GEOTECHNOLOGIES APPLIED TO SOIL SURVEYS AND SOIL CLASSIFICATION IN THE CERRADO REGION, FEDERAL DISTRICT, BRAZIL

Abstract

Conventional soil surveys involve integrated activities in the office, in the field, laboratory analyses, pedological interpretation, and cartographic mapping, which makes them costly and, in many cases, difficult to update spatially and temporally. In this context, the use of geotechnologies has established itself as a promising alternative for soil surveying and classification, especially when combined with landscape interpretation and pedological knowledge. The objective of this study was to conduct a pedological survey and soil classification by integrating geoprocessing techniques with pedological criteria, with the aim of producing a soil map of the region encompassing the Brasília Botanical Garden, the Água Limpa Farm, and adjacent areas belonging to the Navy, the Air Force, and the IBGE in the Federal District. CBERS-4A satellite imagery, digital elevation models, vegetation data, source material, and cartographic data obtained from official sources were used. Spatial processing was performed using QGIS software. The accuracy of the digital mapping was evaluated by comparing it to a preexisting conventional semi-detailed survey, using the Kappa index. The resulting map showed a Kappa coefficient of 0.42 and an overall agreement of approximately 80%, indicating satisfactory performance for the scale used. The predominant classes were Red-Yellow Latosols and Quartzarenic Neosols, whose spatial distribution showed a strong association with topography, vegetation, and lithology. The results demonstrate that geotechnologies can consistently contribute to soil surveying and soil classification, provided they are adapted to the specific environmental conditions and the scale of the available data, constituting a tool with high potential for land-use planning, land-use suitability assessment, and environmental management in Cerrado areas.