December
21
2011
Engineer in Digital Soil Mapping position
Duration : 12 months
Location : INRA InfoSol, Orléans, France
Net monthly salary : 1563 €
Position available on February/March 2012
Context
The French programme on soil mapping aims to produce soil maps and associated databases at a scale of 1 :250,000. It is finalized on ca 80% of the French mainland territory. However, several areas are still missing. The objective is to take advantage of new technologies such as Digital Soil Mapping in order to facilitate the elaboration of soil maps where they are missing.
Work to carry on
One or two areas will be selected on the basis of the achievement priorities and of the availability of data. Several techniques of DSM will be tested, using available spatial data (ie. geological maps, digital elevation models, land cover maps, remote sensing data) either in supervised (ie. classifications, regressions etc. based on reference training areas) or unsupervised (ie. isocluster) methods. The work will be transferred to local partners for validation. Prediction maps should include an estimate of their accuracy. Results will be submitted to scientific journals.
Applicants
Applicants should be in possession of a Master of Science or a PhD.
They should send their CV and a cover letter. They can join letters from (and/or contact to) their previous employers or teachers, but this is not mandatory.
Skills may include : Soil science, mapping, GIS, classification and regression tools, remote sensing, etc. Fluent scientific English is recommended.
Contacts
Dominique.Arrouays@orleans.inra.fr
Marion.Bardy@orleans.inra.fr
December
21
2011
ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICIAN
The British Geological Survey (BGS), founded in 1835 is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and is the world’s longest-established national geological survey and the UKs premier centre for earth science information and expertise. A vacancy has arisen for a highly motivated and enthusiastic Environmental Statistician at our headquarters in Keyworth.
You will apply statistical modelling to data sets generated across the range of BGS’s science and survey activities and will also provide statistical guidance to the scientific staff. In addition you will also contribute to quantitative modelling work in areas of BGS science where an understanding of spatially variable processes is necessary.
You should have a post-graduate qualification in statistics or environmental/earth science, with a significant statistical component, and subsequent applied experience. You should also have knowledge and experience of the application of spatial statistical methods in the earth sciences, including the use of geostatistical methods, ideally in a linear mixed model context. In addition you must possess good project management, people and communication skills, both oral and written. The post involves team working; therefore you should be able to work effectively with others.
Starting salary will be between £26,180 per annum and £37,120 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. Working hours will be 37 per week excluding lunch breaks. A generous benefits package is also offered, including a company pension scheme, childcare voucher scheme, 30 days annual leave plus 10.5 days public and privilege holidays.
Applications are handled by the RCUK Shared Services Centre; to apply please visit our job board at https://ext.ssc.rcuk.ac.uk and complete an online application form. Applicants who would like to receive this advert in an alternative format (e.g. large print, Braille, audio or hard copy), or who are unable to apply online should contact us by telephone on 01793 867003, Please quote reference number IRC40064
When using this website use Job area-Science
Location-NERC-British Geological Survey
Closing date for receipt of application forms is 20th January 2012
The Natural Environment Research Council is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. People with disabilities and those from ethnic minorities are currently under-represented and their applications are particularly welcome. The British Geological Survey is an Investors in People organisation. There is a guaranteed Interview Scheme for suitable candidates with disabilities.
August
1
2011
The IUSS Working Group on Digital Soil Mapping invites you to its Fifth Global Workshop that will be held at the University of Sydney, Australia, 10-13 April 2012.
Abstract Submission is now open, follow this link
We are calling for presentations that address the following topics:
- Digital Soil Assessments - From DSM to soil functions and risk assessments in food security and soil carbon sequestration.
- Global Soil Mapping - Global advancements in digital soil mapping and GlobalSoilMap.net
- DSM Theory - Advances in spatiotemporal modelling, Multiscale spatial modelling
- Soil Observations - From legacy soil data to new technologies for gathering new soil data.
- Soil Covariates - Novel and creative covariates for DSM.
- Soil Sampling & Monitoring – Sampling in space and time and the 4th dimension of DSM.
- Soil Information Modelling, Production & Cyber Infrastructure – Delivering the products.
