BD Sol – Properties – Hérault

Mapping of the agro-pedological units of the department of Hérault and their properties: rock, position, depth, texture, pierrosity, useful reserve, pH. **This data is a component of the soil database of the Department of Herault, which also includes the cartographic data of [geology](https://www.herault-data.fr/explore/dataset/bd-sol-geologie-herault/) and [terroirs.](−) ** Although these data provide a lot of soil information, they do not constitute soil data per se: no scientific soil name is given, only mother rocks are specified. The aim here is to establish an agro-pedological database with a strong practical purpose. The data are derived from the programmes of zoning of the wine potential of Languedoc-Roussillon, as part of the State-Region plans for a better adaptation of grape variety between 1980 and 1996 and the departmental programme of knowledge and valorisation of terroirs between 2000 and 2006. The data were digitised as part of the Soil Digitalisation Program of the Association Climatologique de l’Hérault (now integrated into the Department) conducted in partnership with the Chambre d’Agriculture de l’Hérault and the Conseil Départemental de l’Hérault from 2009 to 2011. The methodology of agro-paedological mapping of the department of Hérault was developed on a scientific basis in collaboration with Professors P. Bonfils and G. Labau of the Laboratory of Geology and Soil Science of INRA Montpellier, from the 1980s. The base is currently corrected and maintained by the Department of Hérault. It was also completed on its territory by the Métropole de Montpellier in 2018/2019. **Completeness Limits**: The cartography ** does not cover all the Heraultese communes, nor the total area of each municipality**. As a result, **uninvented soil means a lack of data.** **Mapping precision limits**: The mapping of soil properties ** is on a scale of 1/10 000th** (so-called “communal” scale). They must not be used on a higher scale. Thus, superposition with cadastral plans made on larger scales is not recommended by experts. Different ** confidence indices** allow to translate the uncertainty of the cartographic limits. Some attributes such as depth or texture are estimates made from field surveys. In environmental studies, these soil data alone are not sufficient to understand a territory. They need to be crossed with other types of data such as climatology. **The data made available should therefore be used with caution according to the accuracy limits**. The department of Hérault and its technical and scientific partners cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies in the databases and for inappropriate uses of the databases. A visualisation of the data is also available at the following link: [Regional mapping](https://mviewer.openig.org/?config=/maps/openig/donnees-sols-en-occitanie.xml) For more information, refer to the documentation