Soil survey scale and its effect on land use planning

Abstract

Soil survey maps compiled at a variety of scales (1:5,000; 1:100,000; 1:500,000) were incorporated into a GIS and compared in terms of the number of soil classes (and discrete soil units belonging to these classes) that could be identified on the basis of the System of Analysis for Agricultural Planning (SAMPA). Significant differences in the number of soil classes were observed between the detailed (1:5,000) survey and the two others. The semi-detailed (1:100,000) and the recognition (1:500,000) maps did not differ in terms of the number of soil classes depicted, but there were nonetheless differences in soil classification, which has a direct bearing on their utility for land use planning.