Application of Geospatial Information System (GIS) coupled with field sampling technique for soil mapping and information

Abstract

In most agricultural area, the efficient and proper management is found effective using the information gained from the combination of Geospatial Information System (GIS) combined with field sampling techniques. This study aimed to determine the physico-chemical properties of selected soil area and to develop a small-scale thematic mapping using the ArcGIS software. The research was conducted at matured oil palm plantation in UiTM Kampus Jasin, Melaka, Malaysia. The field results showed that the soil pH range between pH 4.2 and pH 5.2 with a bulk density ranging between 0.31 gcm-3 to 0.64 gcm-3. The area also has a high soil moisture content and mixtures of organic matter which has undergo complete decomposition. Based on the data, the information was then transformed into the thematic map and displayed in different colours to differentiate between parameters. In the thematic map, the red colour representing the low pH area while the yellow zone representing the increment of soil pH. The transition of hue colour from red to yellow represent the improvement of soil pH in particular area. As such, any changes in soil pH can be monitor consistently and any management requirement can be directly applied at the affected area without requiring the whole field assessment. Through this, the problems can be solved in shorter time without requiring much labour and able to minimize the cost. Hence, this study suggested that the GIS techniques combined with the field sampling techniques to monitor the land is much faster and efficient for a proper land management.