Soil Landscapes of Canada (SLC)
GENERAL OVERVIEW
There is a series of GIS
coverages that show the major characteristics of soil and land for the
whole country. SLCs were
compiled at a scale of 1:1 million, and information is organized according
to a uniform national set of soil and landscape criteria based on permanent
natural attributes.
The SLCs are based
on existing soil survey maps which have been recompiled at 1:1 million
scale. Each area (or polygon) on the map is described by a standard set
of attributes. The full array of attributes that describe a distinct type
of soil and its associated landscape, such as surface form, slope, water
table depth, permafrost and lakes, is called a soil landscape. SLC
polygons may contain one or more distinct soil landscape components and
may also contain small but highly contrasting inclusion components. The
location of these components within the polygon is not defined.
SLCs were originally
conceived as a standardized database consisting of major attributes important
to plant growth, land management, and soil degradation. These data have
since turned out to be a useful framework to support other databases, including
Environment Canada's Ecological Land Classification System.
SLC versions
The creation of the SLC database
has taken a number of years. Updates and corrections to boundaries, attributes
and file structures have taken place over the years. The version number
reflects these updates. The number before the decimal place identifies
the version of the polygon boundaries, while the number after the decimal
place refers to the version of the attribute data for those polygons. New
versions are released as major structural or attribute changes are implemented.
The following versions have been released:
Soil Landscapes Illustrations
Internet Mapping Application
The SLC is now available as on-line mapping applications : Version 2.2 and preliminary Version 3.1