Rationalization and harmonization of soil legacy data involves 6 stages: 1) collation, curation and archiving, 2) cataloguing and indexing, 3) digital capture, 4) information extraction, 5) transformation and rationalization, and 6) resource integration. This process unlocks the potential of legacy soil data by fitting it into a common framework, translating and re-attributing the data to meet new requirements while addressing mismatches between old and new data sources. The output includes spatial and non-spatial soil data that can provide training data for digital soil mapping and be incorporated into new soil information systems.

1. Rationalization and
ha rmoniza tion of soil
lega cy informa tion
GSP Meeting Rome
Ma rch 2012
Ja cqueline Ha nna m
Na tiona l Soil Resources Institute
Cra nfield University

2. Rationalization and harmonization of soil legacy data
Digital soil assessment for class and property information
(Thomas Mayr)
Soil information systems meeting stakeholder requirements
(Steve Hallett)

3. Overview
• Legacy data issues
• Rationalization process: collation, catalogue, capture
• Rationalization process: extraction and translation
• Links to DSA and information systems

4. Legacy data: primary
issues
Positives
• Field observation – huge
investment
• Many surveys were
conducted for resource
assessment
• Spatial and non-spatial
data
• Provides training data for
DSA from SCORPAN
covariates
Negatives
• Class and property data not
standardised
• Information is often just
descriptive
• Changes in scale between
surveys
• Not in digital format (from the
analogue era..)
• Original survey potentially
not appropriate for new
applications

5. Rationalization a nd
ha rmoniza tion of soil
lega cy informa tion
Collation, curation and archive
Catalogue and Index
Digital capture
Information extraction
Transformation and rationalisation
Resource integration
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Stage 6

6. Data collation, archive
a nd ca ta logue
WOSSAC
22,446 catalogued
holdings,
293 territories
worldwide
www.wossac.com
Dedicated soils
resource at
Cranfield University, UK

7. Sudan
Data capture
Ireland
Scanning
WOSSAC
resources
Tanzania
Scanning and
georeferencing
INSPIRE
compliance
Spatial data
capture and
soil profile
attributes

8. Rationalization a nd
ha rmoniza tion of soil
lega cy informa tion
Collation, curation and archive
Catalogue and Index
Digital capture
Information extraction
Transformation and rationalisation
Resource integration
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Stage 6

9. Identify soil information
requirement
Suitability
?
no
yes
Rationalization
not possible

10. Suitability?
Sri Lanka, 1946 (after Joachim)
Haiti, 1969 (FAO)

11. Identify soil information
requirement
Suitability
?
no
yes
Develop rationalisation framework
[taxonomic / property / function]
Mis-match in
data sources?
Rationalization
not possible
Soil information rationalized to common
framework meeting initial requirements
no
Fit legacy information to framework
[rules / expert judgement / auxiliary data]
yes
Harmonization process
[correlation tools]
Some examples…..

12. What and where are the
potential soil effects on IED
detection systems?
Suitability
?
yes
Pedotransfer rules for soil properties
and detector function
Soil information presented as potential
soil effects on detection systems
Rationalization of soil, stratigraphic and
physiographic information
Mis-match in
data sources?
no
User requires simple
output for strategic level
assessment

13. Pias, 1979

14. Rationalization process
Translation
Pedological interpretation
Pedologic-physiographic-
stratigraphic relationships
Pedotransfer rules for detector effects
Re-attribute and correct line work
Spatial and non-spatial
information of soil response to
detector systems

15. AFG soil function mapping
• Upscaling to
account for
differences in
source data
• Class and property
data to function
mapping
• Legend and scale
appropriate to end-
users requirements

16. National soil map and information
system to meet national and
European legislative
requirementss
Suitability
?
yes
Develop a revised soil classification
system for Republic of Ireland
Mis-match in
data sources?
yes
Harmonization
process between
environmental data
sources
Legacy soil information rationalized to common
framework – mapping and non-spatial data
Legacy
mapping and
monographs
Fit legacy information to classification
framework, generalise mapping to 1:250k
[rules / expert judgement / auxiliary data]
no

17. Ireland
Original legacy data
• Different class
attributes
• Different mapping
scales
• No cross border
harmonization
• Rationalized soil
information to revised
classification
• Harmonization of
attribute data
• Linework generalized to
common scale (1:250k)
• Border harmonization
Rationalized and
harmonized legacy data

18. National soil map and information
system to meet national and
European legislative objectives
Suitability
?
yes
Develop a revised soil classification
system for Republic of Ireland
Mis-match in
data sources?
yes
Harmonization
process between
environmental data
sources
Legacy soil information rationalized to common
framework – mapping and non-spatial data
Legacy
mapping and
monographs
Fit legacy information to classification
framework, generalise mapping to 1:250k
[rules / expert judgement / auxiliary data]
no
Spatial and non-spatial data in soil information system
Training data for DSM including upscaled
soilscapes for model stratificationFieldwork and
evaluation

19. Summa ry
• Rationalization and interpretation unlocks
the potential of soil legacy data
• Vector, point, class and property output
• Spin-offs: revised ‘classification’ systems,
soilscapes, pedotransfer rules
• Provides training data platform for DSM
• Issues with reconciling the initial aim of
the legacy survey with the new application