European Soil Bureau  Research Report No. 4

The Soil Information System of Slovakia and its utilization in land evaluation

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European Soil Bureau  Research Report No. 4

Introduction

A soil information system for agricultural use has been developed and implemented in Slovakia for approximately 15 years. Its creation was established on internationally accepted principles, as applied to information systems theory. It may be defined as follows:

The significance of soil information system development resides in its utilization by management systems at various levels (governmental, regional, etc.). The information system must be developed with regard to the requirements and parameters of its users, especially from the point of view of hardware, software and systems structure, but above all from the aspect of data compatibility throughout the system and also in relation to the management systems of its various users.

J. Hraško

J. Kobza

V. Linkeš

Soil Fertility Research Institute,

Gagarinova 10,

SQ-81713 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Pedological data sources

The Slovakian soil information system is based on three main pedological data sources:

1.The survey of agricultural soils in Slovakia: soil maps at the scale of 1:10,000; 16,000 soil profiles analysed in detail; and 200,000 in semi-detail. The density of the soil profile network is 1/14 ha. The soil survey was carried out between 1961 and 1970. The soil classification system used was the national system of the former Czechoslovakia (Nìmeèek, J. et al., 1967). In terms of taxonomy, definition of soil diagnostic horizons, definition of soil taxonomy units and analytical methods, this soil classification system is fully compatible with the FAO classification system.

2.Soil maps of new land evaluation:

Maps of so-called soil ecological units at a scale of 1:5000. Mapping period: 1973-1978. Updated 1985-1989 (and ongoing). Above mentioned soil classification system is simplified with the addition of slope and climatic categories.

3.Soil monitoring system.

Agricultural and forest soils are monitored together as part of the environment monitoring system. The monitoring network of 637 sites and 15,000 farm plots has been in existence since 1992. The monitoring cycle is 5 years. The following soil properties are monitored:

Soil contamination by risk trace elements and organic pollutants; content and quality of humus; soil reaction and active aluminium; physical properties; available P, K, Mg, Ca; soil erosion (at six sites with the help of 137Cs as a marker element).

Existing soil databases

The present soil information system in Slovakia consists of the following databases:

Database of 16,000 soil profiles.

The main data blocks are: identification data, co-ordinates in the national JTSK system with the possibility of transformation into geographical co-ordinates, classification data (soil classification according to both the Slovakian and the FAO system), code of polygons for soil ecological units (outlined in the following section), horizon properties (designation, colour according to Munsell, particle size distribution, pH/KCl, Cox, CaCO3, CEC, base saturation, available P and K). The database is managed by a user program based on MS-DOS.

Database of soil mapping units

This comprises the so-called evaluated soil ecological units.)

The database contains polygons, data of mapping units which were digitized on all the farming land (12,000 map sheets at 1:5,000 scale) of Slovakia and a 7-digit code number of an (evaluated) soil ecological unit.

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European Soil Bureau  Research Report No. 4

The code explanation is as follows:

xx xx x x x

agroclimatic region (10 categories)

soil subtypes in combination with main types of parent material (99 categories)

slope and exposition (9 categories)

soil profile depth and skeleton content (9 categories)

soil texture in A horizon (5 categories)

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European Soil Bureau  Research Report No. 4

In Slovakia, there are 7000 soil ecological units (digit-code combinations) and each occur in many polygons (mapping units).

The databases are managed as a GIS by PC ARC/INFO under Windows 95 and also by a UNIX system.

The units of soil classification, soil depth and soil parent materials categories are comparable with the FAO system. It is also possible to transform the other categories.

Database of national soil monitoring system

The soil monitoring database consists of 637 monitoring sites. The main data blocks are identification data; co-ordinates in a JTSK system with the possibility of transformation into the geographical co-ordinates; classification data (classification according to the Slovakian system as well as the FAO system); code of soil ecological unit polygon.

See the following list:

  • Territorial identification of monitoring sites
  • Soil classification and horizon designation
  • Physical properties
  • Soil reaction and CaCO3 content
  • Macronutrients
  • Micronutrients
  • Humus content and quality
  • Exchangeable cations and sorption complex
  • Total content of trace risk elements
  • Trace risk elements extracted in 2M HNO3 (As in 2M HCl)
  • Trace risk elements – available in forms (in 0.05 M EDTA)
  • Trace risk elements in plants
  • Organic pollutants and radioactive indicators (137Cs)

The monitoring data from separate cycles is archived in time series. The database is managed by a user program based on ACCESS/Windows 95.

