Soil Conservation Assessing the National Resources Inventory, Volume 1 (1986) / Chapter Skim
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2. Improving Federal Resource Assessment Efforts
2. Improving Federal Resource Assessment Efforts
Pages 19-33
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From page 19... ...
In addition to improving the statistical validity of the sampling, a major recent methodological advance was use of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and Wind Erosion Equation (WEE)
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From page 20... ...
For example, the committee believes that information directly relevant to water pollution problems derived from nonpoint sources will become an important goal of future resource assessments. The scale of these future inventories- the number of sample points and the number of observations made at each point- will be conditioned by cost considerations.
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From page 21... ...
The committee believes, however, that certain delays in processing NRI data might have been avoided if the inventory and monitoring functions within the agency—at its national headquarters, in particular had been given higher levels of support, permitting larger staff or greater latitude in seeking assistance outside the agency. Given the scale of the NRIs and the need to provide inventory results as soon as possible to thef~eld staffof the SCS and other users, S(:S should periodically increase the size andfinancial support level of its inventory and monitoring staff within the national headquarters.
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From page 22... ...
Reliability issues that arise from joint applications of the 1982 and 1977 NRIs in time series studies also deserve special technical attention. To address documentation needs in past NRIs and to provide an optimal basis for structuring and reporting results of future NRIs, the committee recommends the following: Documentation of NRIcomputer tapeformats and contents should be accompanied by a detailed, technical statistical guide.
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From page 23... ...
Presentation of Published Data For many NRI users, tabular materials published in reports or other forms by SCS are the only NRI data consulted, used, or needed. Traditionally, published data pertaining to soil erosion have been organized using the Land Capability Class System (LCCS)
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From page 24... ...
The SCS should encourage the transition within the conservation and land use research community toward improved presentation of NRI survey results by publishing a special statistical report that includes data from both the 1977 and 1982 NRIs. The SCS report should include discussion of several issues that will be raised in subsequent chapters of this report, including statistical reliability, the effects of definitional and other changes on time series use of NRI data, and the relationship between alternative land classification systems.
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From page 25... ...
The committee believes that the positive experiences to date from outside use of the NRI confirm that further steps are now warranted to make NRI data tapes available to a wider range of users. Several relatively simple steps should be taken to broadly extend the use and dissemination of NRI survey results and coordinate the work of independent analysts using the NRI series.
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From page 26... ...
Representatives of state governments, the private sector, and academia should be involved. Use of Sensing Technologies in Future NRIs Improvements in most existing natural resource data bases, including the NRI, generally would entail additional costs.
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From page 27... ...
—T VALUES The four unages were derived from a combination of aerial photography and digitized soil survey maps of the Little Washita River watershed near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to evaluate nonpoint pollution. The A values represent the average annual soil loss per acre predicted by the Universal Soil Loss Equation (A = RKLSCP)
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From page 28... ...
BELOW T AT ALL CP LEVELS—RKLS ~ 7 BELOW T FOR LOW CP LEVELS—RKLS ~ 7; A G T ~ ABOVE T FOR HIGH CP LEVELS—7 ~ RKLS ~ 50; A ~ T · ABOVE T AT ALL CP LEVELS—RKLS > 50; ~ A ~ T Images derived by using remotely sensed data for the cover and management factor (C)
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From page 29... ...
Yet, because sensing technologies have a variety of applications and hold promise for upgrading current resource assessment activities at a reasonable cost, the committee believes that federal coordination is essential. Because of the potential for public benefit, it might be appropriate for defense agencies to reevaluate policies that in the past have precluded civilian applications of sensing technologies and other capabilities developed for military uses.
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From page 30... ...
A formal group that provides a continuing assessment of technologies and applications would benefit the design and manacement of future resource data systems. The committee recommends thatafederal interagencyworkinggroup, coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy or another appropriate agency, be formed to formally evaluate potential applications of existing and future sensing technologies to natural resource inventories.
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From page 31... ...
To the user seeking comprehensive data, shortcomings related to coverage in USDA's NRI series are analogous to those in other natural resource data bases. Inclusion of Data Related to Water Quality The effects of agricultural production practices and other human activities on water quality are viewed as major environmental problems in many parts of the country.
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From page 32... ...
S Geological Survey water quality network stations gather some information of this type.
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From page 33... ...
In view of the importance of water quality problems nationwide, the committee believes that it is useful to evaluate further ways in which the NRI can be effectively related to the federal network of water quality data collection, and vice versa. Future NRIs can play an important role in a broader, better coordinated federal data collection effort to measure and analyze water quality trends.
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