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Use of Google Earth to disseminate spatial irrigated soils information: A case study in South-eastern Australia

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Computers in Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4th World Congress Conference, Proceedings of the 24-26 July 2006 (Orlando, Florida USA) Publication Date 24 July 2006  701P0606.(doi:10.13031/2013.21964)
Authors:   J.W. Hornbuckle, E.W. Christen
Keywords:   GIS, Soil, Google Earth, Informatics, Australia, Irrigation

This paper outlines a distribution method for spatial irrigated soils information through the commonly available web based Google Earth application. This method allows anyone with an internet connection to assess spatial information freely and easily as an overlay feature in Google Earth. A total of approximately 325 000 acres of spatial soil information in the irrigated regions of the Murrumbidgee and Coleambally Irrigation Areas in south-eastern Australia have been made available as Google Earth overlays.

Discussion of conversion of the spatial soil information to geo-referenced Google Earth .kml files is described in detail. This allows users to simply download an overlay .kml file which automatically appears as a geo-referenced overlay in Google Earth. The ability to add reference information using HTML tags is also described which can be used to show vertical profile descriptions of soils, typical properties associated with those soil types and visual images. Users can then identify their soil types either using GPS reference points or by using the Google Earth virtual earth satellite imagine to identify visually the particular area they are interested in.

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