Soil Survey polygons contain soils spatial and attribute information utilized by the Ministry of Environment online Soil Information Finder Tool ([SIFT](http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/land/soil-information-finder)). The information pertains to soil survey data in the Province of British Columbia, as well as links to a variety of reports and maps. Polygons related to soil surveys can be made up of a complex of up to 3 components representing 3 different soil types. These components are aspatial and represent the amount in the polygon indicated by the PERCENT_x field for the component x. Each unique soil type has a soil name and generalized attributes such as drainage, texture and coarse fragment percent. The [Soil Name and Layer Files](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/a3bc4cd3-0f1b-4a2f-bd88-76f821756d10) can be joined and related to each of the 3 components of the Soil Survey Spatial View polygons using the SoilSymbol field in the name and layer tables and the `SOILSYM_x` fields in the Soil Survey Spatial View.

STE_SCANNED_MAP_BOUNDARY_SP includes an index of the mapsheet grid location of Soils, Terrain, Ecosystems and related scanned maps (including Agriculture Capability and Climate Capability maps). These maps are intended for on-screen viewing or printing. The majority of the maps have been geo-referenced. Mapping may not cover the whole map grid area. Some maps are interim or draft and may have been superseded. Some files are of related legends and map project text. Associated scanned map boundary attributes describe the project map (project level metadata) and provide a link for downloading the map, plus links to related reports, geo-referenced maps, and GIS digital data available from other sources. ATTENTION - The IMAGE_URL link is only useable by BC government staff. Public users can download the scanned maps by using the ECOCAT_URL link. There is no charge for the scanned map files. Please note that some maps and more recent mapping may also be available in digital GIS format. See - Ecosystem and Terrain Mapping Data Inventory.

Soil Survey (SL) Project Boundaries (STE_SOIL_PROJ_BOUNDARIES_SVW) contain boundaries (study areas) and attributes describing each SL project (project level metadata), and includes links to the locations of other data associated with the project (e.g., soil survey reports, polygon datasets, plotfiles, scanned maps, legends). This layer is derived from the [STE_TEI_PROJECT_BOUNDARIES_SP](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/1313fac7-2ea1-4c6b-995b-bd421b7ec3c6) layer by filtering on the PROJECT_TYPE attribute. Project types include: SOIL, TIMSOI, and SOILSW. SL Project Boundaries should be used in conjunction with [Soil Name and Layer Files](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/soil-name-and-layer-files) and [Soil Survey Polygons](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/soil-survey-spatial-view) which divide the landscape into units according to soil association, name, type, drainage, parent material, and texture. Soil datasets and resources can also be accessed through the [Soil Mapping Data Packages](http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/esd/distdata/ecosystems/Soil_Data/Soil_Data_Pkgs/) or the interactive mapping application [Soil Information Finder Tool](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/land/soil/soil-information-finder). **Current version**: v12 (2026-06-22)