Difference between revisions of "SoilPIC"
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Latest revision as of 08:51, 5 July 2012
There is a pressing need for the development of a National Soils Photographic Image Collection. The subject has been raised in the Council of the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) and a desire for it expressed by many of its members. There are already a large number of photographs, slides and digital images awaiting organization and cataloguing. There is considerable potential for substantially enlarging this educational collection through donations from BSSS members and others.
The collection has significant potential as a resource for students, researchers and educationalists and government departments in terms of representing the wide and varied conditions of soils in Britain and abroad. With the increasing interest in soils worldwide at many levels, e.g. schools, media, government and European Union, the establishment of a National Soils Photographical Image Collection that can be accessed on the web, with files downloaded where necessary, has considerable merit. It will add to materials currently available to support the better use and understanding of soil.
The challenge up to this point has been to find the best means to secure, store, promote and disseminate the collection. This web resource, managed by Cranfield University, UK, now assumes the responsibility for these activities with the support of the British Society of Soil Science.
If you find SoilPIC a useful reference source, you may also wish to consult the parallel Soil-Net Photographic Archive. If you are an editor, you can find instructions here: Help:Editors Instructions.
 The Photographic Image Collection
Over the years, members of BSSS and other groups and individuals have accumulated a very considerable collection of photographic records of soil and soil-related themes. These include photographic plates, 35mm slides, 35mm negatives and, increasingly, digital photographic files. This facility will select from the best of these to draw together an authoritative set of images reflecting soil profiles and landscape conditions, initially in the UK but ultimately also overseas.
 Physical Archive
Cranfield University has considerable experience and expertise in managing and cataloguing soil and soil-related artifacts and their related metadata, having built up the World Soil Survey Archive and Catalogue (Wossac) with support from BSSS. Within WOSSAC, soil reports and maps are stored securely together with existing records and satellite imagery in a managed, controlled environment. It is proposed that the National Soils Photographic Image Collection be stored physically alongside these materials. Digital versions of images will now be made available on this website.
 Benefits of SoilPIC
There are many benefits to the establishment of the National Soils Photographic Image Collection. The most immediate is that it will make available a wide range of illustrative materials on soils, their properties, uses, problems and potential solutions, and support the drive to engender a better understanding and management of the soil for future uses.
 Accessing the Archive
This site is a Wiki, and if you are familiar with Wiki websites, you will know how to access files in it. However, if you are not, make a categorical selection below, or select to see all of the images to get you started. Note that this may take a while to load on slower connections.
There are a number of means to filter through the images in the collection presented below; we are slowly categorising the images according to a number of criteria and you may prefer to jump directly to a particular category of images via the listings presented below:
 All photographs
 Soil Organisations
Certain of the slides presented here relate to events organised through Soil Organisations. Select these links to see these images:
- British Society of Soil Science (BSSS)
- International Working Meeting on Soil Micromorphology (IWMSM)
- Soil Survey of England and Wales (SSEW), Soil Survey and Land Research Centre (SSLRC), National Soil Resources Institute (NSRI))
- United States Department of Agriculture (UDSA)
 Image content
Slides can be accessed according to photographic Image content:
Slides are catalogued by theme:
- World Soils Nature, Uses and Issues
- Future Soil Protection
- Global Soil Issues
- Living Soil
- Soil Composition
- Soil Forming Influences
- Soil Processes
- Soil Threats
- Soil Use and Management
 Soil Classification System
Here are presented photographs linked to the soil classification systems described.
Slides illustrating the Soil Classification System of England and Wales
Slides illustrating the Category:World Reference Base