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D.Murat Özden, Sebahattin Keskin, Ali İhsan Koral, G.Özlem Kara, Sema Yazıcı, Güler Deveci, Gülşen Öztürk, Pınar Bostan, Sibel Özcan, E.Cüneyt Ural, Çiğdem Eren, Aysun Ünal, Pınar Atalay, Murat Bayat General Directorate of Rural Services, Soil and Water National Information Centre, Ankara, Turkey ABSTRACT This paper describes the establishment of a land information system for Turkey, and the progress made in this work to date by the General Directorate of Rural Services (GDRS). Initially for soil and water it will be termed the National Soil and Water Information System. This ambitious project is of great significance for the modern state of Turkey as, until this system was initiated, there was no definitive, managed national information resource underpinning land and water resource management. The project was commenced in 1999 with a pilot study for the Ankara province. A team of professional scientists and technologists has been assembled in the GDRS Headquarters in Ankara, within the Department of Research Planning and Co-ordination. The complex process of compiling the first national soil map in digital format will be one of the first tasks for this group, as well as the establishment of a national infrastructure for distributing the information amongst the GDRS managers and scientists. With the likely forthcoming accession of the Turkish Republic to the European Union, alignment of the National Soil and Water Information System with European standards and protocols will prove to be an important facet of the ongoing development. 1. INTRODUCTION This paper aims to summarise the importance of the significant tasks currently being undertaken by the Turkish General Directorate of Rural Services (GDRS) to establish the Turkish Soil and Water Resources National Information Centre (NIC). The NIC aims to provide a comprehensive data framework for natural resource management for the Directorate as a whole and will serve to underpin the requirements of the European Soils Bureau on the likely forthcoming accession of Turkey to the European Union (King et al., 1998). Prior to the creation of the NIC, there was no single point of contact for key geographical and related information for use in the operational and research activities of GDRS. In general, existing information was captured and stored in non-digital form. Each Regional and Provincial Directorate collected and managed the information required for its day-to-day activities, with little co-ordination between offices. The result historically has been poor data management and much duplication of resources. The NIC will provide a central repository for the core information resource of GDRS, as well as the ability to integrate and analyse digital data from a variety of different sources both within and outside GDRS, to satisfy a range of operational, research and business applications. The system is intended to extend information and applications to all national offices of GDRS and to provide easy access to managed centralised resource for managers. In the decades to come, GDRS faces a growing challenge to balance the demands of rural socio-economic development with the constraints of a fragile environmental resource. The NIC has arisen from the need for good-quality, up-to-date information to assist in the decision-making process, thereby enhancing both the environmental management and operational effectiveness of GDRS. In fulfilling this need, the NIC will bring together the expertise and tools required to establish best management practice, which is of vital importance to the future viability of GDRS. In drawing together the data resources required, the NIC has embarked upon the construction of the first Turkish national soil map in digital form. This essential data resource will constitute the initial focus for the activities of the Centre. 2. GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF RURAL SERVICES The GDRS (General Directorate of Rural Services) deliver rural and agricultural services and social infrastructure to some 76,457 villages and settlements in Turkey. This infrastructure includes the provision of drinking water, rural road construction, settlement of rural communities and agricultural extension activities. Traditionally, the Turkish national economy has been heavily dependent upon agriculture. Almost half the population of Turkey live in rural areas and work in the agricultural sector. From a total land area of 77,8 million hectares, Turkey has some 27,7 million hectares under arable farming. Irrigated production has been developed on 4 million hectares. Out of the total of 8.5 million hectares considered to be capable of such economic development, Turkey plans to increase the irrigated land area by 1.62 million hectares by the year 2001, supported by the necessary investments in infrastructure (KHGM, 1995). As the Turkish economy has developed, so the ongoing importance of the role played by the rural agricultural sector has become more apparent. Turkey's social and economic prosperity still depends upon the interplay of population, agricultural production and