Ray, to use one of your examples, I'll explain why what I think you are expecting isn't going to be really feasable:

Finding water.

Where I am, you have to actively seek a place where there isn't a pond, brook, stream or spring within a half mile in any direction. So the clues I look for when I need water are about as helpful to someone in say, Arizona or New Mexico, as a porcupine in balloon blowing contest. On the other hand, someone where there are more mines has worries I don't. And someone who needs to know about seawater doesn't need my advice, because other than distilling it all you can do is reverse osmosis rigs.

Oh, wait, that's gear, and you don't want to talk about gear.