98835 - Applied Pedology

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• Understand and use the methodological components and procedures of soil information systems to identify landscape units and soil sampling methods, and to define pedological units;

• Draw up soil maps for various applications (i.e., maps derived for zoning, terroir, vulnerability, etc.) in national and international pedo-environments;

• Evaluate the application of specialized geopedological methods in the simulation of territorial scenarios.

Course contents

Prerequisites

Students enrolling in this course are expected to have a solid background in the fundamentals of soil science and basic concepts of soil (bio)chemistry. They should also possess a sound understanding of the main climatic, biotic (e.g. humification and nutrient cycling) and abiotic (e.g. lithology and topography) factors influencing ecosystems and the development of soil diversity (pedodiversity). In addition, students are expected to have basic knowledge of landscape ecology, geomorphology, cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), together with familiarity with the management of raster and vector geospatial data and the use of the main geospatial analysis tools.

 

Contents of the theoretical teaching unit (24 hours)

1. Soil Information Systems and geospatial data

• Major international infrastructures dedicated to the collection, management and dissemination of soil information (FAO, ISRIC, GloSIS, ESDAC) and their role in the sustainable management of soil resources.
• Regional, national and international soil databases: structure, data quality, metadata and interoperability.
• Soil classification systems and standards for the cartographic representation of soil information.
• Organisation of soil geodatabases and integrated management of raster and vector datasets together with field observations.
• Introduction to the FAIR principles and reproducibility in territorial data management.

2. Geopedological methods for Digital Soil Mapping

• Principles of geopedological methods for Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) and the relationships among soil-forming factors, environmental variables and the spatial distribution of soil mapping units.
• Application of GIS (QGIS, SAGA GIS and introductory R) for quantitative terrain analysis, landscape unit delineation and predictive modelling of soil properties.
• Geomorphometry applied to soil science: processing of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and derivation of the main terrain attributes (slope, aspect, curvature, Topographic Wetness Index, LS factor, Valley Depth and other morphometric variables).
• Automated landform classification (geomorphons and landform classification) to support the delineation of soil mapping units and cartographic boundaries.
• Introduction to the concepts of Land Capability, Land Suitability and soil suitability assessment for agricultural, forestry and environmental applications.

3. Introduction to hydropedology

• Principles of hydropedology and the functional relationships between soil, water and landscape.
• Processes of infiltration, drainage, saturation and water movement in different soil types.
• Hydrological connectivity, preferential flow paths and their influence on the spatial distribution of soil properties.
• Analysis of soil erosion and degradation processes using geomorphometric and hydrological indicators.
• Applications of hydropedology to environmental vulnerability assessment, thematic soil mapping and territorial scenario analysis.

4. Introduction to Remote Sensing and multi-source Data

• Principles of remote sensing applied to soil and landscape studies.
• Use of multispectral, hyperspectral and proximal sensing data (VIS–NIR–SWIR) for soil property characterization.
• Integration of satellite imagery (Copernicus Sentinel), orthophotos and LiDAR data within Geographic Information Systems.
• Selection and preparation of environmental covariates for soil mapping and Digital Soil Mapping applications.
• Case studies integrating field observations, remote sensing and digital soil mapping.

5. Geopedological applications to territorial planning and ecological restoration

• Soil degradation processes and the main anthropogenic pressures affecting terrestrial ecosystems.
• The role of soil resources in ecosystem services and climate change adaptation strategies.
• Application of soil information and soil maps to ecological restoration, renaturalisation and Nature-based Solutions.
• Assessment of soil and landscape unit suitability for the restoration of degraded lands, mining areas, marginal agricultural lands and wetlands.
• Monitoring restoration interventions through GIS, remote sensing and quantitative soil quality indicators.
• National and international case studies of spatial planning supported by soil information.

 

Contents of the laboratory teaching unit (16 hours)

During the laboratory sessions, students will develop an applied GIS project using real-world datasets from different spatial contexts.

Practical activities will include:

• organisation of spatial geodatabases and management of raster and vector datasets;
• geomorphometric analysis of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) to support the landscape units and soil mapping delineations;
• development of environmental covariates and application of geopedological methods for Digital Soil Mapping;
• integration of soil, geomorphological, climatic and land use/land cover datasets;
• hydropedological analysis of the study area for assessing environmental vulnerability, hydrological dynamics and soil erosion processes;
• production of soil maps and derived thematic maps (Land Capability, Land Suitability, vulnerability, soil degradation susceptibility and other applied themes);
• development and evaluation of land management scenarios through the application of geopedological methods, including examples of spatial planning and ecological restoration;
• preparation of a final technical report supported by GIS outputs, cartographic products and the associated geodatabase.

Readings/Bibliography

Teaching will rely primarily on materials provided by the instructor and made available through the University's online learning platform (Virtuale), together with lecture notes.

