ABSTRACT
Soil databases take various forms and have evolved quite rapidly recently. About 20 years ago, most soil data were produced as paper soil maps accompanied by a soil survey report, which usually contained thick annexes with soil prole descriptions and laboratory data. Nowadays, however, soil information is most likely to come stored in a Geographical Information System (GIS) accompanied by a digital database containing the soil pro-le information linked as point data to the corresponding soil mapping unit polygon. ¤e data sets are stored in various media ranging from stand-alone media like CD-ROMs to globally accessible Internet GIS servers. Queries can vary as well: from locally operated GIS soware for the fully trained GIS operators toward full internet GIS server functionality for nonspecialists.
