An Overview of Soil Survey and Classification as a Source of Secondary Information

The extraction of information from surveyed and classified soil maps by desired end-users has increased in recent times due to the high cost involved in the classification and mapping out of such soils by the individual users, and is also a time consuming process. In some instances, the end users do not even understand the methods that were used in producing the maps, the errors associated with it and the potential limitations of usage. Knowledge over the years has shown that estimates contained in some soil maps are not perfect because they are typically based on limited data and limited information. To acknowledge that soil maps are not free of errors, the uncertainty in the estimates may be represented with error bounds that characterize the accuracy of the map. In recent times more advanced methods have been introduced with high precision of accuracy, including the use of artificial neural networks, remote sensing and photogrammetric procedures, combined with geographic information system (GIS). However, research has shown that, traditional soil survey persists as the most popular form of soil mapping and inventory. The need therefore arises to integrate and update rather than ignore the traditional soil survey techniques in favour of modern interpolation techniques