All the information that is collected and generated during the execution of soil cartographies is incorporated into the Geobase of Soils of Catalonia (GBSC) that has been designed in the Unit of Cartographic Bases of the ICGC. This tool facilitates the use of the information throughout the various stages of soil cartography, from the location of the first observations to the generation and publication of the definitive maps.
 

The purpose of the GBSC Geodatabase is to support different use cases:

• To store all the geometric and thematic information that is collected and generated in the soil mapping work carried out by the ICGC, standardizing and homogenizing its contents, thus facilitating its exploitation.
• To inventory the morphological, physical and chemical characteristics of the main types of soils that are being defined in these cartographies, and to know their spatial distribution.
• To analyze, through spatial analysis operations and with the help of other sets of information, all the information collected in the territory, placing special emphasis on the aspects of biomass production and soil vulnerability.
• To facilitate the consultation and dissemination of all this information, as well as other soil knowledge acquired by the ICGC; thus demonstrating its practical utility.
• Generate technical reports from the stored information and present them in viewers adaptable to the display scales.
• Share, quickly and efficiently, the information collected with other specialists, researchers and technicians in general, as well as with any potential user of soil information.

The content, structure and characteristics of the GBSC are defined in the GBSC specifications, prepared by the ICGC following the specifications defined in the Cartographic Plan of Catalonia, approved in Decree 62/2010, of 18 May. This Plan defines and identifies the sets of geographic information that the Administration of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the local Administration of Catalonia produce and use, as well as determining their structure, quality, availability, interoperability, updating and access conditions.

The Cartographic Plan of Catalonia (PCC) details the Catalogue of geographic information sets, and where Group III-3 INSPIRE1: Soil (CIG Identifier 30301 PCC catalogue: base - soil map) with the Technical Specifications document of the GeoBase of Soils of Catalonia (GBSC) v1.0 (1.5 MB) [Catalan]. The set of geographic information provided for in the annex includes the edaphic type map that covers the entire surface of Catalonia and provides information on the morphological, physical and chemical constitution of the soils.

The Cartographic Plan of Catalonia also specifies that the Administration responsible for the information is the Administration of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Department responsible is the Department of Territory and Sustainability, and the responsible entities are the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia and the General Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat of Catalonia.

In the design of the GBSC, special care has been taken in the future interoperability of this database with soil data from other member states of the European Union following the specifications that, for soil information, are contemplated in the INSPIRE¹.

The GBSC contains information on soil profiles described in the field with varying degrees of detail (observations and soundings), on their morphological, physical, chemical and biological characteristics, as well as on their spatial distribution (soil maps).

In a simplified form, the GBSC data model can be divided into 7 sections that are briefly described below (Figure 1):

• Lists of values, include the list of criteria that are initially proposed to implement the different fields of the Geodatabase.
• Observations module, incorporates the information collected in the surveys carried out in the initial phases. These allow us to verify the types of soils that appear in the study area and determine the extent they occupy.
• Probes and observations module, contains the information collected, horizon by horizon, in the soil profiles, which allows us to define in detail their morphological, physical and chemical characteristics.
• Soil catalogue, includes the set of information that defines the ranges of characteristics that set, in detail, the morphological, physical and chemical characteristics of the different types of soils that have been mapped.
• Catalog of cartographic units, includes all the characteristics of the cartographic units that have been established in the areas mapped so far.
• Cartography 1:25,000, stores the geometric and thematic information contained in the soil maps, at a scale of 1:25,000, published by the ICGC.
• Cartography 1,250,000, stores the geometric and thematic information included in the soil map of Catalonia, at a scale of 1:250,000.     

Each of these modules is independent, although, at the same time, they are related to each other. Figure 1 shows the general structure of the GBSC and the relationships that its objects present.

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Figure 1. General structure of the Catalan Soil Geodatabase (GBSC)

The GBSC shows a large amount and variability of data. As an example, in the surveys and observations module, the different tables where the data collected during fieldwork are stored are represented, as well as the relationships established between them (Figure 2).

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Figure 2. Tables corresponding to the 1:250,000 Cartography, 1:25,000 Cartography and Catalog of Cartographic Units modules of the GBSC

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¹. INSPIRE Data Specification on Soil – Technical Guidelines, 2013. URL: https://inspire.ec.europa.eu/id/document/tg/so