The main data block consists of territorial and administrative identification data, co-ordinates in the national JTSK system (with the possibility of conversion to geographical co-ordinates), soil classification data (of the national system, the FAO system and the polygon code of the soil ecological unit), soil physical properties, soil acidity/alkalinity, CaCO3 content, macro and micronutrients, humus content and quality, CEC, exchangeable cations, trace elements: total, mobile (0.05 M EDTA) and in extraction of 2M HNO3 content, content of trace elements in plants, organic pollutants.

The database is managed by a user program based on ACCESS/Windows 95.

Other databases

There are a number of databases at the Soil Fertility Research Institute. Some of these are descirbed below.

Database of land evaluation

This database contains the listing of soil ecological units code, their area and type of agricultural land utilization (arable land, grassland, etc.) and the list of soil ecological units is according to farms and municipalities. It also contains the prices of all units, the present average yield potential of 15 agricultural crops and the average cost of inputs in agricultural production. The database is continuously updated.

National cadastral soil database

This is the largest database and information system concerning the soils from a cadastral and geodetic viewpoint. The pedological characteristics, soil price and other land evaluation categories of each agricultural field (plot) are expressed by means of a soil ecological unit code in the cadastral GIS information system.

Database of national soil agrochemical testing

The oldest database of agrochemical soil properties has been in existence since 1961. The monitoring cycles are five years in duration. The results from this system have shown the development of nutrient status and the build up of soil acidity during the last 35 years.

The Slovakian soil information system

The present utilisation and future potential of the Slovakian soil information system are influenced by the following:

  • new national socio-economic conditions (privatisation, relatively low subsidies, increasing costs of agricultural inputs, etc.)
  • the strong impact of environmental legislation (a function of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), process monitoring and control systems of soil, food and forage products, drinking water sources, protected landscape areas, etc.)

Present utilisation (function)

The database is currently used as a soil (pedology) information and land evaluation system for:

  • soil appraisal: by means of soil-ecological units; a soil appraisal system for assessing soil value has been set up for the purposes of taxation and agricultural soil subsidies; and renewing the national soil cadastre
  • soil protection by means of soil ecological unit categories according to a special duty system. (The stamp duty system is based on multiplication of the soil value in a geometrical scale.)
  • environmental protection for district administrations (soil maps, land evaluation maps, soil contamination maps, created by means of ARC/INFO GIS).
  • urban planning on the strategic (national) level and regional and municipal levels. Used for soil appraisal maps, map of stamp duty categories for soil loss – permanent or temporary (interpretation of soil ecological unit maps) – and soil contamination map and database of soil monitoring system. Partly by means of ARC/INFO GIS, partly using traditional maps.
  • information on soil nutrients, pH status and soil contamination for farmers. Data and interpretations from national agrochemical testing and from monitoring soil information system. Information is localised at individual field level.
  • education, research and publicity. Data from the soil information system serve for education, environmental and agricultural research projects, and also for public information.

Future tasks of the soil information system

The data and interpretation of this system are expected to be used to achieve the following goals:

  • Updating the soil cadastre: the soil ecological units and their appraisal will assist in grouping and simplifying the large number of existing records of individually-owned plots into larger, relatively homogenous plots, resulting in ecological reconstruction of the landscape.
  • As a feedback in many control systems for planning and managing sustainable land use and environmental development. The data and interpretations of soil degradation processes (and the steady state of soil properties) will be the most important. The present legislation and national institutions have asked for this information.
  • The collection of scientific information about agricultural utilisation and profitable land management, rational fertilization and other technologies, especially anti-erosion measures.

Conclusion

The soil cover is the focal part of the environment and therefore soil data will become increasingly important in planning for sustainable land use. Scientists and others working with soil information in Slovakia would also like to take an active part in using soil information systems at national and international levels. The system described here already has many of the parameters necessary for compatibility with these other systems.

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