European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC)
The European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) is the thematic centre for soil related data in Europe. Its ambition is to be the single reference point for and to host all relevant soil data and information at European level. Besides European datasets, ESDAC also hosts some Eurasia and global soil datasets. Some ESDAC datasets can be freely downloaded; others are accessible after prior registration.
Datasets are organized in the following broad categories: (1) the European Soil Database (ESDB), datasets that have been derived with the help of the ESDB and general European datasets that contain soil properties, (2) datasets that are related to soil threats (erosion, soil organic carbon, landslides, compaction, salinization, soil biodiversity, contaminated sites, soil sealing, etc.), (3) soil point data (LUCAS, SPADE, SPADE2, etc.), and (4) data that stem from projects.
The global datasets include the GIS layers for the following products:
1) Global Biodiversity Potential Map: a biodiversity index based on microbial and macrofauna diversity
2)Soil Biodiversity Threats Map: biodiversity loss, pollution and nutrient overload, agricultural use, overgrazing, fire risk, soil erosion,land degradation, climate change)
3) Global Rainfall Erosivity: resolution 30 arc-seconds
4) Global Soil Organic Carbon Estimates: resolution 30 arc-seconds
The Eurasian datasets cover all of Europe and Russia and include:
1) European Soil Database V2 Raster Library : raster data at 1 km resolution. Contains a set of 73 soil attributes maps, all “dominant value” maps in 3 types, (1) the value for the attribute, (2) the purity of the attribute, (3) the confidence level for the attribute. The attributes relate to (1) soil classification according to the World Reference Base (WRB) and the 1990 FAO-UNESCO Revised Legend for the Soil Map of the World, (2) land use, (3) limitations to agricultural use, (4) parent material, (5) obstacles to roots, (6) presence of an impermeable layer, (7) soil water regime, (8) water management system, (9) altitude, (10) slope, (11) texture , (12) primary properties, (13) chemical properties, (14) mechanical properties, (15) hydrological properties, (16) derived secondary properties (e.g. soil crusting, erodibility).
2) European Soil Database V2 Vector: contains the same information as the raster dataset but in vector format with associated attribute tables.
European datasets:
European map of soil suitability : suitability of soil as a platform for most human activities; covers 28 European countries; resolution 1 km.
Soil Organic Carbon Projections: for current and future conditions 4 GCM models according to 4 GCM models and AR5-RCP scenarios; covers 26 European countries; resolution 1km.
Soil Erosion Risk Assessment in Europe (MESALES model): covers 28 countries at scale 1: 1 million.
Soil Erosion by Water: covers 28 European countries; resolution 100 m.
Soil Erosion by Wind: covers 28 European countries. Themes are (1) soil erosion by wind in European agricultural soils (resolution 1 km), (2) land susceptibility to wind erosion (resolution 500 m), and (3) Wind erosion susceptibility of soils (resolution 500 m).
Potential Threats to Soil Biodiversity: covers 27 European countries; resolution 500 m.