Soil - Soil Sealing

Title

European Soil Data Centre: Response to European policy support and public data requirements

Reference

Land Use Policy
Volume 29, Issue 2, April 2012, Pages 329-338

Author(s)

Panos Panagos, , Marc Van Liedekerke, Arwyn Jones, Luca Montanarella

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

In the context of the European Union's Soil Thematic Strategy, policy makers require easy access to soil data and information of various types and scales to assess the state of soils at European level. To satisfy this need, the European Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) decided to establish the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC), located at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre.
The ESDAC is one of ten environmental data centres that have been established during the last 4 years in support of policy development, implementation and monitoring by the European Commission's Directorate General for Environment. The ESDAC, located at http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu, has become the focal point for soil data and information at European Union level by hosting a series of soil products and web-based tools that allow access to the data. The ESDAC acts as the primary data contact point for the Commission and EEA to fulfill their information needs. The establishment and the evaluation of harmonised databases should facilitate improved soil protection measures.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Environmental data resources

Soil >> Soil biodiversity
Soil >> Threats to soil >> Soil contamination
Soil >> Threats to soil >> Soil erosion
Soil >> Threats to soil >> Soil sealing

Keywords

Soil data; Soil policy; Data centre; ESDAC

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837711000718
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Contact the study author at:

panos.panagos@jrc.eu.europa