Interpretive Maps of Soil Properties for Indiana Derived From SSURGO Data.

The detailed soil survey data is arguably the best spatial data on earth surface conditions available. In each soil survey area field soil scientists made thousands of individual, ground- truthed observations, mapping and quantifying the natural variation and spatial distribution of soils. Powerful Geographic Information System (GIS) software, coupled with the recent availability of digital soil survey data for virtually all of the US, provides an important new tool for scaling observations and processes from individual point observations (pedons) to local, regional, and global landscape scales. Although GIS technology has been developing for more than 40 years, its usefulness for studying landscape scale soil processes has only recently been realized. The soil survey in Indiana comprises approximately 500 soil series and 1.3 million polygons. These polygons were grouped using ArcGIS and SSURGO data based on common features and interpretations to determine distribution.  These maps allow soil scientists and students to identify and explore Indiana landscapes and soil morphology not readily available in a traditional soil survey. The thematic soil maps to be presented and discussed which include Drainage Classification, Loess Distribution, Fragipan Distribution, Pre-Settlement Vegetation, and others.