National Imagery and Mapping Agency, ATTN: PCE, M/S D-88, 4600 Sangamore Road, Bethesda, MD

A -- DIGITAL SOILS DATABASE SOL NMA202-99-2-1026 POC Tamara J. Verdon, Contracting Officer, verdont@nima.mil The National Imagery and Mapping Agency intends to award a cooperative agreement to Texas A&M University, Blackland Research Center, for the development of a digital soils database of the world. Specific objectives are to: compile a digital GIS layer of soil polygons from available hardcopy and digital maps to a 1:1 million global soils database; use the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) World Soil Map as the best available global soils data at 1:1 million scale, and fill in with larger scale and more accurate or current data when available; improve the accuracy of the soil boundaries on the original base maps by projecting the soil polygons onto a LANDSAT orthophotomosaic overlain onto digital elevation data and moving the boundaries as appropriate; assign soil classification(s) to the dominant soil(s) for each of the soil polygons; estimate a set of representative soil attributes (or ranges in values of soil attributes) for each polygon using the Soil Taxonomy classification system (or cross walks to Soil Taxonomy from other classification systems); translate soil textural information to the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS); and provide the digital soils map in an ARC/INFO (or other appropriate) format with a supporting database of selected soil attributes for the dominant soil(s) of each polygon. Texas A&M University has the only existing hardcopy of many of the USDA World Soil Maps sheets needed to develop this database. No other university or contractor has possession of the USDA World Soil Maps needed as the baseline for the global soils database project. Universities that possess the requisite source data and can perform the required efforts described herein are encouraged to identify themselves and give written notification to the NIMA Agreements Officer, and provide supporting evidence to the NIMA Agreements Officer, within fifteen (15) calendar days after the date of publication of this synopsis. The final determination of suitability for this award is within the discretion of the Government. Only written responses will be considered. Posted 08/11/99 (I-SN366337). (0223)

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