Developments in Soil Classification, Land Use Planning and Policy Implications


Book Description

As the world’s population continues to expand, maintaining and indeed increasing agricultural productivity is more important than ever, though it is also more difficult than ever in the face of changing weather patterns that in some cases are leading to aridity and desertification. The absence of scientific soil inventories, especially in arid areas, leads to mistaken decisions about soil use that, in the end, reduce a region’s capacity to feed its population, or to guarantee a clean water supply. Greater efficiency in soil use is possible when these resources are properly classified using international standards. Focusing on arid regions, this volume details soil classification from many countries. It is only once this information is properly assimilated by policymakers it becomes a foundation for informed decisions in land use planning for rational and sustainable uses.




World Soils


Book Description

Now in it's third edition of World Soils provides a concise account of the soils of the world. It has been completely revised to include developments in the last decade in pedology and soil science. The introduction provides a definition of soils and outlines the author's approach. Successive chapters examine the composition, factors and processes behind the formation of soils. The topic of soil classification is dealt with in a user-friendly manner and includes an historical overview leading to the current FAO-Unesco Soil Map of the World system. The 28 major soil groups are described and their formation discussed. Chapters on soil mapping and soil use are also included. World Soils is written for a wide readership including students of environmental science, geography, ecology, forestry and agriculture, as well as the many other disciplines of study which include some consideration of soil as a natural resource. It will be useful to sixth-form students as well as first and second year undergraduates.




Geography and Soil Properties


Book Description

This book, first published in 1978, provides a comprehensive guide to soil properties in any major world region. It emphasizes the significance of the spatial changes in soil patterns, the environmental influence on soils, and their temporal changes, but focuses attention on the systematic examination of soil properties and their reciprocal effects. It covers such important topics as the mineral composition of different soils, their organic matter, structure and porosity, chemical make-up and mechanical properties.




World Soils


Book Description

Now in it's third edition of World Soils has been updated to include the latest developments in pedology and soil science.




The Forest Worker


Book Description










Object-Based Image Analysis


Book Description

This book brings together a collection of invited interdisciplinary persp- tives on the recent topic of Object-based Image Analysis (OBIA). Its c- st tent is based on select papers from the 1 OBIA International Conference held in Salzburg in July 2006, and is enriched by several invited chapters. All submissions have passed through a blind peer-review process resulting in what we believe is a timely volume of the highest scientific, theoretical and technical standards. The concept of OBIA first gained widespread interest within the GIScience (Geographic Information Science) community circa 2000, with the advent of the first commercial software for what was then termed ‘obje- oriented image analysis’. However, it is widely agreed that OBIA builds on older segmentation, edge-detection and classification concepts that have been used in remote sensing image analysis for several decades. Nevert- less, its emergence has provided a new critical bridge to spatial concepts applied in multiscale landscape analysis, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the synergy between image-objects and their radiometric char- teristics and analyses in Earth Observation data (EO).




Fundamentals of Soils


Book Description

Fundamentals of Soil provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to soils and the workings of soil systems. This text is the only one of its kind to provide an attractive, lively and accessible introduction to this topic. Featuring learning tools within each chapter, such as summaries, essay questions and guides for further reading, the text is also highly illustrated with useful tables, boxes and figures. Covering all key areas of study at an introductory level, subjects covered include: · Soil properties · Soil processes · Controls on soil formation · Soil classification · World soils · Soil patterns · Soil degradation.