http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership This presentation was made during Regional Conference on the Asian Soil Partnership that took place in Nanjing, China 08-11 Febraury 2012.The presentation was made by Silvino Q. Tejada and Rodelio B. Carating, and it presents Status of Digital Soil Mapping in BSWM. ©FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. STATUS OF DIGITAL SOIL
MAPPING IN BSWMMAPPING IN BSWM
Silvino Q. Tejada and Rodelio B. Carating

2. OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
Historical background on soil mapping in the
Philippinespp
Digital soil mapping resourcesDigital soil mapping resources
Ch ll f di it l il i i BSWMChallenges for digital soil mapping in BSWM
Digital soil mapping activities – past and current
Summary and conclusion

3. Historical background of soilHistorical background of soil
survey in the Philippines
1903 = the first soil survey in the province of Batangas
was conducted by Clarence Dorsey
1934 – actual provincial soil surveys began when the
Soil Survey Committee was established by thenSoil Survey Committee was established by then
Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce
Reconnaissance soil surveys were conducted and the soil
i th k d l i l it f i th ilseries was the key pedological unit for mapping the soils
of the province. Profile observations recorded the key
characteristics of the soil series.
Soil survey work was briefly interrupted by WWII.
1945 – the Soil Survey Division was reorganized

4. Historical backgroundg
1951 (June 5) – the Bureau of Soil Conservation was
t bli h destablished.
1964- renamed Bureau of Soils, with regional and
provincial soil districts; reconnaissance survey of thep ; y
provinces completed by mid 1960’s. (Varying map
scales)
The 1970’s – detailed soil surveys (1:10 000 map scale)The 1970 s – detailed soil surveys (1:10,000 map scale)
for major irrigation projects in Central Luzon, FAO-
funded
980’ i d il d il ( 0 000) f1980’s – semi-detailed soil surveys (1:50,000) of
provinces based on USDA Soil Taxonomy
1990’s – technical cooperation with JICA which extendedp
until 2005. Semi-detailed provincial soil surveys
continued.
2000’s to present municipal level soil surveys through2000 s to present– municipal-level soil surveys through
co-financing with local government.

5. Digital soil mapping resourcesg pp g
We have Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote
Sensing (RS) facilities established in 1991 as part of the
technical cooperation project with JICA A service unit wastechnical cooperation project with JICA. A service unit was
organized to handle the soil information technology –
Integrated Soil Resources Information Service (ISRIS) under
the Office of the Director.
The GIS and RS facilities – both hardware and softwares –
were upgraded four times, the most recent was in 2011 under
a special government appropriated Unified Enterprise GISp g pp p p
Project. This includes procurement of satellite images.
We have programmers and technical staff trained in GIS and
Remote Sensing.g
We have already updated our Soil Survey Manual to
accommodate changes in the USDA soil survey methods and
soil profile description but not yet implemented in the fieldsoil profile description but not yet implemented in the field
because we are also yet to update our Soil Information
System.
We have also come up with manual on map standards andWe have also come up with manual on map standards and
symbols for those into digital mapping.

6. BSWM is still into classical soil surveyBSWM is still into classical soil survey
method for routine or regular project
implementation.
Digital soil survey activities are limited to
specific research projects.p p j

7. Challenges for digital soil mappingChallenges for digital soil mapping
in BSWM: organizational set-up
The BSWM organization has evolved through the
decades to reflect developments in soil surveys,
classification, and mapping:
- One division handles field soil survey
A th di i i h dl t hi i- Another division handles cartographic services
- Another division handles land use planning and land
resources evaluation
- Another division handles laboratory analyses of soil
samples
- We have a separate unit that handles soil information
technology and geomatics.

8. Challenges for digital soil mapping
The national government is also re-organizing the
in BSWM: hiring moratorium
The national government is also re organizing the
bureaucracy and there is moratorium in hiring since
October 2004.
Considering retirements and resignations, we have notConsidering retirements and resignations, we have not
been able to fill up vacant positions for more than half a
decade now. We are not only depleted of manpower
complement, this also upsets the system of
“ d t d ” t j i t ff t i k“understudy” to prepare a junior staff as next-in-rank
when a senior staff retires.
Literally, we have diminishing number of “field
h d d” d t i d il th lhardened” and trained soil surveyors, there are also no
field experienced successors to take over at any time the
hiring moratorium is lifted which seems unlikely, at least
for this year 2012for this year 2012.
A lean, mean but efficient bureaucracy is the goal.
Unlikely for all vacant positions to be approved to be
filled upfilled up.

