News

-------------------------- soilDB 2.3.5 (2019-01-14) ----------------------------

• NAMESPACE and R CMD check fixes
• documentation updates
• soilDB now suggests stringr
• release to CRAN

-------------------------- soilDB 2.3.3 (2018-12-18) ----------------------------

• bug fix in fetchNASIS() related to conversion of NULL fragment volume to 0
• fetchKSSL() can now automatically simplify colors with simplifyColors = TRUE

-------------------------- soilDB 2.3 (2018-11-17) ------------------------------

• new function for exploring soil series co-occurrence data: siblings()
• fetchOSD(..., extended=TRUE) gets competing soil series
• new tests
• removed old sample gSSURGO chunk and related documentation
• release to CRAN

-------------------------- soilDB 2.2-6 (2018-10-11) ------------------------------

• new function for spatial queries: SDA_spatialQuery(), still needs testing and documentation

-------------------------- soilDB 2.2-6 (2018-10-11) ------------------------------

• fetchOSD gets an overhaul, new API and features

-------------------------- soilDB 2.2-5 (2018-10-05) ------------------------------

• experimental interface to SoillWeb OSD fulltext search: OSDquery()

-------------------------- soilDB 2.2-4 (2018-09-04) ------------------------------

• numerous bug-fixes in simplifyFragmentData() see (https://github.com/ncss-tech/soilDB/issues/70)

-------------------------- soilDB 2.2-1 (2018-05-21) ------------------------------

• get_mutext_from_NASIS_db() added for extraction of map unit text notes

-------------------------- soilDB 2.2 (2018-05-08) ------------------------------

• CRAN release
• better bug-fix for fetchSCAN and missing data (https://github.com/ncss-tech/soilDB/issues/26)
• exposing some of the internal functionality used by fetchHenry

-------------------------- soilDB 2.1-1 (2018-03-29) ------------------------------

• added more SCAN/SNOTEL metadata (https://github.com/ncss-tech/soilDB/issues/61)

-------------------------- soilDB 2.1 (2018-03-12) ------------------------------

• generalized local NASIS ODBC authentication, should work on windows 7, 8, 10 https://github.com/ncss-tech/soilDB/issues/54

-------------------------- soilDB 2.0-4 (2018-03-06) ----------------------------

• bug fix for subtle change in how SCAN data are returned from webservice

-------------------------- soilDB 2.0-3 (2018-02-13) ----------------------------

• bug fix for simplfyFragmentData(, nullFragsAreZero=FALSE), still more work to do

-------------------------- soilDB 2.0-2 (2018-01-29) ----------------------------

• bug fix for simplfyFragmentData() when fragment volume > 100%

-------------------------- soilDB 2.0-1 (2018-01-23) ----------------------------

• updated loafercreek and gopheridge sample datasets and manual page to reflect latest fetchNASIS

-------------------------- soilDB 2.0 (2017-12-23) ------------------------------

• bug fixes, manual page updates, and stabilization of NASIS interaction
• released to CRAN

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8.12 (2017-09-19) ----------------------------

• bug fix in fetchHenry(), it is now possible to query only sensor metadata

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8.11 (2017-08-17) ----------------------------

• temporary bug-fix related to SCAN data (https://github.com/ncss-tech/soilDB/issues/26)

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8.10 (2017-08-10) ----------------------------

• re-write of mix_and_clean_colors() so that color mixing happens in CIE LAB space

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8.5 (2017-05-24) ----------------------------

• re-write of SDA_query(), better error handling, support for multi-part result sets

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8.2 (2017-03-24) ----------------------------

• fetchHenry() can now access water level data, see manual page

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8.1 (2017-01-23) ----------------------------

• new function: get_comonth_from_NASIS_db() see manual page for details

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8-10 (2016-12-27) ----------------------------

• converting all URLs to 'HTTPS', addressing bugs with fetchSCAN() and associated functions

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8-7 (2016-11-16) ----------------------------

• sanity checks for fetchHenry()
• SCAN_sensor_metadata() vectorized and documented
• unique row names in SPDF returned by seriesExtent()

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8-6 (2016-11-04) ----------------------------

• converted all links to SoilWeb servers to HTTPS
• converted all NRCS web-service links to HTTPS

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8-4 (2016-10-07) ----------------------------

• fetchOSD() now returns dry colors and the source "narrative" for each horizon; function gains an argument
• fetchOSD() now returns texture class, coarse fragment modifier, pH, and pH class
• fetchSCAN() re-written, see manual pages and http://ncss-tech.github.io/AQP/soilDB/fetchSCAN-demo.html

