• SoilFinder
• Introduction
• Enter SoilFinder
• Soil as Natural Capital
• Macaulay Maps
• Soil Data

New (August 2023) version of SoilFinder now available

With funding from Scottish Government through the Strategic Research Programme we have produced a new version of SoilFinder. The new version is available at SoilFinder. If you wish to continue to use the original version it is available here.

We would welcome any feedback - please email us at soils@hutton.ac.uk

SoilFinder Scotland is a web interface that allows you to:

• Compare your soil to national averages calculated from the Scottish Soils Database
• Find out what soil type in is in your area of Scotland
• Explore the characteristics of around 600 different Scottish soils
• Discover the differences in soil characteristics between cultivated and uncultivated soils
• Examine a range of key indicators of soil quality

Background

The James Hutton Institute, and its predecessor organisations has been collecting data on Scotland’s soils since the 1940s and now has information on over 13,000 locations and over 40,000 individual samples. This information has been summarised into the Scottish Soils Knowledge and Information Base (SSKIB) which can be accessed through the SoilFinder website. SoilFinder was previously named SIFSS.

How to use SoilFinder

• You can find your soil by using the interactive soil map with satellite imagery
• By postcode or map unit
• By entering your National Grid Reference
• Or via a GPS reading

Now available as a free Android and iPhone app

SoilFinder is available as a free iPhone and Android app for growers, farmers and land managers in Scotland to enable them to find out what soil type is in their area. The app enables users to explore the characteristics of around 600 different rural Scottish soils; helping them discover the differences in soil characteristics between cultivated and uncultivated soils, and also to examine a range of key indicators of soil quality. It is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Read more details in the SIFSS/SoilFinder news release.