Students are encouraged to consult the following references for further study of the topics covered during the course:

1. McBratney, A.B., Minasny, B., & Stockmann, U. (Eds.). (2018). Pedometrics. Springer.
2. Zhang, G.L., Brus, D., Liu, F., Song, X.D., & Lagacherie, P. (2014). Digital Soil Mapping Across Paradigms, Scales and Boundaries. Springer.
3. Boettinger, J.L., Howell, D.W., Moore, A.C., Hartemink, A.E., & Kienast-Brown, S. (2010). Digital Soil Mapping: Bridging Research, Environmental Application, and Operation. Springer.
4. Lagacherie, P., McBratney, A.B., & Voltz, M. (2006). Digital Soil Mapping: An Introductory Perspective. Elsevier.
5. ISRIC – World Soil Information. Soil Geographic Databases. Available at: https://www.isric.org/explore/soil-geographic-databases 
6. Hengl, T., & Reuter, H.I. (Eds.). (2009). Geomorphometry: Concepts, Software, Applications. Elsevier.
7. Lin, H. (2011). Hydropedology: Synergistic Integration of Soil Science and Hydrology. Academic Press.
8. Geissen, V., et al. (2021). Soil Degradation and Restoration. Cambridge University Press.
9. Wilson, J.P., & Gallant, J.C. (Eds.). (2000). Terrain Analysis: Principles and Applications. Wiley.
10. QGIS Development Team. QGIS Documentation. Available at: https://docs.qgis.org/ 

Teaching methods

The course combines theoretical lectures with laboratory activities based on real-world case studies. The laboratory sessions will guide students through the development of a complete geopedological workflow, from the construction of a geodatabase to the delineation of landscape units, from the production of soil maps and derived thematic maps using GIS to the evaluation of land management scenarios through the application of geopedological, geomorphometric and hydropedological methods. Particular emphasis will be placed on the reproducibility of analyses, data quality, and the effective scientific communication of results.

Students are expected to have a good command of the English language, as part of the teaching material will be provided in its original English version.

The course is delivered in a blended learning format as part of the University's educational innovation initiative, integrating face-to-face teaching (40% of the total course hours) with online learning activities (60%).

Assessment methods

Student learning will be assessed through the preparation of an individual technical-scientific report (approximately 3,000–4,000 words), based on a territorial case study and accompanied by the digital cartographic outputs, the geodatabase, and the supporting datasets developed during the analysis.

The report shall document the complete geopedological workflow, including the organisation and critical evaluation of geospatial datasets, the use of soil information systems, the delineation of landscape units, the application of geopedological methods, and the production of soil maps and derived thematic maps to support the evaluation of territorial scenarios.

The report shall include, as a minimum:

• description of the study area and the objectives of the analysis;
• critical evaluation of the datasets and information sources used;
• design and organisation of the geodatabase, together with a description of the methodological workflow;
• geopedological analyses (including, where appropriate, geomorphometric and hydropedological analyses);
• production and interpretation of soil maps and derived thematic maps;
• discussion of the results and evaluation of a territorial scenario (e.g. environmental vulnerability, land suitability, or ecological restoration);
• references and metadata associated with the datasets used.

Assessment will be based on the following rubric and expressed on the Italian 30-point grading scale:

Assessment Criterion and Weight

1.  Quality, completeness and organisation of the dataset and geodatabase - 20%
2.  Correct application of soil information systems, geopedological methods, and the analytical workflow - 25%
3.  Production and interpretation of soil maps and derived thematic maps - 20%
4.  Structure, clarity and scientific quality of the technical-scientific report - 15%
5.  Cartographic quality (layout, symbology, legend and metadata) - 10%
6.  Critical discussion, interpretation of results and evaluation of the territorial scenario - 10%

The final grade will be awarded on the Italian 30-point grading scale. A passing grade (18/30) will be awarded to reports demonstrating satisfactory achievement of the course learning outcomes, particularly with respect to the appropriate use of soil information systems, the correct application of geopedological methods, the production of the required cartographic outputs, and the interpretation of the results.

Higher grades will reflect increasing levels of methodological rigour, autonomy in data analysis, the quality of cartographic outputs, critical interpretation of geospatial information, and clarity of scientific communication.

Honours (30 cum laude) may be awarded to reports that, in addition to meeting the requirements for the highest grade, demonstrate outstanding methodological rigour, excellent technical and scientific quality, a fully coherent and reproducible analytical workflow, professional-standard cartographic outputs, and exceptional critical discussion of the territorial scenarios analysed.

Teaching tools

The course will make use of personal computers, e-learning platforms, and open-source software for geospatial analysis and soil information system applications, including QGIS, SAGA GIS, WhiteboxTools, and introductory applications in R. Students will work with national and international soil databases, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), Copernicus satellite imagery, orthophotos, and other freely available geospatial datasets. All teaching materials, laboratory exercises, and datasets will be made available through the University's online learning platform.

Office hours

See the website of Marcello Di Bonito