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Abstract
Spatial variation of surface and edaphic properties on sports fields are challenging to control due to dependency of foot traffic. The term performance testing is a method to quantify these properties to assist in more efficient management decisions. However, minimal testing procedures have been identified to detect variability of a property in space. The recent introduction of a mobile multi-sensor device, for use in turfgrass, allows for rapid data collection and the use of geostatistics for spatial analysis. Several sample grid sizes of soil moisture (volumetric water content, VWC), soil compaction (penetration resistance), and plant performance (normalized difference vegetative index, NDVI) were measured with the mobile device and spatially evaluated on six community sports fields. An appropriate sample grid size was identified for each property. Preliminary comparison of mobile and handheld data collection methods indicate the need for more spatial research using handheld devices.