Methodology for 3D mapping soil electrical conductivity: A case study

The aim of this paper is to present a new method of three-dimensional stratification of the soil, as well as to describe an apparatus which can be used to automatically measure its electrical conductivity. This apparatus uses Wenner array which, along with an optimization procedure, enables an easy three-dimensional stratification of the soil in large areas. The 3-D stratification is obtained from a geoelectrical prospection method, which utilizes a heuristic optimization process (genetic algorithm), generating the values of electrical conductivity and the thickness of each layer of the soil under analysis. In this process, such area is discretized into smaller areas, which are then stratified. A graphical view of the soil layers disposition is obtained from an interpolation.