Soil erosion is the most serious problem faced at global and local level. So planning of soil conservation measures has become prominent agenda in the view of water basin managers. To plan for the soil conservation measures, the information on soil erosion is essential. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 1 (RUSLE1or RUSLE) and Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE), RUSLE 1.06, RUSLE1.06c, RUSLE2 are most widely used conventional erosion estimation methods. The essential drawbacks of USLE, RUSLE1 equations are that they are based on average annual values of its parameters and so their applicability to small temporal scale is questionable. Also these equations do not estimate runoff generated soil erosion. So applicability of these equations to estimate runoff generated soil erosion is questionable. Data used in formation of USLE, RUSLE1 equations was plot data so its applicability at greater spatial scale needs some scale correction factors to be induced. On the other hand MUSLE is unsuitable for predicting sediment yield of small and large events. Although the new revised forms of USLE like RUSLE 1.06, RUSLE1.06c and RUSLE2 were land use independent and they have almost cleared all the drawbacks in earlier versions like USLE and RUSLE1, they are based on the regional data of specific area and their applicability to other areas having different climate, soil, land use is questionable. These conventional equations are applicable for sheet and rill erosion and unable to predict gully erosion and spatial pattern of rills. So the research was focused on development of nonconventional (other than conventional) methods of soil erosion estimation. When these non-conventional methods are combined with GIS and RS, gives spatial distribution of soil erosion. In the present paper the review of literature on non- conventional methods of soil erosion estimation supported by GIS and RS is presented., {"references":["O. F. Amiri, and T. Tabatabaie, \"EPM approach for erosion modeling\nby using RS and GIS,\" in 2009 Proc. 7th FIG Regional Conference\nSpatial Data Serving People, Land Governance and The Environment-\nBuilding the Capacity, Hanoi, Vietnam, pp. 1-10.","L. T. ANH, \"Regional scale soil erosion modeling for observation\nplanning using RS & GIS techniques-a case study in the centre of\nHimalayan region,\" in 2009 Proc. 7th FIG Regional Conference,Hanoi,\nVietnam, pp. 1-15.","D. Anrong, Z. Sicong, H. Xindong, T. Lihua, and X. Haibo, \"Case study\nof soil erosion supported by GIS & RS,\" in 2003 Proceedings of\nGeoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium,IGARSS-03, France, pp.\n2857-2859.","P. Behera, K. H. V. Durga Rao, and K. K. Das, \"Soil erosion modeling\nusing MMF model-a remote sensing and GIS perspective,\" J. Indian\nSociety of Remote Sensing, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 165-176, 2005.","H. Belaid, and M. A. Karteris, \"Use of GIS to predict potential erosion\nareas in a typical mediterranean watershed,\" in Proc. CIHEAM -\nOptions Mediterraneennes Conference, pp.109-115.\nhttp://ressources.ciheam.org/om/pdf/c09/96605584.pdf","C. Evangelou, \"Using geographic information system (GIS) technology\nto assess soil erosion risks in Europe,\" Environmental Connection, vol.\n2, no. 2, pp. 24-26.","S. L. Curzio, and P. Magliulo, \"Soil erosion assessment using\ngeomorphological remote sensing techniques: an example from\nSouthern Italy,\" Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, vol. 35, no.