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Viewing map layers and getting more information
Click on the 'Contents' menu to the left of the screen to open the table of contents. To switch on a map layer select the 'radio' button to the right of the table of contents. Only one map layer can be viewed at a time. Click the Legend tab in the contents view to access the map layer legend info.
Map transparency
Change the transparency of individual map layers using the transparency tool - located on the right side of the screen.
Identify features
Currently only a limited number of map layers can be identified to return extra information. These include
- National soil map of Scotland
- Soil map of Scotland (partial cover)
- Carbon and peatland 2016 map
- National Soils Inventory of Scotland (NSIS 1978-88)
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Data download
| Map layer | Data link |
|---|---|
| Carbon and peatland 2016 map | Scottish Natural Heritage |
| All other map layers | James Hutton Institute |
National soil map of Scotland
This shows the distribution of the main soil types across the whole of Scotland. It was originally mapped at the 1: 250 000 scale.
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Soil map of Scotland (partial cover)
This covers most of Scotland’s cultivated agricultural soils and adjacent uplands. It was originally mapped at the 1: 25 000 scale and shows more detail than the National soil map of Scotland.
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
World Reference Base soil map
World Reference Base soil map uses an international soil classification based on soil characteristics, properties and horizons (layers).
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
National scale land capability for forestry
The national scale land capability for forestry map provides information on how well a piece of land could grow trees based on a number of factors including soil, climate and topography.
There is currently no metadata available for this map layer
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
National scale land capability for agriculture
The national scale land capability for agriculture map provides information on the types of crops that may be grown in different areas dependent on environmental and soil characteristics.
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Land capability for agriculture (partial cover)
The land capability map for agriculture (partial cover) provides information at a greater resolution than the national map on the types of crops that may be grown in different areas dependent on the environmental and soil characteristics.
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Map of topsoil organic carbon concentration
Shows the soil carbon concentration in the surface layer of soil.
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Map of available water capacity
Available water capacity is the amount water a soil can provide for plants and so is a useful indicator of the ability of soils to grow crops.
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Map of soil texture in nitrate vulnerable zones
Soil texture in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones provides information to help understand what management practices can be performed, and when, within Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs).
There is currently no metadata available for this map layer
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Carbon and peatland 2016 map
Shows the distribution of carbon and peatland classes across the whole of Scotland. It gives a value to indicate the likely presence of carbon-rich soils, deep peat and priority peatland habitat for each individually-mapped area, at a coarse scale.
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© SNH available under an Open Government Licence.
The Carbon and Peatland 2016 map is based on soil and land cover map data produced by the James Hutton Institute. Used with the permission of The James Hutton Institute. All rights reserved.
National Soils Inventory of Scotland (NSIS 1978-88)
Shows the sampling locations of the National Soil Inventory of Scotland, classified by the soil type found at each location.
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Parent material
Shows the soil parent material found at each National Soil Inventory of Scotland sampling location. This is the material that the soil was made from.
There is currently no metadata available for this map layer
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Topsoil lead concentration
Shows the location of each National Soil Inventory of Scotland sampling point. The colour of the symbol relates to the lead concentration of the topsoil found at that point (in parts per million of air-dried soil).
There is currently no metadata available for this map layer
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Topsoil zinc concentration
Shows the location of each National Soil Inventory of Scotland sampling point. The colour of the symbol relates to the zinc concentration of the topsoil found at that point (in parts per million of air-dried soil).
There is currently no metadata available for this map layer
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.
Peatland ACTION - Peat depth
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has prepared a consolidated spatial dataset of peat depth measurement collected across Scotland. The information was collected during peat depth surveys conducted as part of various assessments carried out on sites that formed part of the Peatland ACTION project (2012-2017).
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© SNH available under an Open Government Licence
Soil phosphorus sorption capacity
This map shows the inherent ability of soil to retain phosphorus (P) - the P sorption capacity (PSC). The classification is based on properties of the soil which relate to the soil association to which it belongs.
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© Copyright James Hutton Institute.