This data series represents the volumetric soil moisture (percent saturated soil) for the surface layer (<5 cm). The data is created daily and is averaged for the ISO standard week and month. The data is produced from passive microwave satellite data collected by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite and converted to soil moisture using version 6.20 of the SMOS soil moisture processor.The data are produced by the European Space Agency and obtained under a Category 1 proposal for Level 2 soil moisture data. The data are gridded to a resolution of 0.25 degrees. Data quality flags have been applied to remove areas where rainfall is present during the acquisition, where snow cover is detected and when Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) is above an acceptable threshold.

Total soil moisture is the modelled amount of plant available water (mm) in the root zone of the soil. The value given is the amount calculated to be present on the modeled day of the product.Values are computed using the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget (VSMB)

Difference from normal soil moisture is the modelled amount of plant available water (mm) in the root zone of the soil, minus the average amount that has historically been available on that day. This value is intended to provide users with a representation of conditions above or below normal and by the amount of water (mm).Values are computed using the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget (VSMB)

Percent of normal soil moisture is the modelled amount of plant available water (mm) in the root zone of the soil, divided by the average amount that has historically been available on that day. This value is intended to provide users with a representation of conditions above or below normal as a percentage.Values are computed using the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget (VSMB)

Soil Survey Project Boundaries (soil mapping study areas) contains the soil survey project area and attributes describing each project (project level metadata), plus links to the locations of other data associated with the project (e.g., soil survey reports, polygon datasets, plotfiles, scanned maps, legends). Soil Mapping divides the landscape into units according to soil association, name, type, drainage, parent material, and texture. This layer is derived from the STE_TEI_PROJECT_BOUNDARIES_SP layer by filtering on the PROJECT_TYPE attribute. Project types include: SOIL, TIMSOI, and SOILSW. Current version: v11 (published on 2024-10-03) Previous versions: v10 (published on 2023-11-14), v9 (published on 2023-03-01), v8 (published on 2016-09-01) The Soil Survey dataset contains project boundaries as well as the soil survey polygons which are available in a variety of formats including: 1) via the [Soil Information Finder Tool](http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/land/soil-information-finder) Mapping App (interactive app), 2) [Soil Survey Spatial data](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/soil-survey-spatial-view) with [Soil Name and Layer Files](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/soil-name-and-layer-files) (for download or viewing via iMapBC), or as 3) [Soil Mapping Data Packages](http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/esd/distdata/ecosystems/Soil_Data/Soil_Data_Pkgs/) with geodatabase or shape files, and a data dictionary.

The term "Palmer Drought Index" has been used collectively to represent multiple indices. This index is simply a water balance model which analyzes precipitation and temperature, and used as a tool to measure meteorological and hydrological drought across space and time. All versions of the index uses the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget to model the movement of water within the system, and a daily Priestly-Taylor model to estimate evapotranspiration. The Palmer Drought Index (PDI) uses monthly temperature and precipitation data to calculate a simple soil water balance. The index is a relative measure that typically ranges from -4 (extremely dry) to +4 (extremely wet) and represents how soil moisture availability differs from that expected for a given place and time of year. The PDI includes a "memory" component that considers past conditions and persistence of soil moisture surplus or deficit.The Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI) is a specific version of the PDI that accounts for longer-term drought that reduces surface and groundwater supply.

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.

The Versatile Soil Moisture Budget (VSMB) is a soil water budget model that is continuous and deterministic in nature and was developed by AAFC. It is based on the premise that the water available for plant growth is gained by precipitation or irrigation, and lost through evapotranspiration and runoff as well as lateral and deep drainage. The daily net loss or gain is added or subtracted from the water already present in the rooting zone. Water is withdrawn simultaneously, but at different rates, from different soil depths, depending on the potential evapotranspiration, the stage of crop development, the water release characteristics of each soil layer and the available water.

The “Soil Landscapes of Canada V.2.2/V.3.1 - Soil Order” displays the highest (most general) level of soil classification. Within the Canadian System of Soil Classification there are ten recognized soil orders (Soil Classification Working Group 1998). This system is hierarchical (from general to specific). Soil orders are further subdivided to great groups, subgroups, families, and series.

This map illustrates the distribution of soil parent material textures in the agricultural region of Alberta. Soil texture is defined by the relative proportions of the sand, silt and clay particles present. Soil textures are identified by classes using the Soil Texture Triangle illustrated below. The Soil Texture Triangle identifies the textural class of a soil at the intersection of the percent sand (x-axis) and the percent clay (y-axis). The percent silt of the soil is the remainder to add up to 100 percent. This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.