Source Geographical Resources Analysis

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used to predict the soil erosion hazard for Langkawi Island, Malaysia. The RUSLE was applied within the Geographical Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS), the open source Geographic Information System (GIS). Secondary raster data affecting erosion namely: rainfall erosivity; soil erodibility; cover management; conservation practices; and slope length and steepness were used to generate soil erosion map. The results predicted that about 58 % of the Langkawi are subjected to very low to moderate erosion potential and another 42 % to the high to extreme erosion potential. Although further studies are needed, it is clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of open source GIS in generating quantitative information on soil erosion studies