-------------------------- soilDB 1.8 (2016-04-29) ----------------------------

• fetchKSSL() can now query basic morphologic data with the argument "returnMorphologicData"
• two new functions for simplifying NASIS color and fragment data:

• simplifyFragmentData()
• simplifyColorData()

• ^^^ these new functions are now used by fetchNASIS() to summarize color and fragment data (vs. SQL)
• NOTE: soilDB now uses reshape2::dcast() instead of reshape::cast()

-------------------------- soilDB 1.7 (2016-04-18) ----------------------------

• bug fix in colors returned by fetchNASIS(), reported by Andy Paolucci
• bug fix in SDA_query(), due to changes in httr::content. Thanks Kyle Bocinsky for the fix!
• SDA_query() now returns SQL errors generated by SDA
• new columns from NASIS site table returned by fetchNASIS()
• NASIS pedon ecosite data now returned by fetchNASIS() (c/o J. Skovlin)

-------------------------- soilDB 1.6.9 (2015-12-28) ----------------------------

• clean-up in local NASIS queries, removed extra parens
• NASIS component query function overhaul: previous code may be broken, details pending

-------------------------- soilDB 1.6.8 (2015-12-22) ----------------------------

• added temperature class (temp_class) field from the pedon taxonomic history table (NASIS) [addition suggested by J. Baker]

-------------------------- soilDB 1.6.7 (2015-12-16) ----------------------------

• experimental function for processing SDA queries that return geometry: processSDA_WKT()

-------------------------- soilDB 1.6.5 (2015-12-03) ----------------------------

• bug fix for poorly specified gemomorphic descriptions, caused fetchNASIS() to barf
• fetchKSSL() gains new query filters, see man page

-------------------------- soilDB 1.6.4 (2015-11-27) ----------------------------

• package re-org, getting ready for soilDB 2.0:

• dropping use of RCurl functions in favor of httr alternatives (done)
• switch from reshape to reshape2 (pending)
• possibly move some packages from SUGGESTS to IMPORTS

-------------------------- soilDB 1.6.3 (2015-11-20) ----------------------------

• new spatial query helper functions for SDA
• re-named SSURGO_spatial_query() to SoilWeb_spatial_query(), this function may be phased-out due to spatial support now available in SDA
• removed MUKEYS_by_ll_bbox() function, no longer needed and web-service may be disabled at any time
• mapunit_geom_by_ll_bbox() will probably be removed in the near future with an SDA-based alternative
• KSSL data updated (server-side) to June 2015 snapshot, "site_id" column removed from fetchKSSL() results

-------------------------- soilDB 1.6 (2015-08-19) ----------------------------

• soilDB now imports from the reshape package, will transition to reshape2 with soilDB 2.0
• fetchHenry() officially added, complete with documentation
• SDA_query() undergoing some upgrades, no longer requies SSOAP / XMLSchema packages
• SSOAP / XMLSchema packages no longer in 'suggests' list

-------------------------- soilDB 1.5-8 (2015-08-13) ----------------------------

• fetchKSSL() gets an argument for downloading data by MLRA

-------------------------- soilDB 1.5-7 (2015-03-10) ----------------------------

• updated the loafercreek and gopheridge sample datasets

-------------------------- soilDB 1.5-3 (2015-03-10) ----------------------------

• nullFragsAreZero argument to fetchNASIS() reset to TRUE, new documentation pending
• consolidate of messages printed when running fetchNASIS()
• introduction of new option "soilDB.verbose" (default is FALSE) for increasing the level of QC information printed
• new tutorial on fetchNASIS()

-------------------------- soilDB 1.5-2 (2015-02-24) ----------------------------

• RODBC temporarily moved from "suggested" package to "imported" package... not a good idea, reverted to "suggested"

-------------------------- soilDB 1.4-5 (2015-01-20) ----------------------------

• mix_and_clean_colors() now returns back-transformed, mixed, munsell colors
• added psctopdepth and pscbotdepth back to extended NASIS query (particle size control section depths)

-------------------------- soilDB 1.4-3 (2015-01-12) ----------------------------

• get_hz_data_from_NASIS_db() no longer assumes fragment volume of NULL = 0
• get_extended_data_from_NASIS_db() no longer assumes fragment volume of NULL = 0
• fetchNASIS() has a new argument, nullFragsAreZero=FALSE; set to TRUE for past NULL -> 0 conversion

