CUP4SOIL
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C4S-SCS-002
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1.2
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CUP4SOIL
Moni o ing he implemen a ion o egene a i e p ac-
ices in a ca bon a ming p og amme – CUP4SOIL
showcase documen a ion
Jelle an Wesemael1, Celine Bassine1
1 SoilCapi al (Belgium)
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SCS-002
Issue
1.2
Da e
14.11.2025
CUP4SOIL
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C4S-SCS-002
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Issue
1.2
Da e
14.11.2025
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1 o 8
Documen based on EOC-Documen -Templa e, Issue 1.0
CONTENTS
1. Pu pose and s uc u e o he documen .............................................................................................. 2
2. CUP4SOIL p ojec o e iew ................................................................................................................ 2
3. Showcase – Moni o ing he implemen a ion o egene a i e p ac ices in a ca bon a ming p og amme
(Soil Capi al) .................................................................................................................................................. 3
3.1 Pa ne desc ip ion .............................................................................................................................. 3
3.2 In ol ed da a ....................................................................................................................................... 3
3.3 Task o his showcase ........................................................................................................................ 4
3.4 Summa y / e alua ion o he CUP4SOIL da a used ............................................................................ 8
LIST OF FIGURES
Figu e 1: Sca e plo compa ing ba e soil equencies om SC and Soil Sui e da ase s............................. 5
Figu e 2: Box plo o di e ences in ba e soil equency be ween SC and Soil Sui e da ase s. .................... 5
Figu e 3: Box plo compa ing he median equency o ba e soil be ween he wo g oups o ag icul u al
p ac ices. 6
Figu e 4: His og am compa ing he dis ibu ion o ba e soil equency be ween wo g oups o a me s wi h
di e en illage p ac ice; G oup 1: Fa me s who shi ed o no- ill be o e 2015, G oup 2:
Fa me s wi h no change in p ac ice. ......................................................................................... 7
Figu e 5: Two a me s wi h di e en illage p ac ices ( egene a i e s. con en ional) supe imposed on Soil
Sui e da a ( equency o ba e soil). ........................................................................................... 7
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3-1: CUP4SOIL da a lis ...................................................................................................................... 3
CUP4SOIL
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1. Pu pose and s uc u e o he documen
One o he objec i es o he CUP4SOIL p ojec is o p epa e and de elop a use communi y ha es s and
alida es da a p oduc s sui able o soil heal h/quali y assessmen . One o he pilla s o his objec i e is he
de elopmen o showcases. This documen desc ibes he conduc ed showcase by he aim, pa ne ,
me hodology and esul s. I is expec ed o gain impo an and use -based in o ma ion o he use ulness o
he gene a ed EO-based in o ma ion p oduc s as well as a mo e de ailed iew in o he pu pose, o which
he in o ma ion p oduc s migh be used in he u u e.
2. CUP4SOIL p ojec o e iew
The CUP4SOIL p ojec aims o con ibu e o a downs eam EO-based se ice o suppo na ional and
Eu opean agencies in epo ing on soil heal h/quali y and hus, con ibu e o Land Deg ada ion Moni o ing
(LDN) and Sus ainable De elopmen Goal (SDG 15.3.1) epo ing. The p oduc s can po en ially also be
used o o he han na ional uses, such as o mo e local and/o comme cial applica ions. I unde pins he
p e-ope a ional Soil Moni o ing Sys em cu en ly being de eloped wi hin he ESA Wo ldSoils p ojec wi h
he po en ial o se e as a componen o he Cope nicus Land Moni o ing Se ice. The syne gies be ween
he ESA Wo ldSoils p ojec and he CUP4SOIL ac i i ies in es iga ing soil heal h mapping will s eamline
he ac i i ies and boos use up ake. The 2-yea CUP4SOIL p ojec comp ises he ollowing objec i es:
• Sugges soil da a p oduc s as new p oduc s o he Cope nicus Land Moni o ing Se ice o suppo
na ional and Eu opean agencies o epo ing on soil heal h/quali y.
