EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
SOTER
Soils and Terrain Digital Database
Endre Dobos
University of Miskolc
Dept. of Physical Geography and Environmental Sciences
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
The history…
FAO/UNESCO Soil Map of the World (1:5.000.000)
Compiled between 1971-1981
1986: ISSS (IUSS) initiated a project to create a 1:1
million scale soil and terrain database
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
What is SOTER?
Rational: Need for better, consistent and comprehensive
soil information
Its goals are:
•to establish a World Soil and Terrain database
•to provide the necessary data needed for mapping
and monitoring global changes, and for regional
agricultural and environmental policy makers
SOTER is a methodology for storing and handling soils
and terrain data
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
The potential uses of small scale soil databases
- rational use and management of natural resources
- optimization, rationalization and regionalization of land use, cropping
pattern;
- evaluation, modeling, monitoring and forecast of environmental hazards for
their prevention or control;
- provision of data for retrospective or predicting models and early warning
systems;
- prevention, elimination or moderation of soil degradation processes (water
and wind erosion, acidification, salinization-alkalization, soil structure
destruction, compaction, biological degradation, unfavorable changes in
moisture and nutrient regimes);
- inventory of environmental "hot spots" (environmentally sensitive, valuable,
protected ecosystems and their land-sites, highly polluted areas with
susceptible soils);
- evaluation, mapping and monitoring of critical loads for various ecosystems;
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
The „Procedures manual” of SOTER
can be downloaded form
http://www.isric.nl/Docs/Soterep.PDF
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
There is no fieldwork carried out !!!!
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
The HunSOTER database
Brown Forest Soils
Stony Soils
Blown sand
Humous Sandy Soils
Rendzina and Erubase Soils
Ramann-type Brown Forest Soils
Sandy Forest Soil
Chernozem-Brown Forest Soils
Chernozem Soils
Chernozem-Meadow Soils
Salt-effected Soils
Meadow and Peaty Soils
Alluvial Soils
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
The SOTER mapping approach
The SOTER has a three level hierarchical structure
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
SOTER Unit level
– this level represents the geometric
basis of the database
– differentiating criterias are the
physiography and the lithology
The term physiography is used in this context as the
description of the landforms of the Earth's surface and based
on the dominant gradient of the slopes and their relief intensity
in combination with the dissection of the area and the
hypsometric grouping.
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Non-spatial attributes of the terrain unit

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SOTER unit ID
Year of data collection
Map ID
Min. elevation
Max. elevation
Slope gradient
Relief intensity
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Major landform
Regional slope
Hypsometry
Dissection
General lithology
Permanent water surface
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Terrain component level


This level has no entry into the geometric database it stays in the attribute table only.
Terrain components are the areas within each terrain
unit
– with a particular (pattern of ) surface form, slope,
mesorelief
– in areas covered by unconsolidated material, texture of
parent material.
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY

Non-spatial attributes of the terrain component
 Terrain component data
Terrain Component
– SOTER Unit ID
– Terrain componenet
number
– Proportion of SOTER
Unit
– Terrain component data
ID
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Terrain component data ID.
Dominant slope
Lenght of slope
Form of slope
Local surface form
Average height
Surface lithology
Texture group of the nonconsolidated parent material
Depth to bedrock
Surface drainage
Depth to groundwater
Frequency of flooding
Duration of flooding
Start of flooding
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Soil component level

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This is the level, where the soils of the terrain
components are to be described.
SOTER polygons delineate soil associations. Each
of the soils within the association represent a soil
component.
Each soil component has to have at least one
representative soil profile database attached to it,
which can provide the variables describing the
physical and chemical properties, and the horizon
designations for the given soil.
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Non-spatial attributes of the soil component level


Soil component
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
SOTER Unit ID.
Terrain compponent number
Soil component number
Proportion of SOTER Unit
Profile ID.
Number of reference profiles
Position in terrain component
Surface rockiness
Surface stoniness
Types of erosion/deposition
Area affected
Degree of erosion
Sensitivity to capping
Rootabel depth
Relation with other soil
components
Profile
– Identification and locational
data…
– Drainage
– Infiltration rate
– Surface organic matter
– Classifcations

Horizon
–
–
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–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
ID.
Diagnostic horizon and property
Depth
Distinctness of transition
Depth
Structure
Particle size classes
Hydraulic conductivity, infiltration
rate
pH
Soluble Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, SO4,
HCO3, CO3
Clay mineralogy
….
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Other environmental data incorporated into SOTER

Land cover data

Hierarchical structure of classes.
– Vegetation
– Land use
– Land use
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SOTER Unit ID.
Date of observation
Land use code
Proportion of
SOTER unit
– Vegetation
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SOTER Unit ID.
Date of observation
Vegetation code
Proportion of
SOTER unit
Order
Group
System
.
.
.
Agriculture, A
Annual field
cropping, AA
.
.
.
Perennial field
cropping, AP
Non-irrigated, AP1
Irrigated, AP2
Tree and schrub
cropping, AT
.
.
.
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Other environmental data incorporated into SOTER

Climate
– Monthly averages of rainfall, temperature, radiation, sunshine, humidity,
wind, evaporation, evapotransporation, occurrence of adverse weather events
– Point data, not directly linked to the SOTER unit
Climate station
Climate data
Data sources
Climate station ID.
Climate station ID
Source ID
Climate station name
Kind of data
Source name
Latitude
Source ID.
Longitude
First year
Altitude
Last year
Years of record
January
…
December
Annual
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Existing geographic coverage
Continental scale:
Latin America and the Caribbean (1: 5 million)
Central and Eastern Europe (1:2.5 million)
National scale:
Hungary (1: 500.000)
Jordan (1: 500.000)
Uruguay (1: 1.000.000)
Kenya (1: 1.000.000)
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Deriving soil parameters
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Suitability studies
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Assessing land degradation processes
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Sensitivity studies
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Vulnerability studies
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON SOIL SURVEY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL, JOINT RESEARCH CENTER ,INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
Thank You for your attention!