Web-based Tool Helps Optimize Soil Sampling

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), and the ARS’s Partnership for Data Innovations (PDI) have launched the Soil Sample Planning Organizer Tool (SSPOT), a new web-based application to facilitate digital soil mapping and optimize soil sampling. SSPOT is a user-friendly tool with integrated algorithms to help users determine the optimal placement of samples needed to comprehensively understand soil activity in various soil types over time. The algorithms use the USDA’s Soil Survey Geographic Database and customizable grids to ensure sampling activities are thorough and efficiently capture the full picture of soil health within the selected area.
Related ATTRA publication: Soil Health Indicators and Tests