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Digital Elevation Models to Improve Soil Mapping in Mountainous Areas: Case Study in Colombia

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Geopedology

Abstract

The demand for more detailed soil and relief information is steadily increasing. However, many countries have only general soil maps at 1:100,000 scale that do not satisfy the requirements needed for applications. This paper shows how geomorphometric analysis from digital elevation models (DEM) can contribute to improve information detail and accuracy and, thus, strengthen soil survey. The study was carried out in a mountainous area of Colombia where various geomorphometric parameters were calculated and a classification of landforms was created. The results can be useful to supplement existing soil studies and meet the information requirements of environmental spatial models, agriculture development, hydrology, land use and conservation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank to the Research Division (DIB) of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia for financial support to carry out this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 30 # 45-03, Bogotá, Colombia

    L. J. Martinez Martinez

  2. Facultad de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad del Cauca, Calle 5 # 4-70, Popayán, Colombia

    N. A. Correa Muñoz

Authors
  1. L. J. Martinez Martinez
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  2. N. A. Correa Muñoz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. J. Martinez Martinez .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Joseph Alfred Zinck

  2. Institute of Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Joseph Alfred Zinck  & Graciela Metternicht  & 

  3. Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental (CIGA), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico

    Gerardo Bocco

  4. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Centro Nacional Patagónico (CENPAT), Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales (IPEEC), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina

    Héctor Francisco Del Valle

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Martinez Martinez, L.J., Muñoz, N.A.C. (2016). Digital Elevation Models to Improve Soil Mapping in Mountainous Areas: Case Study in Colombia. In: Zinck, J.A., Metternicht, G., Bocco, G., Del Valle, H.F. (eds) Geopedology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19159-1_22

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