-------------------------- soilDB 1.4-2 (2014-12-23) ----------------------------

• new internally-used function .formatLandformString() for flattening NASIS/PedonPC "landform" records
• new internally-used function .formatParentMaterialString() for flattening NASIS/PedonPC "parent material" records
• fetchNASIS() incorporates the results of these two new functions
• new function SSURGO_spatial_query() queries SSURGO data from SoilWeb (see manual page for details)

-------------------------- soilDB 1.4 (2014-11-13) ----------------------------

• moving most of the hard-to-install packages into suggests, and checking for package availability at function runtime. this will make soilDB more portable, as not every user will want or need all functionality.

-------------------------- soilDB 1.3-6 (2014-10-27) ----------------------------

• fetchNASIS() gains argument rmHzErrors to optionally retain pedons with horizonation errors. use with caution.

-------------------------- soilDB 1.3-5 (2014-09-25) ----------------------------

• loafercreek sample dataset re-created from new data
• seriesExtent() now utilizes pre-cached GeoJSON files from [http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/]

-------------------------- soilDB 1.3 (2014-02-26) ----------------------------

• Changes made to fetch functions to accommodate changes implemented in the NASIS 6.3 data structure
• get_site_data_from_NASIS_db(): in cases where multiple records in site-bedrock exist, retain only the most shallow
• fetchRaCA() has a new argument for querying data by rcasiteid

-------------------------- soilDB 1.2-9 (2014-01-06) ----------------------------

• SOC concentration and stock values are temporarily disabled in fetchRaCA()
  • waiting for new estimates from the Soil Survey Center...

-------------------------- soilDB 1.2-6 (2013-12-05) ----------------------------

• added new function contributed by J.M. Skovlin: get_veg_from_NPS_PLOTS_db()
• bugfixes in get_extended_data_from_NASIS_db(): results from geomorph tables are now returned

-------------------------- soilDB 1.2-3 (2013-10-25) ----------------------------

• added new function fetchSCAN() for downloading soil/climate data from USDA-NRCS SCAN stations (still experimental!)

-------------------------- soilDB 1.2-1 (2013-09-12) ----------------------------

• bug fixing in fetchRaCA():
  • "#" characters no longer cause errors
  • duplicate IDs in source data have been fixed

-------------------------- soilDB 1.2 (2013-08-13) ----------------------------

• fetchRaCA() function now stable, ready for general usage
• fixed bug in fetchRaCA() function where the presence of single-quote character in horizon designation would throw and error

-------------------------- soilDB 1.1-3 (2013-07-30) ----------------------------

• new function get_copedon_from_NASIS_db(): returns basic information associated with pedons linked to component data in NASIS
• new function fetchRaCA(): gets data from the Rapid Carbon Assessment project [work in progress]

-------------------------- soilDB 1.1 (2013-06-27) ----------------------------

• get_site_data_from_NASIS_db() no longer has problems when more than 1 site bedrock kind is defined; only the shallowest row is returned

-------------------------- soilDB 1.0 (2013-04-04) ----------------------------

• fetchNASIS() is now much more efficient: faster / less memory used
• new function! fetchKSSL(): experimental interface to (most of) the KSSL data
  • queries can be performed by series name or GCS bounding box
  • data are delivered via CA Soil Resource Lab server

-------------------------- soilDB 0.9-8 (2013-04-03) ----------------------------

• fetchOSD() now immune to queries for non-soils
• improved efficiency in fetch* functions
• NASIS-DMU fetching functions now return more information, still not as complete as pedon-queries

-------------------------- soilDB 0.9-7 (2013-03-01) ----------------------------

• NASIS query functions now return only records from the selected set, please test older code!

-------------------------- soilDB 0.9-6 (2013-02-26) ----------------------------

• new function get_text_notes_from_NASIS_db() -- still needs proper documentation
• bug fixes to PedonPC and NASIS queries, new data elements returned by extended query functions
• SoilWeb queries via URL are now URL-encoded to allow for spaces in soil series names

-------------------------- soilDB 0.9-4 (2013-01-31) ----------------------------

• new function: fetchOSD() returns basic OSD data as a SoilProfileCollection

-------------------------- soilDB 0.9-3 (2013-01-08) ----------------------------

• speed-bump in color-fetching functions from NASIS/pedonPC
• fetchNASIS() now attempts to correct for >1 pedon/site by appending peiid to pedon_id

