Soil and Terrain Database, Land Degradation Status and Soil Vulnerability Assessment for Central and Eastern Europe

The CD-ROM and online access present the spatial and attribute databases and the technical reports produced during the execution of the Mapping of Soil and Terrain Vulnerability in Central and Eastern Europe (SOVEUR) project (GCP/RER/107/NET) between February 1997 and April 2000.

The project activities were implemented under a contractual service agreement with the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC) which included letters of agreement with national institutes in the participating countries. The project was technically backstopped by the Land and Plant Nutrient Management Service (AGLL).

The spatial and attribute databases contain: (1) a harmonized soil and terrain database for 13 countries in eastern Europe at 1:2.5 million scale, compiled following the SOTER principles, including georeferenced soil profile data; (2) a database and associated maps on the status of soil degradation in the region including an evaluation of the extent, type, severity, causes and trends; (3) a database and associated maps on the vulnerability to pollution, in particular by 11 metals: Cd, Mn, Ni, Co, Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Hg, Fe and Al.

The 13 countries covered by this project are: Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. All the coverages are in Geographic Projection (Latitude/Longitude), while the maps given as Images are in Lambert projection (Central Meridian 25 0 0, 1st Standard parallel 60 0 0, 2nd Standard Parallel 40 0 0; units metres).

All the coverages presented are either in PC Arc/Info or in Arc/Info export format with no compression.

The technical reports included cover the various technical documentation and guidelines prepared for the compilation of the various spatial databases. They also contain proceedings of two workshops held by the SOVEUR project.

A Shareware directory on the CD contains subdirectories with executable files that permit downloading of shareware versions of ACROBAT 4.0 and the ACDSee graphics viewer. These programs are needed to consult the enclosed technical reports (PDF files) and the image (JPG) files that show selected map outputs of the SOVEUR project.

Soil and Terrain Database, Land Degradation Status and Soil Vulnerability Assessment for Central and Eastern Europe, Version 1.0 (1:2.5 Million Scale) is provided on CD-ROM by the FAO, Land and Water Digital Media Series (Number 10). The CD-ROM can be purchased from FAO, Sales and Marketing Group, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 0100 Rome, Italy (Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]) (Price: US$40).