www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership This presentation was made during the 5th ITPS working session that took place at FAO HQ, Rome - Italy on 14-18 March 2016 and it presents the 5th Pillar of action of the Global Soil Partnership © FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Harmonization of methods and
measurements (GSP Pillar 5)
ITPS, Rome, 14-18 March 2016

2.  PoA proposes the development of an
over-arching system for harmonized
soil characterization
 Back-up for Pillar 1 (indicators) and Pillar 4 (data products)
 6 recommendations:
Context Pillar 5 PoA
Plan of Action (PoA)
Harmonization provides the ability to describe,
sample, classify, and analyze the soil in a way that
allows the combined use of the resulting data on a
scientifically sound basis. Soil data and
information derives from many sources, across
time, projects, agencies, and countries.
Definition

3. Overview Pillar 5 PoA: easy structure
1. Harmonization concept
2. Products in support of Harmonization
Principles for harmonizationRecommendation 1
Recommendation 2
Definitions
Key areas
Recommendation 3, 4, 5, 6
3. Governance as closely as possible to Pillar 4
Implementation procedures
in the regional partnerships

4. Develop an over-arching system for harmonized soil
characterization as the central objective of Pillar 5. The
system builds on and merges existing approaches to
describe, classify, map, analyse and interpret soils.
P5 PoA Recommendations
Recommendation 1
GSP
Harmonization
Concept
Definitions
Key areas of
harmonization
Principles for
harmonization
Recommendation 2

5. P5 PoA Recommendations
Key areas of
harmonization
soil profiles, soil
classification and
soil maps
Recommendation 3
Soil sampling and
analysis
Interoperability - Exchange
of digital soil information
Interpretation and evaluation
Recommendation 4
Recommendation 5
• Reference system for soil
profile description
• Reference system for soil
classification
• Reference system for soil
mapping
Implementation
Good Practice field sampling, sample
preparation and measurement
Global soil information model
Recommendation 6
 Catalogue of soil health indicators
 Method data base of pedo-transfer
rules and functions
1
2
3
4

6. Products acc. to Pillar 4 Global Soil Information System
Soil data for research: ag trials and other soil research
data (link with e-infrastructures, innovation
platforms/partnerships, international soil modelling
consortium)
Soil monitoring: indicators and methods
Scope defined in other Pillars:
 P4 (data products, indicators), but also P1
(decision support) and P3 (research)
 Definition of soil information products and
harmonization needs
Scope ESP Pillar 5

7. 1.a Soil Description
Demand for Pillar 5: Soil Profiles Tier 2
Define reference system: PoA: improved FAO soil profile
description (see also IUSS WG Soil Classification)
Pillar 4: harmonisation requirements to enter specifications
document prepared by P4WG
Harmonization experiences, for example European Soil
Information System (little documentation) and GS Soil
project (strong documentation; test cases)

8. 1.b Soil Classification – USC? – WRB/Soil Tax
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
CZ
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Portugal
Scotland/N. Ireland/
Rep. Ireland
Slovakia
Slovenia
[GS Soil test cases]
 WRB most likely follow up classification to
the FAO legend (soil polygon maps);
 soil profiles are found in WRB and US Soil
Taxonomy,
 many countries have transformation-/
conversion-procedures developed
Tasks for Pillar 5
Prepare documentation and best practice: data needs and
methods to convert and update map legends and profiles
Results will back up Pillar 4 product specifications
Status:
Demand for Pillar 5:
Conversion required for Tier 2 soil profiles
and soil types in soil polygon maps

9. 1.c Soil mapping
 Update, finalize and publish harmonization methods for
soil maps
Demand for Pillar 5:
Study existing harmonization rules for soil maps
(reference material: e.g. European nested system, see GS
Soil project, other input)
Tasks for Pillar 5
 Results enter P4WG specifications for developing
global soil polygon coverage

10. 2. Soil analysis
 Join forces of existing initiatives
 Develop Good Practice guidance
Demand for Pillar 5:
Tasks for Pillar 5
 Good practice needed: facilitates the harmonisation of existing
and new soil analytical data
 Loop back to ISO TC 190
 differences of existing methods, criteria for ring tests, role of reference
samples and reference laboratories
 exchange of existing conversion methods, development of new ones
by reference labs

11. Multiple ways
to store data
3. Interoperability – exchange of digital soil data
- Europe: INSPIRE soil data specifications
- World: ISO 28258; OGC Ag Domain WG and IE
- few national approaches
Background for Pillar 5:
Task: Test specifications nationally and revise ISO 28258
Interoperability is key principle of the soil spatial data
infrastructure; build on harmonized soil information model
Exchange of
data through
web services

12. 3. Interoperability – exchange of digital soil data
 Participate in global testing of ISO 28258 (extended OGC
interoperability test – 2016; GSP-wide): new initiative in
cooperation with Research Data Alliance (RDA)/Agriculture
Data Interest Group (IGAD) and GODAN (Global Open Data
for Agriculture and Nutrition)
 Update ISO 28258 and finalize (SoilML)
 Elaborate relationship to relevant existing models (national;
in the case of Europe: INSPIRE)
 Develop cookbook and transformation services Feedback to
ISO TC 190 and IUSS WG SIS: join activities
 Participate in EUROSOIL 17 - 22 July 2016 with European
INSII session
Tasks for Pillar 5:

13. 4. Indicators (and applied methods)
 Soil monitoring: Chapter of Status of World‘s Soil
Resources: Status of the European soil resources
 SDG: national approaches, agri-env indicators
 Dimension: UNCCD, LDN target,
4per1000 (COP21)
Scope:
 Status quo about indicators, baselines,
common criteria, thresholds, monitoring
needs
 Compile national approaches and
views to build global system
Tasks for ESP-Pillar 5:

14. 4. (Indicators and) applied methods
-95 soil types
-1777 soil profiles
Hypres Database of Hydraulic
Properties of European Soils
Global method data bases: indicators, conversions,
evaluations
Revisit PTF/PTR catalogue in
existing soil data bases
Demand for Pillar 5:
Tasks for ESP-Pillar 5:
 Applicability to other products (SOTER, 1:250k)
 Analyse requirements to validated spatial
estimates of indicators

15. How can Pillar 5 be organized? – along other Pillars (P4)
1. Soil profile description, soil classification, soil mapping
INSII members: IUSS WG Soil Classification
2. Soil analysis
Establish Pillar 5 subgroup of soil analytical experts (ICP
Forests, EGS, national networks of agricultural research
stations)
3. Soil Information model
INSII members: get involved in IUSS WG SIS, Europe:
INSPIRE Thematic cluster soil, ISO TC 190 , OGC Ag
Domain WG
4. Indicators/Methods
INSII members