Production methodology
The High Resolution SIOSE was created in response to the new needs regarding land use presented by the main national users, who demand data with greater geometric, thematic, and temporal detail. Its main objective is the integration, harmonization, and standardization of various official sources to guarantee a reference product for soil characterization in Spain.
To achieve this, a new production strategy has been developed, which prioritizes data integration over traditional photointerpretation, allowing for greater objectivity and efficiency in database generation.
The High Resolution SIOSE production process is structured in two fundamental phases:
In this first phase, a basic scheme of the territory is constructed, using official sources that allow defining zones or plots with a low probability of change over time (invariant zones). From this base, geometric and thematic data from multiple key sources are integrated through automatic processing, obtaining a coherent and structured database.
The main sources used include:
- Cadastre
- SIGPAC
- Farmer Declaration Information
- PNOA LiDAR Data Coverage
- Still Photo of the Forest Map
- Previous Versions of SIOSE
- Hydrography and Transportation Networks from the IGN Reference Geographic Information
- National Topographic Database
- Additional official sources from the Autonomous Communities
In the case of the three main sources (SIGPAC, Farmer Declaration, and Cadastre), the reference date closest to the PNOA flights used in the survey is selected. SIOSE version, with a margin of ±1 year (for example, for SIOSE AR 2017, data from 2016 or 2018 are used). For the rest of the sources, the most recent data available is used.
Due to the technical complexity of this integration, this phase is carried out by the National Geographic Institute (IGN).
SIOSE AR production scheme
In the second phase, the automatic results obtained from the data integration undergo a visual review for validation, correction, and improvement. This task is carried out by project collaborators, including the participating Autonomous Communities and Ministries, ensuring the accuracy and quality of the final database.
Initially, an update schedule is planned every three years, aligned with the rest of the PNOT projects and the needs of the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service.
The High Resolution SIOSE is considered complete once both phases have been satisfactorily completed. The data are subsequently disseminated to users and used as a basis for generating queries and derived products, contributing to better land management and environmental and urban planning policies.