ABSTRACT
Dr. Marion F. Baumgardner (Soil Databases) is a fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. He is professor emeritus of agronomy at Purdue University. He has received the International Soil Science Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the Soil Science Society of America. During his 39 years on the faculty at Purdue University, he focused his research interests on the quantitative relationships among the multispectral, physical, and chemical properties of soils and the application of aerospace remote sensing and spatial databases to the inventory and monitoring of soil resources at all scales from local to global. From the mid-1980s until his retirement in December 1997, he was active in research and development of the World Soils and Terrain Digital Database, known as SOTER. During the latter half of his career, his teaching included courses in soil and water conservation; soil, water, and air contamination; and remote sensing of terrestrial ecosystems. In retirement, he continues to be engaged in technical reviews and historical research and writing.
