Event Information

Motivating individuals to collect geo-referenced data that can be used to inform Earth observations-based modeling for agriculture and natural resource management can be challenging or expensive. Obtaining quality soil information, which is one of the biggest contributors to uncertainty in point- and pixel-scale uncertainty in model predictions, is both exceptionally challenging and expensive.

The LandPKS app is solving the motivation problem by treating georeferenced land data as a co-benefit of providing users with a valuable tool for land use planning and management. It specifically addresses the need for soil information with algorithms parameterized by app-facilitated user inputs (including soil texture and color) and cloud-based soil map products. Information value is enhanced through the addition of LandCover, LandManagement and SoilHealth modules.

The purpose of the webinar is to introduce via a live demo the current and soon-to-be-released features of this free global app which was developed by the US Department of Agriculture, with primary support from USAID. We will also briefly describe some of the current uses, including land use planning, monitoring and evaluation, and land restoration.

Presenter:

Jeff Herrick, PhD, is a Soil Scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Las Cruces, NM and is a Sustainability Innovation Lab Fellow at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He currently leads development of the global Land-Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS). Jeff led the development of the nationally (US) applied rangeland monitoring protocols and co-led the development of the national rangeland assessment system, both of which have been adapted for use in a number of other countries. He has published widely on a variety of topics including soil health, land restoration, and strategies for applying resilience to management. He serves as an external member of the Bureau for Land Management’s National Science Committee, is a member of the International Resource Panel, and serves as the US science representative to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.