National Soil Survey Center Soil Survey Laboratory Data

National Soil Survey Center Soil Survey Laboratory Data Webinar January 12, 2012 1 -212 -287 -1661 Passcode CFISK • • Steve Monteith Rick Nesser Steve Baird Henry Ferguson Please do not put your phone on hold for ANY reason during the teleconference. Unless you intend to talk to all of us, use *6 or the mute button during the teleconference.

• Today’s Webinar will address three aspects of SSL data : – Data associated with sample submission – Data produced by sample analysis – Storage, maintenance and distribution of existing data.

Soil Survey Lab Data Creation, Maintenance, and Retrieval • There are data from over 49, 000 samples in the NCSS database. Without complete and accurate descriptive data (metadata), the analytical data cannot be utilized. • There is an increased demand for data from internal users and from new classes of external users. • Metadata elements in the NCSS database are in need of update. This will require input from local soil scientists who have the specific knowledge and skills to do this. • New lab data is expensive and time consuming to acquire, but is essential to soil survey projects at whatever the cost. The expense necessitates complete and accurate sample documentation.

Data associated with Soil Samples LIMS - Laboratory Information Management It manages: • Metadata submitted with samples describes Project, Site, Pedon, Layer, Samples • Analytical data created in the SSL • Output of Lab Data with associated metadata: Characterization data, Web site queries, CDs

Part 1: Information Needed for Soil Sample Submission and Processing • A spreadsheet and checklist for submitting samples will be available on soils technical references web page: • http: //soils. usda. gov/technical/

Organization of Metadata in LIMS • Project (associated with all pedons and samples submitted) • Site (geographically associated with samples) • Pedon - Description (from NASIS, not Pedon PC) • Layer - Sampling zone, usually a horizon. There can be more than one layer per horizon. • Sample - Represents a layer. There can be multiple samples from a layer.

Project Level Information Submitter’s (your) contact information SSL Liaison or project coordinator Contacts to receive lab data and correspondence Project description: Objective, parent material, setting, topography… (Will be used in selecting needed analyses. ) • Date when data is needed • List of samples including sample types, horizon nomenclature and depths, fragment content. (SSL Sample Submission Worksheet) • Analyses requested for each sample • •

Site Information • Location: lat – long in degrees, minutes, seconds if possible. Include datum. • Area overlap tables - MLRA, soil survey area code, state, county • This information must be in your NASIS pedon description.

Pedon Information • Hard copies of pedon descriptions from NASIS pedon report. (Sample log-in area at SSL does not have NASIS) • Control section upper and lower depth. • Series name and / or taxonomic class. Pedon and site naming convention: (from Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils ver 2. 0):

User Pedon and User Site ID • Example: S 2004 WA 027009 • S = Indicates sampled pedon. • 2004 = Calendar year sampled. Use four digit format. • WA = Two-character (alphabetic) Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code for state where sampled. For non-US samples, use FN. • 027 = Three-digit (numeric) FIPS code for county where sampled. It is important that this be the actual county (not the soil survey area) where the samples are taken to ensure compliance with APHIS regulations. • 009 = Consecutive pedon number for calendar year for county. This should be a three digit number. • A one-character ‘satellite’ code can be used if needed, e. g. S 2004 WA 027009 A • Do not use spaces, dashes or hyphens. Use 0 place holders when necessary. Use upper case letters. • Use the same ID for the User Pedon ID and User Site ID if possible. A spreadsheet for submitting samples is available at http: //soils. usda. gov/technical/

Pedon / Site information • Include an accurate list of NASIS User Pedon IDs and record IDs for all pedons in the project. The SSL will find these and make a copy of each pedon and assign that pedon to the “Pedons” group owned by the SSL. In the future, output of lab data will be associated with your NASIS pedon / site information. You will make any needed edits directly to your NASIS pedon. This will replace the SOI-8 process.

Sample Information Labels: Soil name Horizon Pedon number Depth Field (sequence of sampled layers in project) sampled

Project Life Cycle Sample Reception Analysis Selection Sample Preparation Sample Analysis Project Completion

Sample Reception

Sample Detail

Analysis Selection

Sample Preparation

Analysis Scheduling

AA 400 (Dithionate Citrate)

Vertex 70 (Mid-Range Infrared)

Site Excel Download Pedon Excel Download

Questions !!

Vision for Laboratory Data Distribution

Diagram of the Vision NASIS Site MLRA SSO - Owned SSL- Owned Classification MLRA SSO Owned NASIS Pedon Containing Correlated Classification Taxonomic History Table H o r i z o n D e p t h s Pedon Description Laboratory Data in the Data Sheet Sampled As Pedon Soil 8 Site Taxonomic History Pedon Layer

Diagram of the Vision MLRA SSO Owned NASIS Site Narrative/or Tabular MLRA SSO Owned NASIS Pedon Containing Correlated Classification Pedon Description Distributed

SSL and MLRA SSO Pedons must be Associated/Linked to one another MLRA SSO Owned NASIS Pedon Containing Correlated Classification SSL Owned Sampled As Pedon Laboratory Sample Number creates the link Laboratory Data in the Data Sheet

MLRA SSO Owned Pedons Must be Identified Populate the Lab Pedon # in NASIS

Use of a Common Site NASIS Site MLRA SSO Owned Sampled As Pedon MLRA SSO Owned NASIS Pedon Containing Correlated Classification SSL Owned Taxonomic History Table MLRA SSO Owned

A Single Location (WGS 84 STD Decimal Degrees) MLRA SSO - Owned Location NASIS Site Location Laboratory Data in the Data Sheet SSL- Owned Soil 8 Location Pedon Description Site

The Latest Classification Available Classification MLRA SSO Owned NASIS Pedon Containing Correlated Classification MLRA SSO - Owned Classification Taxonomic History Table NASIS 6. 2 Soil 8 Taxonomic History Laboratory Data in the Data Sheet Classification Pedon Description

Horizon Designations from MLRA SSO Pedon MLRA SSO - Owned MLRA SSO Owned NASIS Pedon Containing Correlated Classification SSL Owned Sampled As Pedon H o r i z o n D e p t h s Pedon Description Laboratory Data in the Data Sheet Layer

How do We Realize the Vision Populate the Lab Sample # in the Pedon Horizon Sample Table

Distribution Products

NSSC Pangea Reports

Pedon PC Plus is Another Great Tool

MLRA 04_Office Reports

Laboratory Data by MLRA Office • https: //nrcs. sc. egov. usda. gov/ssra/nssc/ssl/ Shared%20 Documents/Forms/All. Items. aspx

A Complete Copy of the National Database is Available • It is 144 MB zipped or about 415 MB unzipped. It must be requested. • Contact: NCSSLab. Data@lin. usda. gov

NCSS Soil Characterization Web Site

Documentation for Use of the Products • NSSC Soil Correlation Course • .

Job Aids Page

Ask NSSC or your local MO for Assistance

• Questions?

Diagram of the Vision NASIS Site MLRA SSO - Owned SSL- Owned MLRA SSO Owned NASIS Pedon Containing Correlated Classification Taxonomic History Table Classification H o r i z o n D e p t h s Pedon Description Laboratory Data in the Data Sheet Sampled As Pedon Soil 8 Site Taxonomic History Pedon Layer