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Project title

Developing 1:250,000 soil mapping for Ireland with associated Soil Information System

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

Teagasc

Lead Applicant

Karl Richards

Project Abstract

The demise of the national Soil Survey in Ireland has left a serious data deficit in the soils thematic area. This project will address this issue through the application of modern digital soil mapping techniques deployed in tandem with traditional field survey techniques for sampling and validation. A representative profile description database will be created for the 56% of Ireland that remains unsurveyed beyond general reconnaissance level. This complex project is built on the inclusion of participants with the best experience and skill sets that can be employed to produce high quality output to specification. The final products will provide a strengthened Irish national response to emergent policy and legislative developments in the environmental area. Key outputs from this project will be a 1:250,000 soils map of Ireland and an associated Soil Information System which will be fully open and accessible to all. The detailed research aspects of this project will provide key contributions to developments internationally in soils research. A significant number of peer reviewed papers are anticipated along with national reports detailing the results from individual sub projects. The project will provide significant advancement of national capacity in tandem with new employment in the soils thematic area. Of particular importance will be the creation of a common framework for the provision of soil data to the stakeholder community to enable maximum benefit to be derived from Irish soil data.

Grant Approved

�3,638,974.36

Research Hub

Natural Environment

Research Theme

Soils and Land-Use

Start Date

15/06/2008

Initial Projected Completion Date

15/02/2014