-------------------------- soilDB 0.9-2 (2012-12-18) ----------------------------

• new functions for getting / plotting the geographic extent of a soil series, using the SoilWeb query service: -seriesExtent() : fetches extent as a SpatialPolygonDataFrame -seriesExtentAsGmap() : fetches extent and plots on Google Maps (requires dismo package)

-------------------------- soilDB 0.9-1 (2012-11-27) ----------------------------

• updated functionality in fetchNASIS_component_data() pulls mapunit-level data as well as component-level data
• Munsell 'value' is now returned from PedonPC/NASIS fetching functions

-------------------------- soilDB 0.9 (2012-10-24) ----------------------------

• added a surface fragment summary "surf_frag_summary" to the results of get_extended_data_from_NASIS()
  • note: this has not been ported to the related PedonPC queries
• integrated surf_frag_summary data into data returned from fetchNASIS(), stored in @site
  • note: this has not been ported to the related PedonPC queries
• minor bug-fix in horizon-level rock fragment summary SQL which previously mis-classified BD as ST in some, rare cases
  • note: this has not been ported to the related PedonPC queries

-------------------------- soilDB 0.8-3 (2012-09-28) ----------------------------

• site-level data: {elev, slope, aspect} are now named {elev_field, slope_field, aspect_field}
  • this affects the data returned by fetchNASIS() and fetchPedonPC()

-------------------------- soilDB 0.8-2 (2012-08-23) ----------------------------

• compatible with NASIS 6.2
• bug fixes
• taxhistory selection method is preserved in the results
• 'taxonname' is used instead of 'sampled_as' / 'correlated_as' ! seems to work, but needs further testing

-------------------------- soilDB 0.8 (2012-08-20) ----------------------------

• updating for PedonPC 5.0 and NASIS 6.2
  • site data contains the best-guessed corresponding row from the taxhistory table, based on: 1) most recent record, or 2) record with the least amount of missing data
  • taxhistory data are now included in the output from get_extended_data_from_pedon_db()
• package is now partially compatible with NASIS 6.2

-------------------------- soilDB 0.6 (2012-06-19) ----------------------------

• tidying up documentation, package dependencies, and NAMESPACE

-------------------------- soilDB 0.5-6 (2012-04-16) ----------------------------

• adding preimlinary functions for querying component data from local NASIS
• fixed minor bug in SDA_query() and added some links to related documentation

-------------------------- soilDB 0.5-1 (2012-02-22) ----------------------------

• fetchNASIS() and fetchPedonPC() now integrate `extended' data
• warning and error messages cleaned-up
• multiple textures no longer cause duplicate HZ rows (NASIS only)
• exteded queries now split frags/para-frags
• silt fraction is estimated from 100-(sand+clay) when possible
• added local NASIS ODBC connection vignette (thanks JMS)
• removed dsn argument from NASIS functions as it should always be 'nasis_local'
• new wide-formatted, boolean representation of diagnostic horizon data
• queries standardized between NASIS/PedonPC
• new fetchNASIS() function for 1-line access to local NASIS data
• new sample data set 'loafercreek'
• basic vignette added, switching to knitr-style vignettes

-------------------------- soilDB 0.3-3 (2012-01-10) --------------------------

• SDA_query() now functional on MacOS/UNIX-like OSes with (SSOAP 0.8-1, XMLSchema 0.6-0, and XML 3.7-1)
  • thanks to D.T. Lang for the updates!
• moving hard to find packages to 'suggested' status: SSOAP, RCurl, XML, rgdal
• new wrapper function fetchPedonPC() for typical site/pedon/hz queries
• new function getHzErrorsPedonPC() for ID-ing pedons with problem horizonation
• NOTE: hz data queries will return 2 rows/hz (error) when multiple texture classes are assigned to a single horizon- this is a bug, not a feature!

-------------------------- soilDB 0.3-2 (2011-12-30) --------------------------

• NASIS/pedonPC queries synced
• minor bug fixes and documentation updates
• updated query structure, switching over to native NASIS/PedonPC IDs
• extended summaries added: NASIS only

-------------------------- soilDB 0.2 (2011-12-27) --------------------------

• moved functions out of aqp package
• basic query functionality from local NASIS DB (Jay)

-------------------------- soilDB 0.1 (2011-12-23) --------------------------

• initial version on r-forge
• functions still exist in aqp package... need to move over completely

Reference manual