African Soil Classification and Terrain Raster Maps

Six raster files detail soil types, textures, slope, and subsidiary units across the African continent at a nominal 10 arc-minute resolution. The dataset was developed by the World Data Center-A for Solid Earth Geophysics, a collaboration involving NOAA, NGDC, and the U.S. EPA, and published in 1987. Data is provided in IDRISI raster format with geographic projection.

Use Cases

• Classify Zobler soil types from the AFZSOILS.IMG raster for continental-scale land cover modeling.
• Analyze soil texture classes from the AFZTEX.IMG file to parameterize hydrological models.
• Incorporate surface slope data from AFZSLOPE.IMG into erosion risk or agricultural suitability assessments.
• Use Zobler phase codes from AFZPHS.IMG to refine soil property interpretations for specific regions.
• Cross-reference subsidiary soil units in AFZSUBSD.IMG with primary soil types for detailed mapping.

Strengths

• Contains six distinct raster layers covering multiple soil and terrain properties.
• Provides continent-wide coverage for Africa at a consistent 10 arc-minute spatial resolution.

Limitations

• Data is from 1987 and may not reflect current soil conditions or land use.
• The original source maps are from 1974, introducing potential staleness in the foundational classification.
• Specific row/column counts, file sizes, and sample data are unavailable for assessment.

Provenance

Source

World Data Center-A for Solid Earth Geophysics, U.S. National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), part of the Global Ecosystems Database Project.

Collection Method

Derived from source maps, including the 1974 FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the World, and digitized into raster format.

Time Range

Publication date is 1987; source map dates vary, with a key reference from 1974.

Freshness

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Geography

Africa.