Community Garden Soil Survey

Introduction
A soil survey was conducted on a community garden near South Middle School in Eau Claire, WI. The tools used for this survey were a Topcon survey grade GPS, a pH level reader, a volumetric water meter and a thermometer. The goal of this lab was to gain experience gather data in a geospatial sense.

Methods

Figure 1. The pH of the soil was collected using a small handheld device.

Only a portion of the community garden was surveyed. Flags were placed at spots where samples were taken. One group of students gathered location data using the GPS. Next, another group went to each sample point and used the volumetric water meter to find the amount of water in the soil at that point. That tool also gathered temperature data in Fahrenheit. Two groups of students collected the pH (Figure 1) of the soil at that flagged spots. Maps of these attributes were created and are shown in the results portion. Also, a drone was used to create a mosaic of the study area. To prepare for the flight, ground control points were laid down and their location was captured by the GPS unit to ensure a photogrammetrically correct mosaic.

Figure 2. The locations of the GCPs needed to be recorded to serve as tie down points for the drone.

Results
The data were massaged and collated so that it could be created into maps. This first map (Figure) displays the pH data that was collected in the garden.