Digital soil maps for key soil properties over New South Wales

Digital soil maps (DSMs) for New South Wales have been developed using quantitative modelling techniques that capture relationships between soil attributes and environmental factors. These maps provide statewide coverage of key soil properties, including soil organic carbon, nitrogen, pH, cation exchange capacity, sum of bases, phosphorous, bulk density, texture fractions (sand, silt, clay), and soil moisture. The datasets are produced at a spatial resolution of 100 m and represent three soil depth intervals (0–30 cm, 30–60 cm, and 60–100 cm), aligning with widely used Australian and international soil mapping frameworks. The modelling was undertaken using Quantile Regression Forest techniques. Validation results indicate moderate to high predictive performance, demonstrating the reliability and practical value of the maps. In addition to mean estimates, uncertainty is represented through upper (95th percentile) and lower (5th percentile) prediction limits. The maps provide a robust, evidence-based approximation of soil properties across the State, supporting a wide range of environmental, agricultural, and land management applications. Further information and downloads are available via the NSW Environmental Data Portal (SEED) (https://www.seed.nsw.gov.au/), with interactive viewing through the DPE soil and landscape spatial viewer eSPADE (http://espade.environment.nsw.gov.au). Additional soil and climate adaptation resources are available through the Future Climate and Adaptation Hub (https://climateadaptation-hub.seed.nsw.gov.au/article/soils).

Data Source:
  • SEED
Data and Resources
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Available phosphorus at 0–30 cm
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Soil moisture content at 0–30 cm
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Soil organic carbon at 30–60 cm
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Sum of base cations at 30–60 cm
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Available phosphorus at 30–60 cm
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Soil moisture content at 30–60 cm
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Soil organic carbon at 60–100 cm
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Sum of base cations at 60–100 cm
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Available phosphorus at 60–100 cm
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Colwell phosphorus at 60–100 cm
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Soil moisture content at 60–100 cm
Additional Information
Field Value
Title Digital soil maps for key soil properties over New South Wales
Date Published 26/05/2026
Last Updated 26/05/2026
Publisher/Agency NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Licence Creative Commons Attribution
Update Frequency notPlanned
Temporal Coverage 01/01/1951 - 01/01/2100
Geospatial Coverage
Data Portal SEED