Climate Model for MLRA SSA to use
  as correlation guide
• Identify LRUs and Catenas on which update
  projects will be based.
• Develop lists of Landform and Parent Material
  terminology to be used in the MLRA SSA
• Develop list of OSDs with type locations in MLRA
  SSA and update OSDs where needed
• Identify and implement needed special
  investigations, i.e. soil temp/moisture studies,
  water table, permeability, etc.
• Revise benchmark soils list and develop sampling
  plans

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A Suggested 10 Step Approach to MLRA Updates

• Begin Phase I Standardize, Refine, and Enhance
  existing data based only on known information
• DO NO HARM!!!!!!!!!
• There will not be any remapping/mapping during
  this phase!!!!!!!!!!!!

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A Suggested 10 Step Approach to MLRA Updates

• Phase I Work Items
• Spatial Enhancements
• Adjust line work to fit latest imagery
• Bring slightly separated lines across survey
  boundaries together (snapping closed)
• Identify areas that will need field investigation
  during the Phase II process
• WHEN IN DOUBT DO NOT MOVE THE LINE!!
• DO NO HARM!!!!!!!

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A Suggested 10 Step Approach to MLRA Updates

• Phase I Work Items Continued
• Attribute Enhancements
• Review data and identify inconsistencies/errors
• MLRAs, Prime farmland, T factors, WEI, WEG, k
  factors, ksat, awhc, ESDs, etc.
• Fix inconsistencies/errors based on known
  information
• Populate null data where needed
• Identify data areas that will need field
  investigation during the Phase II process
• WHEN IN DOUBT DO NOT CHANGE DATA!!
• DO NO HARM!!!!!!!

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A Suggested 10 Step Approach to MLRA Updates

• Phase II Begin field investigations based on
  LRUs, catenas, or geographic subsets of soils
• Collect Documentation
• Progressive Correlation
• Populate/Adjust Data/Spatial Information
• Record all attribute changes in NASIS
• Quality Control Review
• Quality Assurance Review/Approval
• Refresh Soil Data Mart