Soil observations represent the first step in soil studies and aim to identify the main types of soils that appear in an area, as well as their morphological, physical and chemical characteristics. They are freely distributed throughout the work area based on the study of the background and all available documentary information, following the criteria of traditional soil mapping, based on the theory of factors and training processes. They consist of cuts or trenches that can be found "naturally" throughout the territory, as well as mini-pits or surveys carried out manually by the technicians responsible for cartography.

In a second phase, of all the observations described and analyzed, the observations that best represent the types of soils that appear in each of the maps to be published are selected as pits. These pits, uniquely referenced, are described in a systematic and more complete way, following the criteria established in the “Methodological guide for the drafting of ICGC soil mapping projects”, which is based on the description manuals of the most internationally recognized soils.

As a result of the work carried out in the phases described above, it is possible to establish the distribution model of the soils in the landscape and it can be captured using soil maps. It can be stated, therefore, that soil maps are the documents that best show the different types of soils that appear in an area, their morphological characteristics, their physical and chemical properties, and their spatial distribution.