Conventional soil maps have acquired increasing importance as inputs for various applications, often without regard to their quality. The aim of this study was to assess and compare soil maps using easily determinable quantitative indicators. Nine soil maps (at different scales, from Rio Grande do Sul) and ArcGIS software were used. Effective scale number (NSN), polygons smaller than the minimum legible delineation (MLD), shape complexity index (S), number of taxonomic classes, soil types, mapping units, and proportion of areas with non-uniform data (PND) were computed. Results showed that the quality of legacy soil maps tends to be lower than presumed for their presentation scale, what shows the importance and need for quality assessments prior to using them. Indicators computed from polygons and map legend enable quick and objective assessment, with potential application in systematizing and documenting legacy soil data in Brazil.
soil maps; assessment; scale; quality; adequacy