• Gene a e Eu opean-wide example da a p oduc s cha ac e ising soil heal h/quali y
• De elop a use communi y ha es s and alida es da a p oduc s o soil heal h/quali y in o ma ion
• Ensu e close coope a ion wi h he ESA Wo ldSoils p ojec ac i i ies and o he ela ed
p ojec s/ini ia i es
Ini ia i es and li e a u e: In he i s s ep, CUP4SOIL explo es he di e en li e a u e and p ojec esou ces
o ge an upda e abou he cu en discussion o essen ial soil heal h indica o s. This is collec ed in a i s
e sion o a Use Requi emen Documen (URD) ha CUP4SOIL p esen s, discussed and adap ed wi h a
la ge communi y du ing he i s Use Requi emen i ual mee ing. Fo his pu pose, a speci ic online use
su ey is de eloped based on he amewo k o he Cope nicus use equi emen s. The su ey is planned
o be epea ed a he end o he p ojec .
Soil da a p oduc s: In he nex s ep, CUP4SOIL gene a es Eu opean-wide soil in o ma ion p oduc s based
on Sen inel-1 and Sen inel-2 da a. Fo his pu pose, DLR and ISRIC join hei la ge-scale p ocessing
expe ise and acili ies. DLR is c ea ing se e al soil- ela ed inpu p oduc s such as soil e lec ance
composi es, in o ma ion abou he co e equency o soils and he ege a ion dynamic on a high spa ial
esolu ion (20 m). These da a p oduc s low in o he high-pe o mance compu ing en i onmen o ISRIC ha
gene a es in o ma ion abou soil o ganic ca bon con en , ex u e pH alues, e c. using digi al soil mapping
app oaches. The esul ing ou pu da a will be made publicly a ailable. Selec ed key use s a e in ol ed o
e alua e he usabili y o he p oposed soil in o ma ion p oduc s. I is also planned o compa e he CUP4SOIL
p oduc s wi h o he exis ing Eu opean-wide soil p oduc s om unning p ojec s and ini ia i es. The esul s
will be p esen ed and discussed a he inal wo kshop.
Showcases: Based on his use exchange and eedback, he Cope nicus URD is upda ed and equi ed
changes a e in eg a ed in o he soil in o ma ion p ocesso s o DLR and ISRIC o imp o e he soil p oduc
po olio. In his phase, showcases a e de eloped oge he wi h local municipali ies, na ional ins i u es and
Eu opean agencies. The showcases use he sugges ed Cope nicus soil inpu da a o de i e highe - alue
in o ma ion abou soil quali y and heal h o speci ic egions o demons a e he usabili y and applicabili y o
he soil p oduc po olio o Cope nicus use s. The esul s and e alua ion o hese showcase de elopmen s
will be p esen ed and discussed o a la ge use communi y a he inal CUP4SOIL wo kshop.
CUP4SOIL
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3. Showcase – Moni o ing he implemen a ion o egene a i e
p ac ices in a ca bon a ming p og amme (Soil Capi al)
This showcase ocuses on he moni o ing o egene a i e ag icul u e using CUP4SOIL da a. The main
objec i e is o es he po en ial o his da a o MRV (Moni o ing, Repo ing, and Ve i ica ion) pu poses,
ag onomic insigh s o a me s, and quali y con ol. This da ase could be pa icula ly aluable in assessing
long- e m changes in a eas wi h high ba e soil equency, suppo ing he alida ion o con inued egene a i e
ag icul u e p ac ices pos -p og am implemen a ion.
3.1 Pa ne desc ip ion
O ganisa ion: Soil Capi al
Main esponsibili ies: Soil Capi al specializes in ag icul u al sus ainabili y and ca bon seques a ion. The
key ocus in his showcase is o e alua e he po en ial o EO-de i ed soil p oduc s o enhance soil
moni o ing me hodologies, especially o egene a i e ag icul u e.
Expe ience wi h image da a: Soil Capi al has expe ience using comme cial se ice p o ide s o moni o
a ming p ac ices, including illage, c op co e , and c op ype de ec ion.
