Soil Geographical data base for France at 1 :1,000,000

The Soil Geographical Data Base of France at scale 1:1,000,000 is part of the Soil Geographical Data Base of Europe. It represents a first step in answering this need for knowledge. The starting point was the publication of the soil map of the European Communities at 1/1,000,000 in 1985. Then, for the European agricultural and environmental policies, the map was digitized and completed to develop the first Soil Geographical Data Base of Europe at 1:1,000,000. Several versions were created by adding information or geographical extension to Eastern and Northern Europe and the Mediterranean area. This digitization work enables also to precise the key concepts of Soil Mapping Units and Soil Typological Units. The coordination of this European project has been realized by the soil science Unit of INRA Orléans with the financial support of the Joint Research Centre of the European Union in Ispra (Italy).

This data base is still today the only comprehensive national coverage available in metropolitan France in terms of soil mapping, soon to be replaced by 1/250,000 databases. It gives a simplified representation of the diversity and the spatial variability of French soils, at a mapping resolution of 1:1,000,000. It is widely used for research, support for public policies, soil awareness. It is used for many agricultural and environmental purposes like the grassland production monitoring in France (ISOP project), estimation of ecosystem services provided by agricultural ecosystems (Efese project), INRA expertise on the impact of cover crops on nitrate leaching, etc.