Creating digital maps for geotechnical characteristics of soil based on GIS technology and remote sensing

Abstract

Abstract This article investigates creating digital maps for physical and geotechnical characteristics of soil based on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology and remote sensing for one of the most important areas in Egypt, namely, Delta Nile region, which is characterized by its agricultural and cultural resources. To create accurate digital maps for the soil characteristics of this area, data are collected mechanically, manually and in the laboratory and loaded up with the help of GIS technology using Modified Inverse Distance Weighted as a spatial interpolation technique throughout using 119 soil samples inside Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt. A digital elevation map of the Delta region has been downloaded using remote sensing technology to obtain the reduced levels of the different points for the studied area. Data were analyzed and studied well to produce six digital maps describing the important physical and geotechnical characteristics of soil such as groundwater level, pH water −Log (H+); the percentage of salts and chlorides (NaCl); Sulfate ratio (SO4); average appearance of the sand layer and average appearance of the clay layer. The results indicate a significant increase in the percentage of chlorides and sulfates, as the percentage of chlorides increased at a rate ranging between 2,000 and 6,000 mg L−1 up to 86.95% of the study area. It was noted that the percentage of sulfates increased at a rate range between 1,000 and more than 2,000 mg L−1 up to 91.5% of the study area. The final groundwater level ranges between 1.5 and 3 m under ground level, but the largest percentage is at a level of 1.5 m with a percentage up to 70% of the area of the study area. When conducting tests on water to determine the acidity and alkalinity aspect, we concluded that most of the values are between 6.8 and 7.3, with 44.62% for the first and 52.63 for the latter.