The map of the field capacity of soils in Germany gives an overview of the amount of water which can be stored in a soil (depth 1 m). The water storage capacity is a key function of soils. The field capacity was derived from the landuse stratified soil map of Germany at scale 1:1,000,000. The method is published in the Bodenkundliche Kartieranleitung KA4 (1994) and in the documentation of Ad-hoc-AG Boden (representing the soil experts of the geological services of the German federal states). The land use information is derived from the CORINE Land Cover data set (2006).

The BUEK3000 is prepared by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) for the National Atlas of Germany. Based on the generalized and aggregated soil map 1:2,000,000, it shows 43 mapping units with information about soil texture, parent material, dominant and associated soils.

The Potential Soil Erosion Risk map gives an overview of the exposure of arable soils to soil loss due to surface runoff and splash erosion in Germany. It is based on pedological, relief and climatic factors. The map was created by using the long-term model USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation). The method is published in the DIN 19708:2005-02 and in the documentation of Ad-hoc-AG Boden (representing the soil experts of the geological services of the German federal states). For the application with soil maps, the method was adapted by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR).The landuse stratified soil map of Germany at scale 1:1,000,000 was used as pedological input to the model. The relief data was derived from the DEM50 of the BKG. The mean annual precipitation data of the period 1961-1990 (DWD) is used to model the erosivity of rainfall. The land use information is derived from CORINE land cover data set (2006).

The BUEK5000 is derived form the landuse stratified soil map of Germany at scale 1:1,000,000 by aggregation, focused on information about the parent material, and generalization. The maps shows 20 soil (23) legend units with polygons of at least 64 square kilometers.

The presented map at scale 1:5,000,000 shows the distribution of 15 soil parent material groups in Germany with polygons of at least 64 square kilometers. Parent material is the rock, from which soil is formed. It was derived from the landuse use stratified soil map of Germany at scale 1:1,000,000. The version 3.0 of the map is based on the Digital Landscape Model 1:1,000,000 (DLM1000) of the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy.

The first country wide soil map at a scale of 1:1,000,000 (BUEK1000) has been compiled on the basis of published soil maps of the former German Democratic Republic and the pre 1990 federal states of Germany. To do this, it was necessary to match the soil systems used in East and West Germany and to develop standardized descriptions of soil units. A relatively homogeneous map has resulted, which permits uniform assessment of the soils throughout Germany. The map shows 71 soil mapping units, described in the legend on the basis of the German and FAO soil systems. Each soil unit has been assigned a characteristic soil profile (Leitprofil) as an aid to map interpretation. For the first time the subdivision of the country into 12 soil regions has been represented on the map. This subdivision was coordinated with the state Geological Surveys. These soil regions will represent the highest hierarchic level of nation wide soil maps in future. The colours of soil units correspond to the standards of the 'Bodenkundliche Kartieranleitung' (KA 3; Guidelines for Soil Mapping). The various hues characterize differences in relief or soil humidity. The BUEK1000 was produced digitally. It is an important part of the spatial database integrated in the Soil Information System currently being established at the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (FISBo BGR). It can be used together with the characteristic soil profiles to derive thematic maps related to nation wide soil protection. The scale of the BUEK1000 makes it especially suitable for small scale evaluations at federal or EU level.

The map of the soil depth gives an overview of the rooting capacity of German soils. The soil depth is derived from profile data of the landuse stratified soil map of Germany at scale 1:1,000,000. The lower limit of a soil is bedrock or a groundwater influenced horizon. The method is derived from Bodenkundliche Kartieranleitung KA5 (2005) and is documented in the MethodenWIKI of the FISBo BGR. The land use information is derived from the CORINE Land Cover data set (2006).

The BUEK2000 Version 1.0 was compiled from the BÜK1000 map by a process of generalization. The number of soil mapping units in the legend was reduced from 72 to 60 by aggregation of those units showing similar dominamt soils into single units. The map combined with selected soil profile pictures/graphics and information about soil history, soil classification and soil mapping in Germany is one fundamental part of the Hydrolocical Atlas of Germany (HAD). The Version 2.0, based on the BUEK2000N, Version 2.3, was cartographically adapted to a new base map.

Nation-wide land use strategies and planning as well as soil protection require harmonised and standardised area-covering information. Such data is provided by the digital Soil Map of Germany at scale 1:200,000 (BUEK200). The pedological data of this map, stored in a relational database, is used to demonstrate the abundance and the associations of soils and their basic properties in Germany. However, the main purpose of the BUEK200 is to offer a database which allows the estimation and visualisation of soil functions, soil potentials and soil hazards. To achieve comparable soil information throughout Germany the BGR and the soil surveys of the federal lands have elaborated and defined BUEK200 standards concerning the map (e.g. delineation and description of mapping units) and its database (e.g. database model, parameters, codification).

The Potential Wind Erosion Risk map gives an overview of the exposure of arable soils to soil loss due to deflation in Germany. It is based on pedological and climatic factors. The method to predict the soil erosion risk is published in the DIN 19706:2002 and in the documentation of Ad-hoc-AG Boden (representing the soil experts of the geological services of the German federal states). For the application with soil maps, the method was adapted by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR).The land use stratified soil map of Germany at scale 1:1,000,000 was used as pedological input to the model. The mean annual wind speed at 10 meters above ground level of the period 1980-2000 (DWD) is used as well. The land use information is derived from CORINE land cover data set (2006).