BIS-4D: A high-resolution soil modelling and mapping platform for the Netherlands in 3D space and time

Summary

Smart and sustainable land and water management is crucial to secure the well-being of future generations, especially in highly populated areas like the Netherlands, where many different functions are combined in a small area. Decision makers therefore require accurate and up-to-date soil information at a high resolution. To meet these demands, we developed, applied and operationalized a soil modelling and mapping platform for the Netherlands in 3D space and time called "Bodemkundig Informatie Systeem 4D" (BIS-4D). BIS-4D uses statistical modelling and machine learning methods informed by up to 856’000 soil observations coupled with more than 350 spatially explicit environmental variables to predict nine essential soil properties and their uncertainties at 25 m resolution between 0 and 2 m depth across the Netherlands. BIS-4D fills the previous data gap of accurate, high-resolution, spatio-temporal soil information on a national scale in the Netherlands and will hopefully facilitate the inclusion of soil spatial variability as a routine and integral part of decision support systems.