Formal apparatus of soil classification

Abstract

Mathematical tools that may be applied for soil classification purposes are discussed. They include the evaluation of information contained in particular soil attributes, the grouping of soil objects into a given (automatically determined) number of classes, the optimization of the classification decisions, and the devel� opment of the models and rules (algorithms) used to classify soil objects. The algorithms of multivariate sta� tistical methods and cluster analysis used for solving these problems are described. The major attention is paid to the development of the systems of informative attributes of soil objects and their classes and to the assess� ment of the quality of the classification decisions. Particular examples of the solution of the problems of soil classification with the use of formal mathematical methods are given. It is argued that the theoretical and practical problems of classification in science cannot find objective solutions without the application of the modern methods of information analysis. The major problems of the numerical taxonomy of the soil objects described in this paper and the appropriate software tools for their solution should serve as the basis for the creation of not only formal soil classification systems but also the theory of soil classification.