PedonCE, Soils Field Data Recorder Now Available

Historically, field soil descriptions were collected on paper forms (the venerable SOI-232). The descriptions were filed in folders and notebooks and at the completion of a soil survey they were archived.  In many cases however, they were lost or thrown away and even if the pedon descriptions were saved, they were not readily available to most users. 

PedonCE, an application designed for personal digital assistants (PDAs), is a new tool available to NRCS soil scientists to collect soil descriptions electronically in the field.  The soil descriptions in the PDA are then imported into the National Soils Information System (NASIS) where they are permanently stored for future use.  Now this valuable information is no longer likely to be lost, destroyed, or difficult to access on paper forms. 

Any NASIS user in the world can access this information.  PedonCE can be loaded on most PDAs that use the Pocket PC operating system. With practice using the stylus on the PDA screen, descriptions can be entered efficiently and accurately using existing NASIS codes and choices.  Choices are available from dropdown menus and choice lists can be customized to fit a particular area of interest.
Your contact is Alan Price, NRCS soil scientist, at 970-295-5450.