9. Challenges for digital soil mapping
in BSWM: teaching “old dogs” new
tricks
With aging manpower complement and without new
understudy to take over classical soil survey work, anyy y , y
new hires are unlikely to be trained and become familiar
with classical soil survey, classification and mapping
activities. But since GIS is now part of resource
management curriculum in colleges and universities, the
technical manpower market maybe tuned in to digital
soil mapping works but totally unfamiliar with classical
l ksoil survey work.
It is quite difficult to involve classical soil surveyors with
computer-age technology because they are afraid top g gy y
boot a computer, much more tinker with the commands.
And with continuing developments and advances in
information technology, even those who are initiated aregy
often unable to keep up with the pace. There is
tendency to be complacent with what we know.

10. Challenges for digital soilChallenges for digital soil
mapping in BSWM: it is still a
long way but THE only waylong way but THE only way
Without understudy because of hiring moratorium, it isy g ,
only a matter of time when we are totally depleted of
classical soil surveyors. The labor market for natural
resource management has only information-age
generation.
The demand for our map outputs are digital. Despite
the fact that the soil follows geological timetable and notthe fact that the soil follows geological timetable and not
human timetable, we need to re-issue all our maps to
conform with the demand. Currently, our maps for sales
(analog maps) look more like museum pieces rather(analog maps) look more like museum pieces rather
than a vital and relevant information source for various
applications in agriculture, architecture and engineering,
and environmental sciences especially for those dealingp y g
with rural development planning, research, and policy.

11. Past digital soil mappingPast digital soil mapping
activities: geostatistics
We have done geostatistical interpolation as early as
1993 using GEOEAS software and MS-DOS (286-based)
computers for Cavite province at 4.25 km x 4.25 km
spatial variabiity analysis and mapping.
By 2005 we did catenal variability of soil propertiesBy 2005, we did catenal variability of soil properties
using ILWIS on Pentium IV for a JICA-funded techno-
demo farm. A total of 313 soil samples were collected in
grid and analyzed.grid and analyzed.
Today, we have Corei5 and Corei7 computers and
ArcGIS10, ILWIS, and ENVI. But this is done on request
basis not as routine because of implications on numberbasis, not as routine because of implications on number
of samples for laboratory analysis and the increasing
cost of laboratory chemicals.

12. Organic carbon mapg p
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13. Nitrogen map
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14. Soil pH map
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15. Exchangeable Ca map
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16. Exchangeable Mg map
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17. Exchangeable K map
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18. Past digital soil mappingPast digital soil mapping
activities: thematic mapping
N
El ti M f T W t h d P j t A N
EW
S
Elevation Map of Tanay Watershed Project Area
Elevation (m)
Legend:
( )
30 - 50
50 - 70
70 - 90
90 - 110
110 - 130
130 150130 - 150
150 - 170
170 - 190
200 0 200 400 Meters
Sl f T Ri l h dSlope map of Tanay, Rizal watershed

19. Slope map
N
EW
S
Slope Map of Tanay Watershed Project Area
Legend:
S
Slope (%)
0 - 3
3 - 8
8 - 18
18 3018 - 30
30 - 50
200 0 200 400 Meters200 0 200 400 Meters

20. L d l d ith j tLand use map overlayed with project
boundary
N
EW
Land Use Map of Tanay Watershed Project Area
#
EW
S
#
#
#
#
#
#
5
6
7
10
11
12 Tanay land use
Agroforestry
Bench Terraces
NSWRRS
# Sampling points
Legend:
#
# #
#
1
2
3
4 8
9
Building Area
Coconut
Denuded
Eucalyptus
Experiment Field
Grassland
Mango
Orchard
Primary Forest
#
#1 Primary Forest
Road
Secondary Forest
SWIP Construction
200 0 200 400 Meters

21. S il i l id ithSoil erosion map overlaid with
topography
N
Soil Erosion Map of Tanay Watershed Project Area
EW
S
t/ha/year
NSWRRS
Elevation
Legend:
t/ha/year
0 - 1
1 - 10
10 - 50
50 - 100
100 - 200
200 - 400
400 - 4000
200 0 200 400 Meters

22. Landsate7 ETM+ false color compositeLandsate7 ETM+ false color composite
subsets, Inabanga Bohol Watershed
August 30, 2000
March 29, 2002
December 26, 2002

23. NDVI f th lti t lNDVI for the multi-temporal
Landsate7+ ETM subset
August 30, 2000
March 29, 2002
December 26, 2002

24. Digital elevation model
ELEVATION (masl)
Figure 3
860.0
688.0
516.0
344.0
860.0
688.0
516.0
344.0
33. Digital elevatio
172.0
0.0
172.0
0.0
on model (DEM) oof Bohol Islands.