June
10
2011
A session on Digital Soil Mapping and Hydro-Ecological Modeling to the Fall AGU convention in San Francisco between Dec. 5-9 (http://sites.agu.org/fallmeeting/) has been accepted. We welcome you to participate in this session if you can. We would also very much appreciate it if you could circulate the following information to interested parties. See blow for details on the session.
H03: Digital Soil Mapping and Hydro-Ecological Modeling
Sponsor: Hydrology (H)
Co-Sponsor(s): Biogeosciences (B)
Convener(s):
A-Xing Zhu
University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
azhu@wisc.edu
Thorsten Behrens
University of Tubingen, Germany
thorsten.behrens@uni-tuebingen.de
Lawrence Band
University of North Carolina
lband@email.unc.edu
James Burt
University of Wisconsin-Madison
jeburt@wisc.edu
Index Terms:
1813 1819 1865 1964
Description:
Description: Soil spatial information is critical for hydro-ecological modeling at the mesoscale watershed level. Soil maps from conventional soil surveys are often too coarse. Digital soil mapping (DSM) provides the potential. Current development of DSM methods has little linkage to hydro-ecological modeling. Many of the issues concerning hydro-ecological modeling have not been addressed. In this session we intend to gauge the state-of-the-art in digital soil mapping for hydro-ecological modeling. Topics include, but are not limited to, provision of key model soil inputs, use of sparse soil samples and legacy soil data, effective sampling for augmenting existing samples, responses (scale and degree) of hydro-ecological modeling to DSM products.
May
27
2011
The European Journal of Soil Science has just published online a Special Issue devoted to Pedometrics, which will appear in print in June 2011. The Special Issue was commissioned in honour of Richard Webster, a former Editor in Chief of the Journal and a leading figure in the development of Pedometrics and the formation of the Pedometrics Commission. There are thirteen papers on a wide range of topics including soil geostatistics, Bayesian methods, sampling, sensors, digital soil mapping and wavelets. Titles and abstracts can be viewed at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejs.2011.62.issue-3/issuetoc
Pedometrician in a soil pit, Richard Webster in Zambia in the late 1950s
Provided by Murray Lark
Pedometrician in a soil pit, Richard Webster in Zambia in the late 1950s
May
8
2011
A postdoctoral position is available in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Responsibilities include work on the project that evaluates carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, and nitrate management in agricultural ecosystems and conducting innovative research in areas of either soil biology, soil ecology, or soil physics. The experimental work will be conducted on campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing and at Long-Term Ecological Research site at Kellogg Biological Station, Hickory Corners, MI. The position is available for 2 years with possibility of extension to up-to 5.
PhD in soil science, biogeochemistry, agronomy, ecology, or related field is required; strong publication record, excellent communication skills, and experience with conducting and managing agronomic field experiments are highly desirable. Good quantitative skills and experience using geographic information systems is an advantage. The application should include a cover letter, CV, transcripts, one recent publication, and names and contact information of three references. Interested applicants please contact Sasha Kravchenko kravche1@msu.edu.
Closing date August 1, 2011
March
8
2011
The final deadline for submitting abstracts to Pedometrics 2011 has been extended to March 13, 2011. There will be no further deadline extension.
You can submit a 300 word abstract through the conference websites
http://www.pedometrics.org/2011/ or http://sites.google.com/site/pedometrics2011/ .
Selected contributions will be considered traditionally for publication in a special issue of Geoderma.
I am looking forward to meet you in the Czech Republic.
On behalf of the organizing committee
Lubos Boruvka
Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection
Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague
Prague 6 - Suchdol, CZ-165 21
Czech Republic
Tel.: +420 224 382 751
Fax: +420 234 381 836
E-mail: boruvka@af.czu.cz
March
8
2011
Registration for Pedometrics 2011 on “Innovations in Pedometrics” which will be held in the Castle Hotel Trest, Czech Republic, from August 30 to September 2, 2011, is now opened. The number of participants is limited by the capacity of the Trest Castle. Early registration and payment deadline is May 1, 2011.
The conference website can be accessed through:
http://www.pedometrics.org/2011/ or http://sites.google.com/site/pedometrics2011/ .
