TOWARDS A MENA SOIL INFORMATION SYSTEM

Ronald Vargas Rojas 03 April 2012

Soil Map of the region

Source: FAO, HWSD

The Project

• Letter of Agreement with Ministry of Agriculture of Jordan for:

– Establishing the Regional (MENA) Soil Partnership

– Developing the first phase of the MENA Soil Information System: harmonization of the national soil maps (if not in digital format, convert it and establish in GIS format) using WRB and produce a regional soil map (with existing soil data) at 1:1 M. The database will include publically available soil profile data.

– Provide training and assistance (small amount) to each country.

The Project

How to implement it?

1. Output of the first workshop: establishment of the Regional Soil Partnership together with a Communiqué to search for further support.

2. Agreed way forward: a) conversion of national maps into WRB 2010, b) systematization of soil profile data (from all the sources) and c) integration of all national soil maps (harmonization required).

3. In order to implement this training will be provided in: WRB and standardization of soil maps; harmonization, quality control and input of soil profile data.

4. Integration of soil information

SOIL LEGACY DATA IS FUNDAMENTAL

Soil Legacy Data

Slide credit: David Rossiter

Soil Legacy Data

Slide credit: Philippe Lagacherie

Example of Africa by ISRIC-Globalsoilmap.net

2010 baseline : 2770 profiles

Wise3

2 / 13000 km2

2010 incl. ISRIC sets : 4343 profiles

2 / 8000 km2

Excl. 2955 duplicates

2 / 8000 km2

2010 incl. ISRIC sets : 4343 profiles

2010 AfSP v1 : 7300 profiles

2 / 5000 km2

2010 AfSP v1 : 7300 profiles

2 / 5000 km2

2011 AfSP v2 : 9200 profiles

2 / 4000 km2

2012 AfSP v3 : 12500 profiles

2 / 3000 km2

World Soil Information Service

• Africa Soil Profiles database will be embedded into WoSIS database

• Data can be downloaded through WoSIS

• Additional data

can be uploaded through WoSIS

AfSP Sharing

• Inventory • Collect • Analogue -> digital • Process (collate, standardize, quality control) • Serve

Compile

• Inventory • Collect • Analogue -> digital • Process (collate, standardize, quality control) • Serve

• Just do it !

Compile

• Lineage – Datasets & reports

Compile Basic principles

• Lineage – Datasets & reports (IP rights)

Compile Basic principles

• Lineage – Datasets & reports

• Soil observations & measurements – Feature – Attribute – Method – Value

Compile

• Lineage – Datasets & reports

• Soil observations & measurements – Feature (georeferenced profiles & layers) – Attribute – Method – Value

Compile

• Lineage – Datasets & reports

• Soil observations & measurements – Feature (georeferenced profiles & layers) – Attribute (x-y-z-t, map, class, site, layer-fld, layer-lab) – Method – Value

Compile

• Lineage – Datasets & reports

• Soil observations & measurements – Feature (georeferenced profiles & layers) – Attribute (x-y-z-t, map, class, site, layer-fld, layer-lab) – Method – Value

• Value standardization (Soter conventions) – 1. Original data

– 2. Standardized data

– (3. Harmonized data / info)

Compile

• Lineage – Datasets & reports

• Soil observations & measurements – Feature (georeferenced profiles & layers) – Attribute (x-y-z-t, map, class, site, layer-fld, layer-lab) – Method – Value

• Value standardization (Soter conventions) – 1. Original data - basic quality control – 2. Standardized data - routine quality control – (3. Harmonized data / info - full quality control)

Compile

Observations

• Legacy soil data are compiled very cost efficiently compiled, but not cost

free (man months)

• Limiting factor is capacity (man months)

• An efficient way to effectively acquire and compile digital soil profile data, in quantities required to map Sub Saharan Africa, is to allocate facilitative resources to increase focused capacity – Capacity in house – Capacity out house (actively involve dataholders)