25. Past digital soil mappingg pp g
activities: land resources
evaluationevaluation
Identification of land degradation Hot Spots
using ArcView 3.2 and ILWIS 3.2, Inabangag , g
Bohol Watershed

26. B d d li iti il tt ib tBoundary and limiting soil attribute
maps
limestone areas
shallow
soils
highly erodible
Sub07
Sub01
highly erodible
soils
Sub11
Sub08
Sub10
Sub09
Figure 19. The upstream sub‐watersheds. Figure 20. Combined soil limiting attributes.

27. Overlay with intensive agricultural use
areas with intensive
agricultural use
Figure 21. Soil limiting attributes vs. intensive agricultural use. Figure 22. Result of the intersection of soil limiting attributes
and intensive agricultural use.g

28. Overlay with agricultural areas within
the forest reservation Landthe forest reservation Land
Degradation Hot Spots
Figure 23. Intensive agricultural use with soil limiting attributes
Figure 24. Result of the intersection between intensive
agricultural use with soil limiting attributes and agriculturalFigure 23. Intensive agricultural use with soil limiting attributes
vs. agricultural areas within the forest reservation.
agricultural use with soil limiting attributes and agricultural
areas in forest reservation.

29. Current digital soil mapping
activity: Mapping land/soil
attributes of Cabulig, Misamisattributes of Cabulig, Misamis
Oriental and Inabanga, Bohol
watersheds using digitalwatersheds using digital
technology
ACIAR-funded research project
Reconnaissance soil survey was completed last
December 2011
Field survey work is to begin February 2012.

30. The first objective is to improve the efficiency with whichj p y
land attributes are mapped by using digital soil mapping
techniques to produce more detailed and quantitative
maps.
Digital soil mapping (or, more broadly, digital land
resource assessment) has two components. First is to
develop methods of rapid soil measurement that allow
i k d i i (th h l i )quick and inexpensive (though less precise)
measurements/ estimates of important soil attributes.
The strategy is to make lots of inexpensive
measurements rather than a few, precise and moremeasurements rather than a few, precise and more
expensive ones.
The methods include the use of proximal sensors, such
as visible/near infra-red and/or mid infra-redas visible/near infra red and/or mid infra red
spectrometers, and pedotransfer functions to estimate
soil attributes. These methods still require the use of
conventional laboratory and field measurements on a
i f l l i id l lproportion of sample locations, to provide local
calibration.

31. The second component of this objective is to improveThe second component of this objective is to improve
spatial prediction of land attributes directly without the
intermediate step of using soil type. This involves
deriving statistical models of the relationships between
land attributes (measured at point locations as discussed
above) and spatial data covering the whole area of
interest. Such data include digital elevation models and
satellite imagerysatellite imagery.
Overall, the strategy is to adapt digital land resource
assessment techniques to the conditions in Philippine
upland watersheds to provide maps of land attributesupland watersheds to provide maps of land attributes
with better utility and at lower cost. This will give a more
complete picture of a watershed when combined with
other data from rapid appraisal including land use andp pp g
socio-economic information.

32. Current digital soil mappingCurrent digital soil mapping
activity: Preparation of Land Use
System (LUS) Map for landSystem (LUS) Map for land
degradation assessment
This is a FAO-LADA funded project. LADA refers to set
of land degradation assessment methodology developed
f d l d W t ti th li bilit ffor drylands. We are testing the applicability of
methodology for monsoon country like the Philippines.
This is a multi-agency collaborative project with BSWMg y p j
as lead agency.
The final project output is Land Use System Map of the
PhilippinesPhilippines.
The status – we are in the process of refining the LUS
Map as we just acquired the spatial data sets from our
j t tproject partners.

33. Current digital soil mapping
ti it U d ti factivity: Updating of our
Strategic Agriculture and
Fisheries Development Zones
under the Unified Enterprise GISunder the Unified Enterprise GIS
Project
The project involves acquisition of satellite imageries.
Once the satellite imageries are processed, we would
overlay our Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries
Development Zones to assess changes since 1998.
We also intend to re-issue all our map outputs based onWe also intend to re issue all our map outputs based on
these orthoimages.
Current status – the satellite imageries are on bidding
t t d iti N ti f A d t i istate and we are awaiting Notice of Award to winning
bidder and the delivery of the images.

34. Summary and Conclusion
We are still in classical soil survey.
We have the resources and manpower for digital soilWe have the resources and manpower for digital soil
mapping but these are undertaken at research or project
level, not as a routine activity.
f ffConsidering labor market for technical staff and the
retirement of our soil survey experts, though we are still
a long way to digital soil mapping, it appears to be the
lonly way.
We are grateful to FAO and to the Organizing Committee
of this East Asia Node of DigitalSoilMap.net for invitingg p g
us to participate in the launching of this partnership.
We look forward to fruitful years ahead of us.

35. Thank you and good day!