\n3, pp. 262-271, December 2009.","O. Degniz, P. Yukupoglu, and O. Baskan, \"Soil erosion assessment\nusing geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS)\nstudy from Ankara-Guvenc basin, Turkey,\" J. Environmental Biology,\nVol. 30, No. 3, May, pp. 339-44.","F. Dondofema, A. Murwira, and A. Mhizha, \"Identifying gullies and\ndetermining their relationships with environmental factors using GIS in\nthe Zhulubemeso-catchment,\" in 2008 9th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP\nSA Programme, Water and Sustainable Development for Improved\nLivelihoods, Johannesburg, South Africa, pp. 1-\n8.http://www.waternetonline.ihe.nl/challengeprogram/P48%20Dondof\nma%20Gullies.pdf\n[10] G. R. Foster, T. E. Toy, and K. G. Renard, \"Comparison of the USLE,\nRUSLE1.06c and RUSLE2 for application to highly disturbed lands,\"\nin 2003 Proceedings of First Interagency Conference on Research in\nThe Watersheds, Benson, Arizona, pp. 154\n160.http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/icrw/proceedings/foster.pdf\n[11] N. Hassen, \"The assessment of erosion vulnerability using GIS and\nremote sensing application,\" Master of Science Thesis Submitted in the\nAddis Ababa University, June 2009.\n[12] J. Huang, and W. Xu, \"Quantitative assessment of regional soil erosion\nin Chengdu plain of Sichuan province, R.S & GIS,\" in 2007 Geoscience\nand Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 2007, IEEE International,\npp. 3131-3134.\n[13] A. S. Jasrotia, S. D. Dhiman, and S. P. Aggarwal, \"Rainfall runoff and\nsoil erosion modeling using RS & GIS technique-a case study of Tons\nwatershed,\" J. Indian Society of Remote Sensing, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 1-\n14, August 2002.\n[14] S. K. Jain, and M. K. Goel, \"Assessing the vulnerability to soil erosion\nof the Ukai dam catchments using remote sensing and\nGIS,\"Hydrological Sciences J., vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 31-40, December\n2009.\n[15] A. NG. S. Kim, \"Application of geographic information system (GIS) in\nsoil erosion prediction: a case study of the SG. Hijau watershed,\nFraser's hill, Pahang,\" Doctoral Thesis Submitted in the Faculty of\nForestry, University Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia, May 2003.\n[16] U. C. Kothyari, and S. K. Jain, \"Sediment yield estimation using GIS,\"\nHydrological Sciences J., vol. 42, no. 6, pp. 833-843, December 1997.\n[17] M. Kokh-Shrestha, \"Soil erosion modeling using remote sensing and\nGIS: a case study of Jhikhu Khola watershed, Nepal,\" in 2002 Proc.\nACRS2002, Kathmandu, Nepal. http://www.a-a-rs.\norg/acrs/proceeding/ACRS2002/Papers/SAG02-7.pdf\n[18] R. L. Lanuzaa, E. P. Paningbatan Jr., \"Validation and sensitivity\nanalysis of catchment runoff and erosion simulation technology\n(CREST): a GIS-assisted soil erosion model at watershed level,\" in 2010\nProc. International Congress on Environmental Modeling and Software\nModeling for Environment-s Sake, Ottawa, Canada.\nhttp://www.iemss.org/iemss2010/index.php?n=Main.Proceedings.\n[19] C. Lloyd, and D. Favis-Mortlock, \"Modeling erosion on conditionallysimulated\nDEMs of bare soil surfaces,\" in 2003 Proc. 7th International\nConference on GeoComputation, University of Southampton, United\nKingdom.http://www.geocomputation.org/2003/Abstracts/Lloyd_Abs.p\ndf\n[20] T. A. Mahammadi, and V. Shadparvar, \"Investigation of the possibility\nto prepare supervised classification map of gully erosion,\" Life Science\nJ., vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 383-386, 2011.\n[21] I. Milevski,\"Estimation of soil erosion risk in the upper part of\nBregalnica watershed-republic of Macedonia based on digital elevation\nmodel and satellite imagery,\" in 2008 5th International Conference on\nGeographic Information Systems, Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey,\npp. 351-358.\n[22] T. A. Mohammadi, and D. Nikkami, \"Methodologies of preparing\nerosion features map by using RS and GIS,\" International J. Sediment\nResearch, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 130-137, June 2008.