rural environment. Consequently, rural areas are in need of significant investment relating to sustainable agricultural production and to social infrastructure and education. The services provided by GDRS to the rural areas and communities aim to raise the general standard of living, and the Directorate has the responsibility for establishing the infrastructure for economic, social and physical development in these areas. In Turkey, quality agricultural land is a valuable yet limited resource. Great importance is therefore attached to increasing and sustaining agricultural production. To achieve the greatest benefit from the agricultural market, GDRS continually reviews and expands the use of contemporary technological and scientific advances. The role offered by information technology is recognised as being of profound importance in the sustainable management of natural resources, and this tenet has underpinned the establishment of the NIC. 3. THE SOIL AND WATER NATIONAL INFORMATION CENTRE The GDRS Soil and Water National Information Centre was formed in 1999 with initial sponsorship through the World Bank funded TARP project. The Centre was sited in the Section Directorate of Soil and Water, the Research, Planning and Co-ordination Department of GDRS and located at the GDRS Headquarters in Ankara. An initial definition of the mandate of the NIC identified the following core functions.  One of the key concepts behind the NIC has been the development of comprehensive in-house expertise in GIS and data management. To create such a centre of excellence NIC staff will have to assume responsibility for all aspects of the Centre's work. Out-sourcing of significant data conversion or data management tasks is not envisaged. The principal activities for the NIC team in the initial phases of the Centre are shown in Figure 1.  One of the core information technologies to be implemented in the NIC will be the Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS). GIS and RS are a conception, which helps in decision making or management relationship techniques, and provides information about a lot of different geographical structures, and analysis and usage of human resources. Adopting a GIS and RS approach will bring a number of advantages. GIS and RS provide a great facility for users by offering the input, storage, analysis and use of data for users. The GIS will be used to create an integrated view of the variety of databases and data themes employed in the information system, spanning levels of map content, scale, detail and usage. The GIS will be used to 'spatialise' existing data, and to provide access to the data resource through data mining and analysis techniques. GIS is a versatile tool that has many applications for spatial analysis. It is a useful tool in all types of management and planning. The GIS will also play a role in presenting the information required to explain environmental policies and the impacts of decision making to an increasingly well informed and participatory public. In this way, GIS offers a powerful tool for visualisation and presentation of the information resource. Importantly in an information system such as this one, which spans a number of Government Department datasets as well as a host of internal data types, the GIS allows for the adoption of a shared data structure. Spatial data frameworks will allow GDRS to operate with other Government initiatives using the same information. For natural resource management, such data frameworks will include soils, geology, watercourses, topography and other natural features. Allied to this are other data frameworks including political and cadastral boundaries, geo-demographics and street mapping. The GIS, as a 'data-mixer', offers the ability to integrate and inter-compare these disparate sources. Figure 2 identifies the components within GDRS to be serviced by the NIC.   A study of the information flow and application of spatial and aspatial data within GDRS is currently being conducted. This will identify how GDRS applies the information it collects and maintains, and identify opportunities for the NIC to benefit current business practices. On an inter-organisational level, it has been indicated that the NIC will be actively involved in the development of the Turkey National GIS. 4. THE INFORMATION SYSTEM AND DATA HOLDINGS The Soil and Water Information System was designed to include datasets using a common reference base derived from the 1:25,000 topographic mapping of the General Command of Mapping using the Universal Transverse Mercator projection. The principal datasets are identified in Table 3.  This table presents the environmental data and associated spatial data types most sought after within GDRS operational and research activities. The list is not exclusive. The following sections outline the main anticipated data holdings of the NIC information system. One notable absence is a comprehensive thematic land-cover dataset. A basic land use map was prepared in parallel to the soil map described below, at a scale of 1:25,000 and was completed in 1970. In addition land use brought the country up to date by obtaining readings at the scale of 1:25,000 from field studies. However, there are now plans to derive a contemporary dataset using remotely sensed imagery, combined with a field validation for a pilot area in Trakya. If this pilot proves successful, the programme could be extended to cover the rest of the country. 