A series of mobile phone apps are helping agricultural producers around the world to collect and share soil, land-cover and climate data, reports the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Developed by ARS researchers and their collaborators, the apps are aimed at sharing knowledge about ways to maximize the land’s productivity while protecting its resources.

The first two apps, ‘LandInfo’ and ‘LandCover’, were released this month and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. They allow users to collect and share soil and land-cover information as well as gain access to global climate data.

LandInfo aims to make collecting soil data easier for non-soil scientists. It provides information on how much water the soil can store for plants to use, average monthly temperature and precipitation, and the length of the growing season based on the user’s location.

LandCover simplifies collecting data for land-cover inventories and monitoring. It generates basic indicators of tree, grass, bare ground and crop-residue cover which is stored and accessible to users worldwide.

A future app: ‘LandPotential’ will use the LandInfo information together with additional knowledge bases to help users identify and select management systems that increase production while reducing soil erosion.

The apps are being developed through 5-year, multi-organization project called the “Land Potential Knowledge System” (LandPKS). Among the contributing organizations is the World Agroforestry Centre.

As well as being useful to land managers, the apps are expected to be utilized by extension service agents, farm consultants, policymakers, and soil inventory and monitoring specialists.

Read the full story: Smart Phone Apps Series to Help Maximize Land’s Productivity, Protect Resources

For more information on the apps, see the LandPotential.org website