ISRIC-WISE: Global Soil Profile Database

1,125 homogenized soil profiles from three major institutions form a foundational resource for global modeling. Each georeferenced profile includes soil horizon data, classification under FAO-UNESCO legends, and analytical methods. This dataset underpinned the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme's Global Pedon Database.

Use Cases

• Modeling global soil carbon stocks based on soil horizon chemistry and bulk density.
• Validating regional soil maps using standardized FAO-UNESCO classification data.
• Assessing soil moisture and water-holding capacity from texture and depth profiles.
• Studying pedogenic processes using detailed horizon-level chemical and physical data.

Strengths

• Contains a specific, curated set of 1,125 global soil profiles.
• Profiles are homogenized and georeferenced, enabling consistent spatial analysis.
• Sourced from three authoritative institutions: NRCS (665 profiles), FAO (250 profiles), and ISRIC (210 profiles).

Limitations

• Metadata conflicts: one platform lists a 2026 update date while another shows 1995, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Column names and exact row counts per profile are not provided, limiting precise understanding of data structure.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.

Provenance

Source

Compiled by N. H. Batjes (ed.) for ISRIC-WISE from NRCS, FAO, and ISRIC collections.

Collection Method

Selection and homogenization of existing soil profile databases.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-04-10 (conflicts with 1995-12-31 date from another source)

Geography

Global