Spatial Characterization Tool

The Spatial Characterization Tool (SCT) is a GIS applica-tion which accesses gridded environmental data, point data, and vector based information (polygons). It provides a suite of query capabilities aimed toward the characterization of agricultural and agroecological environ-ments. This information might, for example, aid in the identification of the target domain	for each experimental site or contribute to the sample stratification of an area. Initially focused on the first order determinant, climate, data in the SCT also include population density, soil available water capacity, and topographic characteristics.	The production of the SCT requires programming, database compilation and documentation using ARC/INFO. The tool enables the rapid construction of simple "empirical" models of conditions at a site or for a zone, or across a transect.
Map of zones in Africa with similar growing season characteristics as site Kianjuki, Embu, Kenya

Contact : John D. Corbett, Integrated Information Management Laboratory, Texas A&M University System, Temple, Texas TX 76502, USA Phone: + 1 817 770 6600 Fax: 1 817 770 6561 E-mail: corbett@Brcsun0.tamu.edu