Kostiantyn Viatkin Seventh session of the GSP Plenary Assembly | 5 - 7 June 2019 | FAO HQ, Rome, Italy

1. Global Soil Organic
Carbon map
(GSOC map)
Kostiantyn Viatkin

2. Global Soil Organic Carbon map
(GSOCmap)
• The 5th GSP Plenary Assembly, in June 2017, approved the
decision of member countries jointly developing a Global
Soil Organic Carbon map (GSOCmap).
• This map is part of the process of building a Global Soil
Information System (GLOSIS) under the Pillar 4.
• This considerable effort by member countries and
partners, coordinated by the GSP Secretariat, led to the launch
of the GSOCmap on World Soil Day 5th December 2017
• The GSOCmap was endorsed by the 2nd ITPS as a living
product, which should be constantly updated with new and
improved national contributions.

3. GSOC map 1.0 (2017)

4. GSOCmap impact
GSOCmap is a participatory process involving all
countries in the data collection and mapping activities.
● The SOC Mapping Cookbook Manual provided.
Technical
Documen
ts
Data
Supply
Online
Support
Trainings
National soil data compilation and
harmonization:
● Database creation, bringing together
recovered soil legacy data from different
institutions;
● Harmonization of lab methods and units;
National capacity building:
● Over 250 experts from 110 countries
trained in digital soil mapping;

5. GSP capacity development

6. Trainings 2018-2019
Date Location Attending countries
20 Jan - 24 Jan/2018 Tehran, Iran Iran
25 Feb - 3 Mar/2018 Phnom Penh, Cambodia Cambodia
10 - 17 Mar/2018 São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe
28 May - 1 Jun/2018 Santiago de Chile, Chile Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
3 - 7 Jul/2018 Bogota, Colombia Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
22 - 26 Apr/2019 Yogyakarta, Indonesia Indonesia

7. GSOCmap Cookbook – 2nd edition
● The SOC Mapping
Cookbook provides a step-
by-step guidance for
developing 1 km grids for
soil carbon stocks.
● Methodology and guidance
is relevant for other soil
properties.

8. GSOC map 1.5 (June 2019)

9. Improvements in version 1.5
Version 1.2
1 002 562
75 countries
67.9 %
Version 1.5
1 079 617
85 countries
73.0 %
Countries mapped with national data:
Number of point observations used:
World area covered with national maps:

10. Improvements in version 1.5
New / updated national
SOC maps
Afghanistan, Argentina, Cameroon, Cambodia, Chile, Gambia,
Germany, Madagascar
New / updated national
SOC maps in cooperation
with the GSP Secretariat
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Iran, Palestine Authority
Updated gap-filling maps
prepared by the GSP
Secretariat
Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Botswana, Central African
Republic, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South
Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
36 new and updated maps:

11. GSOCmap v1.2
Germany - 3300 Samples, Geomatching

12. GSOCmap v1.5
Germany - 5000 Samples, Geomatching

13. GHANA - Country Submission
GSOCmap v1.2

14. GHANA - Improved Bulk Density
GSOCmap v1.5

15. Congo + DR CONGO - GSP Gap Filling
GSOCmap v1.2

16. Congo + DR CONGO - Improved with National Data
GSOCmap v1.5

17. Data access
• View change log
• Download older versions
• View, clip and download the data
• GSOCmap contributors page

18. Online service usage in 2019
2000 visits 835 unique usersby 76 countriesfrom
AgeGender

19. Technical report & Metadata

20. Validation and Uncertainty
Validation using all available data with measured SOC and bulk
density: global + regional + national datasets (~ 300 000 samples)
Independent global dataset is required for robust validation.

21. Validation and Uncertainty
• Mean Absolute Error (MAE): 16.07 t/ha
• Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE): 36.92 t/ha
• Correlation with ground data: 52%
16.07
36.92
52
31.4
52.43
20
42.29
54.17
43
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
MEAN ABSOLUTE ERROR (T/HA) ROOT MEAN SQUARED ERROR (T/HA) CORRELATION (%)
GSOCmap HWSDa SoilGrids

22. GSOCmap purpose
Provide best available SOC estimation at the
global level, consistent with the national data
GSOCmap is based on over 1 million samples
– 15 times more than any other global estimation
ITPS and GSP Secretariat are working on scientific
peer-reviewed publications

23. GSOCmap & Climate Change
Soil carbon pool is affected by climate change,
yet it can help mitigate it!

24. GSOCmap & Climate Change
GSOC map provides basis for accounting below-ground C stocks in the C cycle

25. GSOCmap & Food Security
Preserving SOC
stocks in croplands
Prerequisite for
food security
Need for implementing
sustainable soil
management

26. GSOCmap purpose
Provides countries with the methodology to
assess their SOC stocks for monitoring and
reporting
National maps use all available national data
and local expert knowledge
Validate and use national SOC maps, prepared
for the GSOCmap project

27. SDG reporting
GSOC map aims at enabling countries to
develop their own SOC stock estimates
for reporting on SDG 15.3.1

28. SDG reporting challenges
Countries produce
national SOC maps
for the GSOCmap
Reporting on SDG 15.3.1
with national data
Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador,
etc.
Reporting on SDG 15.3.1 with
default data
UNCCD reporting tools do not
include GSOCmap;
National reporting ministry
(e.g. Ministry of Environment) not
connected with the producer of
the SOC map (e.g. Ministry of
Agriculture)
why?

29. Actions required
Countries are invited to:
• Contribute to the GSOCmap with national data;
• Update and improve national SOC maps;
• Validate national SOC maps and publish the
results;
• Share national datasets for global validation;
• Use national SOC data for SDG reporting;

30. Way forward
Capacity
building
Updating
national
SOC maps
GSOCmap
updates
GloSIS
development
National soil profile
databases
GSOCmap depths:
• 0 - 30 cm
• 30 cm – 1 m
• … ?
+ inorganic carbon?
New products:
• Global Soil Erosion map;
• Global SOC Sequestration
Potential map;
• Black Soil map.
Carbon data
from GSOCmap
+ other parameters
+ modelling

31. Thank you
for your attention!