Digital mapping of farmland classes in three landscape in Mexico

The cartography of farmland classes allows generating land maps, using a methodology based on local knowledge, rapidly and at low cost, and with a greater number of cartographic units than conventional soil surveys maps. However, the results found when producing these maps with automated cartography techniques are contrasting. Precision and accuracy were evaluated in 324 computer generated farmland class (FLC) maps by applying the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation model. These maps were obtained by varying the sample size for the training, its spatial design, and the Power value of the interpolator. Moreover, the effort needed to obtain maps with acceptable reliability was quantified. The procedure was applied to FLC maps obtained from surveys with producers from three contrasting environmental zones in Mexico. The results show that the best sampling scheme in the three areas is the systematic sampling, and Power 8, giving the maps with the highest reliability. Through the criterion of map reliability and effort needed for sampling, the recommended sample size is 10% to 25% of the total plots.