Soil websites in Emilia-Romagna

Since 1998 (year of publication of the first website), knowledge about soils has been disseminated almost exclusively via the internet in order to provide up-to-date and accessible information. Over the years, several sites have been developed where soil data are presented in different ways in order to satisfy different types of users. Most of the maps that can be consulted on the different sites are available as Open Data, which can be downloaded free of charge on the minERva portal.

Site description

Dgcat. Catalogo dell’informazione “minERva”, E-R Territorio

In this catalogue all data about the regional spatial planning, environment and mobility are available as open data. Approximately 500 databases are collected and catalogued, organised in around 380 datasets and made available to everyone. All cartographic datasets, including those relating to soil, can be consulted on GeoViewERMoka and downloaded free of charge as zipped files .

Cartografia dei suoli

SOIL MAPS OF EMILIA-ROMAGNA.This site displays the soil map 1:50.000 and thematic maps published since 2010, as well as some point layers (soil analyses data, heavy metal data, stations of the shallow groundwater network). It allows simultaneous consultation of several layers. Many aerial/satellite images from 1954 to 2023 are available as background. It is aimed in particular at users in the environmental and educational sector.

I suoli dell'Emilia-Romagna

THE SOILS OF EMILIA-ROMAGNA ON GOOGLE EARTH. It is a user-friendly informative site describing the main features of the soils and landscapes of the Region. By means of Google Earth, it makes available the soil maps of Emilia-Romagna region at different scales (from scale 1:1,000,000 up to 1:50,000); in the ‘Thematic Maps’ section it is also possible to consult applicative maps (e.g. SOC-Stock, land capabilty, natural-anthropic background of heavy metals) and maps of the chemical-physical properties of soils (e.g. organic carbon content, texture, natural background of heavy metals, salinity). It also contains the Soil Type Catalogue.

Catalogo dei suoli dell'Emilia-Romagna

CATALOGUE OF EMILIA-ROMAGNA SOILS. This site is particularly aimed at users in the agricultural sector, as its main purpose is to assist the users in drawing up fertilisation plans. To do this, the users can follow two paths:

• direct consultation of the soil delineations of the 1:50,000 map;
• drawing the plot on which the fertilisation plan is to be drawn up.

In order to draw up the plan, it is necessary to input the analytical data of the soil. The users can use their own data directly (from analyses carried out privately) or using the existing data proposed on the site. In the latter case, it is necessary to identify the soil type on which the plot is located and to do this the users have three options:

1. using an application wizard which, through a series of options, allows the soil type to be identified;
2. using the soil analysis (SACT) statistics available on the site;
3. via the local benchmark sites.

The site also contains an inventory of the most important soil physical and chemical properties and provides useful information for agricultural management.

Temi Agricoli

CROP SUITABILITY MAPS. This site displays suitability maps for different crops, derived from the soil map. It currently hosts the map of suitability for hazelnut cultivation.

Rete della falda ipodermica - FaldaNET-ER

SHALLOW GROUNDWATER MONITORING NETWORK. The shallow groudwater is the water-saturated soil layer that can influence plant roots either directly or by capillary rise. Through the regional monitoring network, knowledge about the water level enables a more rational use of water resources. The monitoring service can be consulted by means of an interactive map showing the water level depth by classes on the basis of the soil map and the location of each monitoring station, identified by a code. The map changes every few days.

IRRINET/IRRIFRAME. Servizio interattivo di supporto all'irrigazione

IRRINET is the irrigation service created by CER , available to all farms in Emilia Romagna. It is a free service that provides irrigation advice on when to intervene and the water volumes to use in order to obtain a quality product while saving water resources. It is based on the water balance method, which is calculated daily using meteorological data, data from the soil map at 1:50,000 scale and groundwater data from the network.