Web 2.0 Mapping Technologies for Decimating Land Use Planning Information.

The Internet is one of the most highly utilized sources of information. The capability of this technology for soils instruction cannot be underestimated. On the contrary it must be integrate with different sources of spatial data to support and improve the knowledge about land use and its impact on the environment. We developed Internet mapping procedures to make environmental spatial databases (i.e., soils, geologic, terrain, and flood zone probability) available on the Internet using Web 2.0 techniques in the form of user-friendly interactive maps. Those maps can be used to display information associate with specifics land-use problems, illustrate their severity and area extent, and help understand cause-effect relationships of soil degradation in landscapes. We will demonstrate how this tool can be used to efficiently educate the public about how soils information should be combined with other data resources to make appropriate land use planning decisions. Teaching students and the general public to integrate soils information with more visually apparent information (e.g., roads, building) helps them value the soil as a critical component of human life.