\n[23] T. A. Mohammadi, and N. Haghighat, \"Investigation of some\nmethodologies in providing erosion maps of surface, rill and gully and\nerosion features,\" J. World Academy of Science, Engineering and\nTechnology, vol. 68, pp. 1206-1209, 2011.\n[24] G. Nabi, \"Regional scale sediment yield modeling using GIS and remote\nsensing,\" Doctoral Thesis submitted in Centre of Excellence in Water\nResources Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology,\nLahore, Pakistan, 2004.\n[25] A. Pandey, V. M. Chowdary, and B. C. Mal, \"Sediment yield modeling\nof an agricultural watershed using MUSLE, remote sensing and\nGIS,\"Paddy and Water Environment, Elsevier, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 105-\n113,February 2009.\n[26] R. Paul, H. Eswaran, and F. Beinroth, \"Global dimensions of\nvulnerability to wind and water erosion,\" in 1999 Proc. Sustaining\nGlobal Farm, 10th International Soil Conservation Organization\nMeeting, Purdue University, USA, pp. 838-846.\n[27] D. D. Phai, D. Orange, J. B. Migraine, D. T. Tran, and C. V. Nguyen,\n\"Applying GIS-assisted modeling to predict soil erosion for a Small\nagricultural watershed within sloping lands in Northern Vietnam,\" in\n1999Proc. Sustainable Sloping Lands and Watershed Management\nConference, Northern Vietnam, pp. 212-228.\nhttp://www.nafri.org.la/document/SSLWM/ch2_09_phai.pdf\n[28] K. G. Renard, G. R. Foster, G. A. Weesies, D. K. McCool, D. C.\nYoder, and Co-ordinators, \"Predicting soil erosion by water: a guide to\nconservation planning with the revised universal soil loss equation\n(RUSLE),\" U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook No.\n703, 1997.\n[29] K. D. Sharma, \"A distributed spatial sediment delivery model for the\narid regions,\" Hydrology J., vol. 29, no.1 & 2, pp. 1-17, March - June\n2006.\n[30] B. Tabassum, \"Role of RS and GIS in agriculture: a case study of\nDikrong river basin,\" J. Geo-Informatics, Institute of Earth Sciences,\nCCS University, Meerut, India, pp. 1-13, 1999.\n[31] T. J. Toy, and G. R. Foster, \"Use of the revised universal soil loss\nequation (RUSLE) version 1.06 on mined lands, construction sites, and\nreclaimed lands,\" U. S. Department of Interior, Office of Surface\nMining, Reclamation, and Regulation, U. S. A., 1998\n[32] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service,National\nSediment Laboratory (USDA-ARS-NSL), \"RUSLE1.06c and RUSLE2,\"\nU.S.A., 2003. http://www.sedlab.olemiss.edu/rusle.\n[33] S. Y. Wang, Z. X. Zhang, and X. Zhao, \"Remote sensing study on soil\nerosion backed by GIS-take the soil erosion in Hubei province for\nexample,\" in 2001 Proc. Info-tech and Info-net Conference, Beijing,\nChina, pp. 159-164.\nhttp://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=00982738\n[34] Z. Wan, and C. Sangchyoswat, \"Soil erosion risk assessment using GIS\nand farmer-s perception: a case study in dry zone area of central region\nof Myanmar,\" pp. 395-405, 2001.\nhttp://www.mcc.cmu.ac.th/Seminar/pdf/1534.pdf\n[35] L. Weihua, W. Yonggang, M. Dianhui, and Y. Yan, \"Regional\nassessment of soil erosion based on Naive Bayes,\" in 2007 Proc. Of\nInternational Conference on Computational Intelligence and Security,\nHarbin, China, pp. 6-9.\n[36] W. H. Wischmeir, and D. Smith, \"Predicting rainfall erosion losses- a\nguide to conservation planning,\" U. S. Department of Agriculture,\nAgriculture Handbook No. 537, 1978.\n[37] S. T. Yang, and Q. Zhu, \"Intelligent interpreting soil erosion based on\ngeographic knowledge,\" in 2003 Proc. Geoscience and Remote Sensing\nSymposium, France, pp. 2468-2470.\n[38] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion"]}