Digital databases of natural resources such as soil, geology and water have become important in the advancement of modern scientific agriculture. The advantages of digital databases are many: they can be used repeatedly for multiple purposes, are easy to update, and may be cheaper than paper to use in the long run. This article discusses the development of digital databases of natural resources and how they can be useful as problem solving tools for real world applications in agriculture. The steps required to develop a digital database are discussed with an emphasis on the potential errors and how these errors can be corrected or minimized. Brief descriptions are presented of two research projects that used digital databases in agriculture. Examples of special manipulation techniques used in these projects are also discussed. The two projects used different computer simulation models and required different primary and secondary data layers. The special manipulation techniques used to create secondary attribute data from the primary attribute data are discussed.