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 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).

The map of the available water holding capacity in Germany gives an overview of the amount of water in a soil that is normally available for plant growth. The map shows the available water from the surface to effective rooting depth, which is derived from land use and soli data. 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 taken from the CORINE Land Cover data set (2006).

The GBL (INSPIRE) represents mechanically drilled boreholes approved by the State Geological Surveys of Germany (SGS). Most of the drilling data were not collected by the SGS, but were transmitted to SGS by third parties in accordance with legal requirements. Therefore, the SGS can accept no responsibility for the accuracy of the information. According to the Data Specification on Geology (D2.8.II.4_v3.0) the boreholes of each federal state are stored in one INSPIRE-compliant GML file. The GML file together with a Readme.txt file is provided in ZIP format (e.g. GBL-INSPIRE_Lower_Saxony.zip). The Readme.txt file (German/English) contains detailed information on the GML file content. Data transformation was proceeded by using the INSPIRE Solution Pack for FME according to the INSPIRE requirements.

The GBL (INSPIRE) represents mechanically drilled boreholes approved by the State Geological Surveys of Germany (SGS). Most of the drilling data were not collected by the SGS, but were transmitted to SGS by third parties in accordance with legal requirements. Therefore, the SGS can accept no responsibility for the accuracy of the information. According to the Data Specification on Geology (D2.8.II.4_v3.0) the boreholes of each federal state are stored in one INSPIRE-compliant GML file. The GML file together with a Readme.txt file is provided in ZIP format (e.g. GBL-INSPIRE_Lower_Saxony. zip). The Readme.txt file (German/English) contains detailed information on the GML file content. Data transformation was proceeded by using the INSPIRE Solution Pack for FME according to the INSPIRE requirements.

The HÜK250 (INSPIRE) describes the hydrogeological characteristics of the upper continuous aquifers in Germany at a scale of 1:250,000. According to the Data Specification on Geology (D2.8.II.4_v3.0) the content of the map is stored in a INSPIRE-compliant GML file: HUEK250.gml. The GML file together with a Readme.txt file is provided in ZIP format. The Readme.txt file (German/English) contains detailed information on the GML file content. Data transformation was proceeded by using the INSPIRE Solution Pack for FME according to the INSPIRE requirements.

The GBL (INSPIRE) represents mechanically drilled boreholes approved by the State Geological Surveys of Germany (SGS). Most of the drilling data were not collected by the SGS, but were transmitted to SGS by third parties in accordance with legal requirements. Therefore, the SGS can accept no responsibility for the accuracy of the information. According to the Data Specification on Geology (D2.8.II.4_v3.0) the boreholes of each federal state are stored in one INSPIRE-compliant GML file. The GML file together with a Readme.txt file is provided in ZIP format (e.g. GBL-INSPIRE_Lower_Saxony.zip). The Readme.txt file (German/English) contains detailed information on the GML file content. Data transformation was proceeded by using the INSPIRE Solution Pack for FME according to the INSPIRE requirements.

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 GÜK250 (INSPIRE) represents the surface geology of Germany on a scale of 1:250,000. According to the Data Specification on Geology (D2.8.II.4_v3.0) the content of the geological map is stored in five INSPIRE-compliant GML files: GUEK250_GeologicUnit_BaseLayer.gml and GUEK250_GeologicUnit_OverlayLayer.gml contain the geologic units, GUEK250_GeologicStructure.gml comprises the faults, GUEK250_NaturalGeomorphologicFeature.gml represents the marginal position of the ice shield and GUEK250_GeologicUnit_QuartzVein.gml includes the quartz veins. The GML files together with a Readme.txt file are provided in ZIP format (GUEK250-INSPIRE.zip). The Readme.text file (German/English) contains detailed information on the GML files content. Data transformation was proceeded by using the INSPIRE Solution Pack for FME according to the INSPIRE requirements.