Russian Soil Characteristics Maps and Profile Database

Land Resources of Russia -- Maps of Soil Characteristics, Version 1 provides geospatial and tabular data on soil properties for the entire country. The dataset includes ESRI Shapefiles derived from the 1:2,500,000 soil map of Russia and two databases containing detailed characteristics from 234 measured soil profiles. It was compiled by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Russian Academy of Sciences, with data originating from 1988 and a documented release in 2002.

Use Cases

• Mapping soil classification types across Russia using the generalized Shapefile layers.
• Analyzing detailed physical and chemical properties from the 234 individual soil profile records.
• Studying the distribution of cryosols and permafrost-related soil characteristics.
• Integrating soil data with other land resource layers for regional environmental assessment.

Strengths

• Includes a substantial collection of 234 measured soil profiles with detailed characteristics.
• Provides multiple soil classification systems within the geospatial data, allowing for comparative analysis.
• Based on a standardized, published source map (Fridland, 1988) at 1:2,500,000 scale.

Limitations

• Exact row counts, file sizes, and a complete column list are not provided by any source.
• Conflicting metadata exists: two platforms list a 2026 update date, while another lists the original 2002 date, suggesting potential metadata errors.
• Data is from 2002 and based on a 1988 source map, which may not reflect recent changes.

Provenance

Source

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Collection Method

Shapefiles were generalized from the standard 1:2,500,000 soil map of Russia; soil profile databases were compiled from field measurements.

Time Range

1988 (source map) to 2002 (dataset release).

Freshness

2002-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Russia.