Soil inventory and monitoring

Soil knowledge is a key factor in ensuring food security, combatting climate change, protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainable development. In France, the Groupement d’Intérêt Scientifique Sol (GIS Sol), in collaboration with INRAE, contributes to the collection and dissemination of soil data.

Understanding soils to protect them better

Created in 2001, the GIS Sol coordinates the geographical inventory and monitoring of soil properties and changes in soil quality. It is thus building up an information system on French soils and making this knowledge base available online.

GIS Sol data is used in particular by the Ministries of Agriculture and Ecology, the OFB, ADEME and ANSES, to ensure sustainable soil management in response to food security, economic, energy, regional, health and environmental issues.

The GIS Sol currently brings together the Ministries of Agriculture (represented by the DGPE) and Ecology (represented by the CGDD), ADEME, INRAE, IGN, IRD, OFB and BRGM.

Bringing data together in an information system

INRAE develops programmes and methods for acquiring, archiving, processing and accessing data, particularly for public policy purposes. The research carried out contributes to the continuous improvement of all the methods implemented and the diagnoses made of soil conditions, their determinants and their functions. Some of this work has gone into the construction of soil inventory and monitoring systems.

Programmes have implemented different data acquisition strategies to:

• produce soil maps (Soil Inventory, Management and Conservation programme – IGCS),
• systematically monitor changes in soil (Réseau de mesures de la qualité des sols – RMQS),
• capitalise on analysis data (BDAT soil analysis database programme, BDETM metallic trace elements database and BDSolU urban soil analysis database under BRGM supervision).

GIS Sol programmes are coordinated by the INRAE Info&Sols research unit.

Accessibility of soil data and contributions to scientific research

GIS Sol makes soil data available to the public via its website and those of its partners. Research results are published in peer-reviewed journals. It is part of the European Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe initiatives, as well as the national research strategy. Soil data is used in research projects on ecosystem services, biodiversity, climate change and water management. It also supports the development of sustainable crops. Farmers’ soil analyses are fed into the GIS Sol georeferenced database, offering a better understanding of agronomic dynamics on a national scale.

The expertise acquired by INRAE as part of the GIS Sol enables it to support ministries in developing French positions in European (e.g. negotiation of the Soil Framework Directive) or international (e.g. World Soil Partnership) contexts.