A Semi-Automated Model to Improve Positional Accuracy of Soil Survey Pedons of Indiana.

The Soil Characterization data of the United States is an exhaustive collection of soil pedon descriptions, lab analysis information, and geographic locations for soils sampled during the last century. The data is monitored by the National Cooperative Soil Survey and is freely available to the public. Its range and versatility makes this database a widely used input for natural resources, climate, and land management models. Although the analytical information of these points is reliable, the geographic location may be inaccurate, possibly placing the pedon point more than six miles from its sampled location. A model was developed to assess the locational accuracy of the pedon points using soil descriptive information collected by the soil scientists who sampled them. Points which did not correspond to the environment described were relocated to the nearest area with a matching soil environment and an estimate of the positional accuracy was assigned to each.