Locally-enhanced Digital Soil Map for North Central Iowa

This study demonstrates that a bottom-up, locally enhanced DSM framework can exceed the performance of one of the most detailed conventional soil maps available. The LE-DSM product outperformed SSURGO for 46% of soil property and depth predictions, while SSURGO exceeded top-down DSM products in 75% of comparisons. These results show that locally informed approaches are required to produce soil maps that are both more accurate and more practical for modern applications.