4.1 The Turkish National Soil Map In Turkey the real understanding of soil survey and mapping began in 1952 with the help of FAO and a team composed under the leadership of American soil consultant Harvey Oakes and a Turkish group of consultants. The group completed a reconnaissance survey. A map of Turkey with scale of 1:800,000 called ' Turkey General Soil Map ' was prepared. A report and map of Turkey's soils was completed between the years of 1952-1954. Geological and topographical maps were used to develop a reconnaissance level study of all the regions. After this, classifying Turkey's soils maps was made. These maps were formed by the General Directorate of Soil and Water (Today known as General Directorate of Rural Services) by regulating the job of co-ordinating studies which was done at the national level. After a decision was made to prepare a small scale map of European Soils by European countries, the General Directorate of Soil and Water decided to make use of this map study in 1966-1971. The General Directorate of Soil and Water prepared maps called the Turkey Development Soil Map (TDSM) survey study based on using a 1:25,000 scaled topographical map at the reconnaissance level. In this study maps units relating to the 1938 American Classification System of great groups with land determiners like the important phases of depth, slope, stoniness, erosion degree and similar characteristics were recorded on the map. After evaluating the data, two maps were published. The first was for every province with a scale of 1:100,000 and called The Soil Resource Inventory Map. The other map shows 17 of Turkey's 26 Great Watersheds with a scale of 1:200,000 and called Watershed Soil Map and Report. Because of the reconnaissance level of the survey, the detail level at a scale of 1:25,000 was not sufficient. In Turkey, this was the first original land study that mapped nation-wide knowledge and at the same time brought out important problems of soils and their distribution areas. Today this study is the main resource which can be applied to problems and uses of Turkey's soils. The 'Turkey Soils Potential Survey and Non Agriculture Aims Land Usage Planning Project' was replaced with the 'Turkey Development Soil Map Surveys' by the General Directorate of Soil and Water between 1982-1984. In these report differences in soil depth, soil stoniness, soil erosion levels and distributions can be seen in all the provincial Great Soil Groups by obtaining data from actual field trips. In addition, occurrences of differences, drainage, saltiness, alkalinity problems land usage and land feasibility classes brought the country up to date by obtaining readings at the scale of 1:25,000 from field studies. After that in 1987 maps were prepared from the results of the Turkey Development Soil Maps Surveys with a scale of 1:100,000 , together with the consultation of the GDRS and the surveys, maps were prepared at the scale of 1:2,000,000 called 'Turkey Soil Zones Map'. It was published under the name of Turkey General Soil Management Plan. 4.2 Inventory, Census and Small-Scale Hydrology GDRS holds the responsibility for mapping and recording Inventory, Census and Small-Scale Hydrological features. This information is captured and managed in a purpose-built Inventory information system. It is envisaged that it will be necessary for the NIC system to access only a subset of the complete Inventory system. The data held consists of information on the activities and responsibilities identified in Table 4.  5. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS It has been estimated that 1.5 million hectares of the Turkish arable land resource suffers from production limitations due to the effects of salinity, with a further 2.8 million hectares suffering from waterlogging. The condition of much of the available arable land has deteriorated over recent decades due to water and wind erosion. Some 63% of the total erosion recorded is categorised as severe or very severe, with 20% having moderate and 14% slight or negligible erosion (KHGM, 1987). The greatest challenge for GDRS land resource management in the future will come from salinity, waterlogging and erosion. Any comprehensive and sustainable rural policy must accommodate measures designed to ameliorate or reduce these factors. Yet, as the pace of development and the demands on the rural economy increase, the balance is harder to maintain. Furthermore, the strain placed upon GDRS resources by the recent earthquake disasters has made the process of allocating resources and identifying priorities even more difficult. The Soil and Water National Information System offers GDRS an effective and cost-efficient management tool to meet its many and varied responsibilities. Although still in its early days, the NIC has already drawn together many of the key thematic