Multi-scale soil-landscape maps as the basis of geographic information systems for soil melioration

Abstract

Abstract The necessity of creating multi-scale soil-landscape maps for making scientifically based decisions on soil melioration at all levels is substantiated. Multi-scale soil-landscape maps are called a system of interrelated maps of all scale ranges, obtaining automatically from expert integral polygonal layers, having a single classification basis, containing integrated information about soils and landscapes and displaying soils not only as independent natural bodies (that is, systems) but also as derived elements of landscape systems. The ways of integrating heterogeneous information about soils and landscapes contained in cartographic and textual sources are named. The concept of “global data integration” is revealed and the importance of its implementation in relation to the soil and landscapes is emphasized. The advantages of multi-scale soil-landscape maps are shown in comparison with traditional and modern digital soil maps, which are due to the use of the genetic hierarchical Soil-Landscape Classification System as the classification basis.