Further Examples of Environmental Maps

Summary

At the same time as the increase in the number of automatic phases used for the production of the Soil Map of the Central Region of France, IGN-France cartographers and the pedologists concerned went on to consider the possibility of using the available digital data for other purposes. As a result, it was decided to link pedological data defining the agricultural suitability of the soil with land use data obtained from aerial photographs. The possibility of compiling maps of the potential value of agricultural land, as defined by the July 1980 French Agricultural Orientation Law, modified that research project. It appeared that the digitized pedological data used for producing the Soil Map were a basic element for compiling that agricultural land map and that the auxiliary data, e.g. about land use, slopes, could complete them so as to create a data base in addition to the map itself. It only remained to define the data to be collected and to model their processing. Computer developments consisted of writing the corresponding programme and, in particular, building software in order to assemble zonal thematic data in a data base which could be used for many purposes. Experiments were carried out on the Léré sheet. The anticipated results were obtained and an extremely promising data exploitation potential was revealed.