Year of publication
2006
Excerpt
This report describes a harmonized dataset of derived soil properties for the world. The data were created using the soil distribution shown on the 1:5 million scale FAO-Unesco Soil Map of the World (DSMW) and soil parameter estimates derived from ISRIC’s global WISE soil profile database.
The dataset considers 19 soil variables that are commonly required for agro-ecological zoning, land evaluation, crop growth simulation, modelling of soil gaseous emissions, and analyses of global environmental change.
Most map units on the DSMW are complex, comprising up to eight different soil units. Assessments and model applications that use the derived soil properties therefore should consider the full map unit composition.
Three methods are discussed for presenting results spatially using GIS. Examples of un-binned and classified data — e.g. spatially dominant pH class at 0-20 cm depth in grid cell — are included in the GIS data set for general usage.
The soil parameter values and derived maps presented here are should be seen as best estimates based on the current selection of soil profiles in WISE, the procedure for clustering the measured data, taxotransfer iv scheme used for filling gaps in the measured data, and the spatial data of the digital Soil Map of the World. This information is considered appropriate for exploratory assessments at scale < 1:5 million, pending the global update of the information on world soil resources in the World Soil and Terrain Database (SOTER) programme.
The dataset considers 19 soil variables that are commonly required for agro-ecological zoning, land evaluation, crop growth simulation, modelling of soil gaseous emissions, and analyses of global environmental change.
Most map units on the DSMW are complex, comprising up to eight different soil units. Assessments and model applications that use the derived soil properties therefore should consider the full map unit composition.
Three methods are discussed for presenting results spatially using GIS. Examples of un-binned and classified data — e.g. spatially dominant pH class at 0-20 cm depth in grid cell — are included in the GIS data set for general usage.
The soil parameter values and derived maps presented here are should be seen as best estimates based on the current selection of soil profiles in WISE, the procedure for clustering the measured data, taxotransfer iv scheme used for filling gaps in the measured data, and the spatial data of the digital Soil Map of the World. This information is considered appropriate for exploratory assessments at scale < 1:5 million, pending the global update of the information on world soil resources in the World Soil and Terrain Database (SOTER) programme.