to be usable by professional planners and others. Predictions based on soil surveys serve as a basis for judgment about land use and management for areas ranging from small tracts to regions of several million acres. These predictions, however, must be evaluated along with economic, social, and environmental considerations before they can be used to make valid recommendations for land use and management. Soil survey components Typical information in a published county soil survey includes the following: a brief overview on how to use the survey a general soil map for comparing the sustainability of large sections of the county a detailed map with specific soil series outlined and indexed a section on the use and management of soils tables describing the physical features and environment of the county tables containing land use suitability based on standards set by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. See also FAO soil classification USDA soil taxonomy Pedometrics Earth sciences survey References External links A Compendium of On-Line Soil Survey Information NRCS Web Soil Survey Inventory of the soil resource across the U.S. NRCS Helping People Understand Soils California Online Soil Survey Soil Data Access Texas Soil Surveys, hosted by the Portal to Texas History Soil Maps of the world European Digital Archive on the Soil Maps of the world Historical Soil Surveys of South Carolina at the University of South Carolina Library's Digital Collections Page Land management Measurement Pedology Field surveys