datasets which underpin such decision-making, with considerable effort being made in identifying the most appropriate distribution mechanisms for the resulting information. The Centre has also commenced with great efficiency the compilation of the first national soil map in digital form. This will be of great importance in the direction of the rural economy, especially as Turkey accedes to the European Union and compliance is required for many environmental Directives. An immediate task facing the NIC team has been to commence the systematic capture and integration of the paper-based national soil map into the information system. The 1:25,000 soil maps of Turkey are presently being digitised. Pencil tracings and annotations on transparent material is the source of this key nation-wide data set. The legend of the soil maps represents a wide range of environmental parameters, as each unit was labelled with a compound alphanumeric symbol giving information on various soil and site attributes. There are over 5564 1:25,000 scale soil maps to cover Turkey. To create a national database from these data is a task requiring significant resources (KHGM, 1999). There are also plans underway to continue to enhance and improve the basic soil mapping resource in Turkey. It is anticipated that a national programme of detailed surveys will be commenced to determine factors including soil type, land use, land capability and fertility levels with greater precision than before. In recognition of the limitations of the current soil mapping, which lacks fully comprehensive geo-located profile observations to validate the map separates, the GDRS' NIC plans other two specific projects. Firstly, a revised version of the 1:1,000,000 scale soil map will be compiled, which will retain the original soil lines but will re-allocate the map units according to the FAO/Soil Map of Europe classification with a soil interpreted report (KHGM, 1999). Secondly it is proposed that a new land cover and land use map be compiled using modern technology and including remote-sensing imagery. Such newly conducted soil surveys will feed directly into the planning basis for catchment rehabilitation, soil conservation, irrigation and drainage and land consolidation projects. Also, soil and water analyses are conducted to determine the factors most limiting to agricultural yield and productivity, with farmers being provided with technical recommendations as to the appropriate use of fertilisers and other chemicals together with suitable crop rotation patterns. In these cases, it is imperative that the NIC data framework be in place to handle and manipulate these new datasets. However, at this time, the financial constraints under which the NIC will operate in the future are not yet fully defined. Indications are that the importance of the NIC is fully recognised at the highest levels within GDRS and means are being sought to provide appropriate ongoing financial support. 6. CONCLUSIONS This paper has outlined the infrastructure put in place for the development of the GDRS Soil and Water NIC. This resource will be highly valuable to GDRS and to the effective and sustainable ongoing management of the Turkish rural resource. The new NIC will provide a cost-effective national centre of excellence in land information systems design and implementation, and its work will underpin a large part of the day-to-day operation, as well as research activities undertaken in GDRS. This paper outlines the initial steps underway to create the full infrastructure required to administer the national Soil and Water Information System, as well as the data resources that it will hold. There are many challenges to be faced in the next few decades as the GDRS addresses a range of environmental threats such as salinity, waterlogging and erosion. However, the tools that the NIC will offer will be an invaluable aid in natural resource and rural management and, importantly, contribute further to the national information infrastructure following Turkey's likely forthcoming accession into the European Union. 7. REFERENCES King, D., Meyer-Roux, J., Thomasson, A.J. and Vossen, P. (1998). A Proposed European Soil Information Policy. In Land Information Systems: Developments for planning the sustainable use of land resources. H.J. Heineke, W. Eckelmann, A.J. Thomasson, R.J.A. Jones, L. Montanarella and B. Buckley (eds.) EUR 17729 EN, 11-18. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg. Köy Hizmetleri Genel Müdürlüğü (KHGM), (1987)., Türkiye Genel Toprak Amanajman Planlaması (Toprak Koruma Ana Planı) Köy Hizmetleri Genel Müdürlüğü (KHGM), (1995)., Toprak ve Su Kaynakları Araştırma Master Planı, Araştırma Planlama ve Koordinasyon Dairesi Başkanlığı, Yayın No: 87, Türkiye Tarımsal Araştırma Projesi 3472 - TU. Köy Hizmetleri Genel Müdürlüğü (KHGM), (1999)., Türkiye Toprak ve Su Kaynakları Veri Tabanının Oluşturulması Projesi, Toprak ve Su Kaynakları Ulusal Bilgi Merkezi Köy Hizmetleri Genel Müdürlüğü (KHGM), (1999)., Türkiye Genel Toprak Haritası ve Raporunun FAO-UNESCO ve Toprak Taksonomisine Göre Güncelleştirilmesi, Toprak ve Su Kaynakları Ulusal Bilgi Merkezi |