Mapping and sites
Collecting soil and land resource information
To protect Queensland’s environment and manage its natural resources, it is necessary to accurately collect, interpret and monitor information about our soil and land resources. This information is used to:
- assess the variability of soils and landscapes
- demonstrate how land use is affected by this variation e.g. agricultural suitability, agricultural land class
- assess land management and land degradation risks.
Our soil scientists actively collect this information through land resource assessment programs. Nearly 200 programs have been carried out in Queensland since the mid-1950s. Standards and procedures used by our soil scientists to collect soil and land resource information are documented in the Queensland Land Resource Assessment Guidelines.
We require the collection of soil and land resource data to support sound decision making through development assessment processes or as a part of impact assessment for major infrastructure projects. For example, assessment of the cumulative impacts from new agricultural areas, water releases, land clearing and/or the mineral resources sector. The Queensland Soil and Land Resource Survey Information Guideline (PDF, 1.2MB) helps proponents identify the information that is required for these approvals under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971.
Accessing soil and land resource information
The information collected by Queensland’s soil and land resource assessment programs is held in the Soil and Land Information (SALI) database. Access to this data is provided through the following services.
Queensland Government open data portal
You can search for soils and land resource mapping through the Queensland Government open data portal. This website allows you to search for soils and land resource mapping projects, then connects to the Queensland Spatial Catalogue where you can download datasets.
Queensland Spatial Catalogue
Soil and land resource spatial mapping data sets can be downloaded from the Queensland Spatial Catalogue.
To identify a survey of interest, go to the website and search using keywords or by an area across Queensland. Detailed metadata is available for individual soil survey projects and you can view the relevant metadata before you download the data.
Read the soils data information sheet (PDF, 304KB) which outlines the attributes of the soils mapping available through the Queensland Spatial Catalogue.
Queensland Globe
The Queensland Globe is an online interactive tool that displays physical, geographic and spatial data about a particular location in map format. Use the Globe to access soil mapping and soil site data, along with over 600 spatial data layers on Queensland roads, rail, property, topography, mining and exploration, land valuations, land parcel information, water levels and more. Read the step-by-step guide to accessing soils information from the Globe .