Soilscape Builds on Century of Effort to Provide Practical Information to Iowans

From the old paper soil maps to the new, high-tech, interactive environment of Soilscape.org, Iowa State University scientists have led efforts to characterize a largely hidden landscape -- the ground under our feet, farms, homes and businesses. 

Soilscape

Advanced soil mapping techniques leverage digital, geospatial tools that make soils information more immediate, accessible and communicative, according to Professor Bradley Miller, agronomy, manager of Iowa State's Geographic Laboratory for Soil Informatics. 

"We are improving capabilities all the time," Miller said. He is one of the creators of Soilscape. The new public resource integrates data from the long-time soil survey data with advanced landscape analytics to enhance public access to comprehensive soil information. 

“Soilscape offers user-friendly tools and visualization that empower researchers, land managers and the public to explore and understand soil and environmental data like never before,” he said. “Using the website’s interactive maps, you can easily turn on or off layers of information relevant to your interests.”