Digital Soil Assessment: Beyond DSM

The scope of digital soil mapping is described, but it is not seen as an end in itself. It provides data and information for a new framework for soil assessment which we call digital soil assessment. Although still somewhat fluid, a procedural framework for digital soil mapping and assessment with its links and feedbacks are set out diagrammatically and discussed. Theoretically, the principal, but not the sole, advantage of DSM over conventional methods is the intended provision of estimates of predictor uncertainties. DSA comprises three main processes: (1) a soil attribute space inference system, (2) evaluation of soil functions and the threats to soils, and (3) risk assessment and the development of strategies for soil protection. Digital risk assessment consists of integrating political, social, economical parameters and general environmental threats for building, modelling and testing some scenarios about environmental perspectives. The procedure as a whole is illustrated by considering how to address potential questions such as, ‘are we able to provide all the soil data parameters for climate-change modelling at 200-m resolution?’

CARRE' Florence;  MAYR Thomas;  MCBRATNEY Alexander B.;  MONTANARELLA Luca; 

2009-11-27

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

JRC38130

0016-7061,   

www.elsevier.com/locate/geoderma,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC38130,   

10.1016/j.geoderma.2007.08.015,