Application of Proximal and Remote Sensing
Technologies for Soil Investigations (A Virtual Event) 
16-19 August 2021

Student Presentation Award Winners Announced

There have been substantial recent advances in soil science regarding the use of proximal and remote sensing technologies. The recent virtual symposium, Application of Proximal and Remote Sensing Technologies for Soil Investigations, brought scientists and engineers across a range of disciplines to explore the combined potential of proximal and remote sensing technologies as related to soil science applications. Among the presenters were 25 students. Due to the high quality, 8 student presentations were awarded by the partnering societies, International Union of Soil Sciences, SEG, EEGS and conference organizers. First, 2nd, and 3rd place Student Presentation awards, along with five Honorable Mentions are listed below.

1st Place – Harrison Smith – University of Arkansas (U.S.A.) – “Ground Penetrating Radar for Subsurface Soil Characterization in a Silvopasture System”
2nd Place - Felippe Hoffmann Silva Karp – McGill University (Canada) – “Validation of Soil Survey Maps Using Different Proximal Soil Sensing Methods”
3rd Place - Steven van der Veeke - University of Groningen (Netherlands) – “UAV-Borne Gamma-Ray Measurements: How Low Can You Go - Determining the Optimal Gamma-Ray Spectrometer Size for UAVs” 

Honorable Mention
Lance Conway – University of Missouri (U.S.A.) – “Evaluating the Accuracy and Repeatability of Commercial Seed Zone Soil Sensors”
Yutong Liu - China Agricultural University (China) – “Determination of Evapotranspiration in a Maize Field Using the Near-Surface Net Water Flux Model”
Muhammad Abdul Munnaf – Ghent University (Belgium) – “Clustering-Based Fusion of Proximal and Remote Sensors Data for Potato Production”
Gina Ginevra Pope – Temple University (U.S.A.) – “Implications for Soil Moisture Estimates Based on Electrical Conductivity”
Guatam Shrestha - Massey University (New Zealand) – “Monitoring Soil Cadmium Concentrations by Combining Portable X-Ray Fluorescence and Reflectance Spectroscopy”

Post Symposium Materials:
In order to provide access to the symposium abstracts, prerecorded presentations, and the edited live online event that includes the "lightning talks" and the short course, organizers have decided to keep everything open until the end of November.  Those who registered for the symposium can access these materials without additional charge; however, those who did not register will be required to pay the full registration fee to view the abstracts, prerecorded presentations, and the live online event.  

Symposium Description:
There have been substantial recent advances in soil science regarding the use of proximal and remote sensing technologies, not just employing these two technologies separately, but also in combination, such as new sensor platform integrations and fusion of proximal and remote sensing datasets to improve soil characterization and mapping. This virtual symposium will provide a unique opportunity that brings together scientists and engineers across a range of disciplines to explore the combined potential of proximal and remote sensing technologies as related to soil science applications. The first three days of the symposium (August 16-18) will have six technical sessions, with close to 50 presentations total, on the topics listed below.  

Day 1 – Session 1: Introduction & Overview of Traditional Proximal Sensing Methods and New Proximal-Remote Sensing Technologies
Day 1 – Session 2: Application of UAV, Aircraft, and Satellite Imagery for Soil Exploration 

Day 2 – Session 3: Soil Electrical Conductivity Studies
Day 2 – Session 4: Soil Investigation Using GPR, TDR, Seismic, or Optical Spectroscopy 

Day 3 – Session 5: Fusion of Proximal Sensing Measurements for Soil Research
Day 3 – Session 6: Combined Use of Proximal and Remote Sensing Methods

The final day of the virtual symposium (Day 4 – August 19) will be devoted to a short course titled, “Sensor Data Management and Processing”.  The course instructor is Dr. Craig Lobsey (University of Southern Queensland), with an invited presentation on Flat File Systems (FlatFS) for sensor data management by Dr. Stijn Dekeyser (University of Southern Queensland).  Many of us are familiar with the challenges of data management and processing, especially dealing with large, disparate, and frequently evolving datasets!  The interactive short course will feature several topics covering modern tools and techniques to improve the storage, management, and processing of proximal sensing data obtained for soil investigation.  The overall goal of this short course will be to raise awareness of emerging computing techniques and systems, including version control of our data.  Topics covered will benefit those new to proximal soil sensing and more experienced practitioners alike.

Symposium Format:
Those who register will have access to the ~15 minute prerecorded technical session presentations at least one week before and two weeks after the live, online symposium event. For each of the live, online technical sessions (August 16-18), a series of 5-minute summary “lightning” talks will be followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. The live, online symposium, including the short course (August 19) will itself be recorded and made available for at least two weeks after the event to those that have registered.

Registration:
For symposium registration and more information go to:
https://seg.org/Events/Application-of-Proximal-and-Remote-Sensing-Technologies-for-Soil-Investigations 

Rates:
Professional: US$125
Student: US$20
Registration closes on 19 August 2021
(Symposium registration does not require SEG membership, but a simple account set-up, at no charge, is needed during the process.) 

Sponsorship:
Opportunities for symposium sponsorship are available at three levels: Platinum ($1,000 including 4 registrations), Gold ($500 including 2 registrations), and Silver ($250 including 1 registration). Sponsorship information can be found at: 
https://seg.org/Events/Application-of-Proximal-and-Remote-Sensing-Technologies-for-Soil-Investigations.

Symposium Program Schedule

Scheduled times are based on Central U.S. time, which is GMT/UTC -5 hrs.
Host time begins at 18:00 or 6:00 PM Central U.S. time.
Equivalent global times are: 4:00 PDT, 5:00 PM MDT, 7:00 PM Santiago and EDT, 8:00 PM BRT and ADT, 8:30 PM NDT, 11:00 PM UTC/GMT, 12:00 AM BST, 1:00 AM CEST, 1: 30 AM NDT, 2:00 AM EEST, 4:30 AM IST, 7:00 AM AWST and China, 8:00 AM JST, 9:00 AM AEST, 11:00 AM NZST  

Organizing Committee:

Barry Allred, USDA – Agricultural Research Service, United States of America
Craig Lobsey, University of Southern Queensland, Australia
Laurie Whitesell, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, United States of America

Technical Committee:

Partnering Societies





Supporting Organization