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Practitioner Sub-Team

Sub-team of the Digital Soil Mapping Team.

Draft raster map units in lodgment till areas of the White Mountain National Forest, NH initial soil survey.
Draft raster map units in lodgment till areas of the White Mountain National Forest, NH initial soil survey.

The practitioner sub-team is a team focused on local or regional scale DSM projects with a particular focus on development of Raster Soil Surveys. This sub-team serves as a mechanism to provide communication, collaboration, and support for those working on mapping projects employing DSM methods. The sub-team hosts the monthly DSM Practitioner Discussions, open to all, which facilitate information sharing, problem solving, and support for those applying DSM methods in their daily workload. Methods, issues, and solutions are discussed among the participants. If additional resources or support are needed to facilitate the success of a project, NRCS Soil and Plant Science Division staff are welcome to apply for a DSM mentor. The practitioner sub-team also develops, instructs, and maintains the NRCS DSM training curriculum courses, including the DSM Field Week. This team is also involved in development and update to standards and job aids for digital soil mapping within the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS).

Goal

Facilitate capacity building in DSM within NCSS through communication, collaboration, training, project support, and development of standards.

Objectives

  • Host monthly discussions for DSM practitioners as a platform for sharing and discussion on all aspects of DSM
  • Support the DSM Project Mentoring Program for NRCS Soil Survey Offices engaged in DSM projects with the goal of Raster Soil Survey publication
  • Develop, deliver, and maintain DSM training courses for all levels of practitioner
  • Conduct DSM Field Weeks to provide project support and cross-training between soil survey project crews and DSM experts
  • Develop and update DSM standards to support creation and publication of raster soil information products
Draft raster components in an area of ablation till in the White Mountain National Forest, NH.
Draft raster components in an area of ablation till in the White Mountain National Forest, NH.

Team Lead

Tiffany Allen, National Resource Soil Scientist for Federal Lands, Waynesville, North Carolina

Team Members

Joe Brennan, Stephen Roecker, Jay Skovlin, Alex Stum, Dave White

Join the conversation!

DSM Practitioner Discussions will occur on the 1st Tuesday of every month from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CST. Contact Tiffany Allen (tiffany.allen@usda.gov) for meeting information.