Expanding and Testing the Utility of Land Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) – an Open Source Grazing Land Evaluation Tool for Ranchers

To survive in an increasingly challenging management environment, ranchers often rely on technical assistance. Access to comprehensive information about land potential enhances adaptive management, and having tools for easy, meaningful monitoring is critical. By using the free, open source Land-Potential Knowledge System(LandPKS) mobile app, ranchers can rapidly identify soils, and inventory and monitor vegetation for use in management decisions. This existing tool provides much of the needed information for ranchers to make appropriate management decisions, but additional information about livestock forage utilization and wildlife Habitat potential other resource values (e.g., grassland bird management) is needed to improve the utility of this tool. Although used internationally, LandPKS has yet to be tested with US ranchers.