http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership This presentation was made during the Inception Workshop on Regional Soil Partnership and MENA Soil Information System that took place in Amman, Jordan 1-5 April 2012. The presentation was made by Ronald Vargas, and it presents the MENA Soil Information System. ©FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. TOWARDS A MENA SOIL
INFORMATION SYSTEM
Ronald Vargas Rojas
03 April 2012

2. Soil Map of the region
Source: FAO, HWSD

3. 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.

4. 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

5. SOIL LEGACY DATA IS FUNDAMENTAL

6. Soil Legacy Data
Slide credit: David Rossiter

7. Soil Legacy Data
Slide credit: Philippe Lagacherie

8. Example of Africa by ISRIC-Globalsoilmap.net

9. 2010 baseline : 2770 profiles
Wise3
2 / 13000 km2

10. 2010 incl. ISRIC sets : 4343 profiles
2 / 8000 km2

11. Excl. 2955 duplicates
2 / 8000 km2
2010 incl. ISRIC sets : 4343 profiles

12. 2010 AfSP v1 : 7300 profiles
2 / 5000 km2

13. 2010 AfSP v1 : 7300 profiles
2 / 5000 km2

14. 2011 AfSP v2 : 9200 profiles
2 / 4000 km2

15. 2012 AfSP v3 : 12500 profiles
2 / 3000 km2

16. 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

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

18. • Inventory
• Collect
• Analogue -> digital
• Process (collate, standardize, quality control)
• Serve
• Just do it !
Compile

19. • Lineage
– Datasets & reports
Compile
Basic principles

20. • Lineage
– Datasets & reports (IP rights)
Compile
Basic principles

21. • Lineage
– Datasets & reports
• Soil observations & measurements
– Feature
– Attribute
– Method
– Value
Compile

22. • Lineage
– Datasets & reports
• Soil observations & measurements
– Feature (georeferenced profiles & layers)
– Attribute
– Method
– Value
Compile

23. • 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

24. • 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

25. • 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

26. 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)