Lubos Boruvka
Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection
Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague
Prague 6 - Suchdol, CZ-165 21
Czech Republic
Tel.: +420 224 382 751
Fax: +420 234 381 836
E-mail: boruvka@af.czu.cz
February
24
2011
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW POSITION IN SOIL SCIENCE
The Division of Plant and Soil Sciences in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design at West Virginia University, is seeking to fill a postdoctoral position in soil sciences. The position is a 12-month, non-tenure track, 100% research position. The position is in the National Soil Survey Center-Geospatial Research Unit, which is supported 100% by external funds. The position is for a minimum of 18 months, contingent upon continued external funding. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The postdoctoral fellow will conduct research on the development of digital soil property maps at regional and continental scales in support of the GlobalSoilMap.net project. Efforts will include regionalizing and disaggregating existing vector soil survey information, incorporating existing and new point data, and investigating the use of raster data sources to improve the spatial prediction of soil classes and soil properties. Applicants should have an interest in studying soil variability and spatial modeling, as well as an understanding of geographic information science and statistical modeling techniques.
QUALIFICATIONS
A PhD in Soil Science or related field is required. Additional requirements include demonstrated expertise in spatial and multivariate statistics, geographic information systems, and database management, as well as effective written and verbal communication skills. Experience with SQL Server, Access, or any ESRI software is highly desirable.
LOCATION
WVU is located in Morgantown, a vibrant community of 45,000 in the Appalachian Mountains on West Virginia’s northern border adjacent to Pennsylvania. Morgantown has been recognized as one of the best small cities in the US. World-class healthcare, recreation, education and art facilities complement a strong business community. WVU is a Division I Research institution and serves as the states major research, doctoral degree-granting institution serving 29,000+ students in 185 degree programs offered by 15 academic schools and colleges.
The Division of Plant and Soil Sciences is one of five divisions in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. Disciplines within the Division are agronomy, entomology, environmental microbiology, genetics, horticulture, plant pathology and soil science. The Division is the home of the National Soil Survey Center-Geospatial Research Unit, a collaboration between the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and WVU. The mission of the NSSC-GRU is to enhance the capacity of the NRCS to produce, utilize, and apply soil, natural resource, and conservation information through the innovative application of geospatial technologies. The NSSC-GRU operates both locally and nationally to support the NRCS by developing tools and techniques to both improve and accelerate the production and update of soil survey and resource inventories.
APPLICATION
Applicants must submit an application letter with specific information on disciplinary focus, professional activities, and other information relevant to meeting the position qualifications; detailed curriculum vitae specifying education, experience and qualifications; transcripts; and three reference letters to Dr. Barton Baker, Division Director, Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, WVU, PO Box 6108, Morgantown, WV 26506-6108. Phone (304) 293-4817; Fax (304) 293-2960.
Electronic applications will not be accepted. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit http://www.caf.wvu.edu/plsc/soilscience/postdoc_DSM.pdf, or contact Jim Thompson (304-293-2921; james.thompson@mail.wvu.edu).
WVU is committed to widening its faculty diversity. Women and minorities and those with disabilities are encouraged to apply. West Virginia is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer
December
2
2010
We are glad to announce The 5th Global Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping will be held in Sydney, Australia. 10 –13 April 2012 with the theme Digital Soil Assessments and Beyond …
Exciting programs have been formulated to include:
Pre-conference field excursion: The program starts off with a field trip to the Hunter Valley on the 10th April 2012 highlighting the application of DSM techniques for producing digital terroirs.
The Workshop: (11-13 April 2010) highlights the latest research and technologies in digital soil mapping and assessment and with some focus on Global soil mapping methodologies.
Social Activities: BBQ & Workshop Dinner
Post-conference tour: A field trip around Australia highlighting unique soils and landscapes.
DSM Intensive Training: A 3 day intensive hands-on training on digital soil mapping will provide the practical fundamentals of digital soil mapping.
For further information, contact Dr. Budiman Minasny, The University of Sydney, e-mail: budiman.minasny@sydney.edu.au
A flyer for this conference can be downloaded here
See also the website www.pedometrics.org/dsm_oz