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APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING AND GIS 
FOR SOIL MAPPING OF EI-HASANA CENTRAL SINAI, EGYPT 
S.l. Abdel Rahman and H. M: Onsi 
Soils and Water Use Dept, National Research Center 
and 
National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Cairo, Egypt. 
Commission IV, WG IV/1 
KEY WARDS: Soils, Classification, Mapping, Landsat, Digital, Egypt. 
ABSTRACT: 
An Area of about 3500 km2 located in the central part of Sinai Peninsula was se- 
lected to examine the capability of Landsat TM data for soil mapping, in erosional - deposi- 
tional landform under severe aridic conditions. The interpretation of a satellite image, 
combined with field investigation is found to be useful for producing a soil consociation 
map at scale (1 : 100,000). The mapped units were defined mostly based on their soil char- 
acteristics, geomorphology, and landuse. The main geomorphic units were; main wadis, trib- 
utaries, sloping lands, pediplains, hills and domes. Digital image processing including, prin- 
cipal component analysis and unsupervised classification techniques was performed in two 
sites in Wadi El-Arish. Site selection was carried out based on the availability of soil data 
and the potentiality for agricultural landuse. Five soil classes could be distinguished in site 
(1) based on their spectral reflectance. The classified soil classes were; wadi terrace, 
gravely plain, flood plain wadi bottom and playa. The reflectance characteristics and the 
total area for each class were calculated. However, in the other site (2), where there is no 
soil data available, only four classes were identified. The soil characteristics of each 
classified units were determined, and the effect of vegetation cover, land use, and soil ero- 
sion on spectral characteristics were discussed. 
1.Introduction formed the background for the Land Master 
Plan, Hammad (1986). Japan International 
Several studies were carried out to in- Cooperation Agency (JICA,1989) carried out 
vestigate the characteristics and dis- 8 Soil survey at a grid of one kilometer. 
tribution of land resources in Sinai Pe- Then the soil was classified according to 
ninsula. Abdel Hady et.al. (1980) used the USDA Soil Taxonomy and related to the 
Landsat MSS images to produce soil maps land forms . Desert Institute (1981) in- 
at a scale of (1:250,000) according to Soil vestigated the soils of ten regions in Sinai. 
Taxonomy Classification System. The stud- ^ classification was made according to 
ies performed by GARPAD/REGWA Re- Soil Taxonomy. These studies were per- 
connaissance Soil Survey (1981), and Semi- formed for Dames & Moore, and form the 
Detailed Soil Survey (1984), dealt with the background of pedological considerations in 
north-western part of the peninsula. The Sinai Development study. 
Reconnaissance Soil Survey only considered 
the texture of soils as the criterion of dif- The main objective of this study is to de- 
ferentiation. No international classifica-  meonstrate the capability of Landsat TM 
tion system was applied. These surveys data for mapping the soils of El Hasana re- 
1 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B4. Vienna 1996