Method for surveying and analyzing soil samples in a geographic area

A method for surveying a geographic area to determine an unconfined compressive strength of a soil layer of the geographic area, comprising:

• transporting a field portable device equipped with a microprocessor configured to determine the unconfined compressive strength of a soil sample to a geographic location, wherein the field portable device comprises an elongated housing having a handle at an upper end and a plurality of wheels mounted on an axle at a lower end, an augur mounted on a front side of the elongated housing, and a sample holder configured to receive the soil sample;
• collecting, with the auger, the soil sample of the soil layer;
• depositing the soil sample into the sample holder of the field portable device, wherein the sample holder has a defined volume;
• recording, with a scale connected to the sample holder, an undried weight of the soil sample;
• drying, with a heating device, the soil sample for a specified time;
• recording, with the scale, a dried weight of the soil sample;
• performing, with a laser induced breakdown spectrometer, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy on the soil sample to generate spectral emission intensities of the soil sample;
• recording, by a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, the geographic location of the soil sample;
• calculating, with a microprocessor connected to the scale, the laser induced breakdown spectrometer and the GPS receiver to receive the undried weight, the dried weight, the spectral emission intensities and the geographic location of the soil sample respectively, the bulk density and the water content of the soil sample;
• applying, by the microprocessor, the bulk density, water content and spectral emission intensities to a trained decision tree regressor combined with an adaptive boosting classifier;
• predicting, by the trained decision tree regressor combined with an adaptive boosting classifier, the unconfined compressive weight of the soil sample;
• and
• displaying, on a display screen operatively connected with the microprocessor, the unconfined compressive strength, the bulk density, the water content and the spectral emission intensities of the soil sample.