Introduction

Soil is our life support system, crucial for the production of food and biomass and critical for the sustainability of an agro–environmental economy. The authors suggest that it is axiomatic that Ireland should have ready access to its soil information through the benefits of modern information technology. Soil is a multifunctional and complex natural medium that provides ecosystem services such as the production of food, fibre and fuel, the provision of habitat, nutrient cycling, contaminant transformation, water cycling and climate regulation. Reports from the European Commission indicate that many of these functions and services are under threat and soil protection is now placed on the same level as that of water and air. The recently adopted Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection (COM(2006)231) has identified soil protection as the basis for the forthcoming Soil Framework Directive (SFD) (COM(2006)232), the proposal for which lists eight threats to soil:

1. Erosion
2. Loss of organic matter (OM)
3. Compaction
4. Salinisation
5. Landslides and flooding
6. Sealing
7. Loss of biodiversity
8. Contamination.

At national level, the Single Farm Payment lists soil protection as a requirement to maintain lands in good agricultural and environmental condition with special reference to soil quality. Thus, knowledge of our soils would seem to be an obvious prerequisite for maintaining a sustainable agro–environmental economy and fulfilling our policy requirements at national and European levels.

Comparison of soil information at European scale has led to the requirement for the harmonisation and coordination of soil data across Europe, and, in light of the demands for soil protection on a regional basis within Member States, there is a growing need to support policy with a harmonised soil information system (SIS). The first attempt at soil data harmonisation was seen during the development of the 1:1,000,000 geographical database of Europe under the MARS project (Monitoring Agriculture with Remote Sensing) initiated by the European Commission for the EU Directorate-General (DG) (Agriculture). The purpose of a soil database at this scale was to assess the information needed for sustainable land use. However, this scale is seen as too general for assessing soil quality and functions at regional level and expert groups have called for a mapping programme at a more detailed scale. The EU Technical Working Group dealing with Soil Monitoring and Harmonisation has recommended a soil map of Europe at 1:250,000 as an economically feasible intermediate scale that can identify specific problems at regional scale. The structure of the proposed map at a 1:250,000 scale and the database is such that information on soil functions and quality is held within physiographic landscape units and the proposed methodology takes into consideration existing methodologies, e.g. the SOTER project (Dobos et al., 2005), and directives, e.g. the INSPIRE Directive, (COM(2004)516). A DG XI Task Force commissioned a feasibility study on the creation of a soil map of Europe at 1:250,000 (Dudal et al., 1993) and concluded that a map at this scale, supported by an appropriate database, would provide the necessary resolution for a number of applications at regional level. Harmonised soil data across Europe within a 1:250,000 georeferenced soil database will allow for exchange of data across Member States and provide the information needed by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency for reporting on issues relating to soil quality under the forthcoming SFD.

In Ireland, soil data exist in many variable and disparate forms and complete coverage of soils at 1:250,000 within a centralised SIS does not exist. The principal objective of this scoping study as specified by the EPA was to examine the feasibility of producing a 1:250,000 digital soil map of Ireland and to design a specification for a digital SIS. Other Member States have produced soil coverage at this scale using existing soil data at detailed scale but the situation in Ireland is somewhat different in that detailed soil mapping exists for only 44% of the country. The applicability of existing soil data and working with unsurveyed areas provided the central challenge in the proposed development of a national map that uses a standardised methodology and classification system and allows for effective communication of Ireland’s soil data internally and across Europe. In addition, the creation of a centralised SIS for the storage and dissemination of all soil data in Ireland is a desirable objective at both national and European levels.

For soil data that are held digitally in Ireland at present, whether as text or in map format, no harmonised system is currently available whereby all existing data can be interrogated electronically, or whereby the output of any interrogation can be displayed within a modern, publicly accessible, integrated IT framework.

Ireland needs a coherent framework for the presentation and updating of its soil information so that such data can be made readily available to all those concerned with the soil environment (and its varied interactions with air and water), including scientists, engineers, planners, policy makers and the general public. Such a system allows for the integration and presentation of data, the rearrangement and reclassification of data for analytical and display purposes and the use of such information in process-based and socio–economic modelling of scenarios for policy and ‘what-if’ scenario appraisal. The structuring of soil data to facilitate incorporation and management within a geographic information system (GIS) framework will greatly enhance access to and use of the soil data resource in Ireland. Such access will ultimately provide an educational function that will enhance understanding of a little understood but highly important component of our natural environment.

The work reported here was based around three agreed main objectives which incorporate the core tasks of the original EPA call for research proposals (2005):

1. Build an inventory of existing soil information in Ireland
2. Develop a methodology for the production of a digital soil map at a 1:250,000 scale for Ireland
3. Propose a specification for an SIS for Ireland that would underpin the digital map and encompass all existing soil data for Ireland.

Table 1.1 outlines in summary the proposed tasks in the original project call documentation and highlights which of the three main project objectives (as numbered above) addresses these tasks.

The methodology used in this work included reviewing procedures and mapping methods proposed at European level, a review of SISs from around the world, a review of existing Irish soil data, training in standardised classification systems, and an expert consultation exercise with national and international soil experts in the form of a project workshop. The findings of the scoping study are provided in the following chapters that outline the proposed methodologies and specifications with risks, recommendations and costs arising included. Finally, a list of general conclusions and recommendations relevant to the proposed work are provided.

Table 1.1. Tasks and their relationship to agreed project objectives.

Suggested tasks in EPA call documentation	Relevant main project objective
Inventory of all existing digital soil information in Ireland	1
Assess availability of soils information for characterising soils susceptible to degradation	1
Identify effort and costs of collation and digitising paper information	2, 3
Issues of copyright and intellectual property rights should be noted	1, 2, 3
Identification of sources of information that will be used to construct the final product map and information system	1,2,3
Assessment of risks of failure to receive access to relevant data to project completion	2, 3
Full description of SIS	3
Management issues for the SIS should be identified	2, 3