3.2 In ol ed da a
Da a (ac onym)
Da a name
A ea
Time pe iod
Used (checkbox)
SCMaP Soil Sui e
SRC-MEAN
Ba e Su ace Re-
lec ance Compo-
si e (Mean)
SRC-STD
Ba e Su ace Re-
lec ance Compo-
si e (S anda d de-
ia ion)
SRC-CI95
Ba e Su ace Re-
lec ance Compo-
si e (95% Con i-
dence)
MASK
Ba e Soil Mask
F ance,
Belgium
2017-2022
x
BSF
Ba e Soil F e-
quency
F ance,
Belgium
2017-2022
x
BSC
Ba e Soil Coun
VPC
Valid Pixel Coun
MREF-MEAN
Re lec ance Com-
posi e (Mean)
MREF-STD
Re lec ance Com-
posi e (S anda d
de ia ion)
Table 3-1: CUP4SOIL da a lis
O he da a in ol ed:
• His o ical a ming p ac ices and moni o ing da a om a comme cial supplie and
• A sample o ou a me da abase a Soil Capi al
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3.3 Task o his showcase
Objec i e
Tes how CUP4SOIL da a can be used o ag icul u al moni o ing, pa icula ly in he con ex o egene a-
i e ag icul u e, by compa ing i wi h o he da a sou ces (one comme cial and one a me -based).
1. Compa ison wi h da a om a comme cial se ice p o ide
Da a: da a om a comme cial se ice p o ide used o moni o a me s' p ac ices in he Soil
Capi al p og am ( e e ed o as SC da a in he es o his compa ison). The da a p o ides c op
ypes, illage and co e c op de ec ion o 1709 plo s in F ance and Belgium, excluding pe manen
pas u es, wi h da es anging om 2017 o 2022.
Me hod:
• Calcula ion o he numbe o “ba e soil days” be ween 2017 and 2022 o each plo in he SC da a.
Ba e soil days" a e days when he soil is no co e ed by a c op, by a co e c op o is illed.
• Soil Sui e da a a e ex ac ed o each plo as he median o he ba e soil equency alues on he
plo .
Compa ison and obse a ions
• Obse a ion: sys ema ic o e es ima ion by Soil Sui e compa e o he SC da a (howe e , unde es-
ima ion by he comme cial p o ide canno be uled ou ):
o Sca e plo (Figu e 1): Shows s ong dispe sion a ound he diagonal. Mos poin s all be-
low he line y = x, sugges ing ha Soil Sui e es ima es highe ba e soil pe cen ages han
he SC da a.
o Box plo (Figu e 2): The dis ibu ion o di e ences (% ba e soil SC - % ba e soil SoilSui e)
is cen e ed a ound nega i e alues, ein o cing he end o o e es ima ion by Soil Sui e.
Some ex eme ou lie s (~ -40%) u he highligh his.
• No e: 33 ou o he 1709 pa cels (~2%) a e classi ied as pe manen in he Soil Sui e mask bu no
by he p o ide , wi h ba e soil equencies up o 12% (Figu e 1).
• R² ≈ 0.36 indica es a mode a e co ela ion be ween he da ase s, sugges ing hey cap u e simila
ends bu wi h signi ican a iabili y.
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Figu e 1: Sca e plo compa ing ba e soil equencies om SC and Soil Sui e da ase s.
Figu e 2: Box plo o di e ences in ba e soil equency be ween SC and Soil Sui e da ase s.
2. Compa ison wi h SC a me 's da ase
Da a: based on Soil Capi al a me ’s p og am (manual encoding o hei da a) wi h his o ical illage p ac-
ice eco ds (F ance only).
Hypo hesis: Fa me s p ac icing no- ill o a long pe iod should show lowe ba e soil equencies han
hose using con en ional illage.
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Me hod:
• Selec a me s wi h known illage his o ies:
o G oup 1: Fa me s who shi ed o no- ill be o e 2015 (119 pa cels)
o G oup 2: Fa me s wi h no change in p ac ice (889 pa cels)
• Soil Sui e da a a e ex ac ed o each plo as he median o he ba e soil equency alues on he
plo .
Compa ison and obse a ions
• The compa ison o ba e soil equency (median %) be ween a me s p ac icing long- e m no- ill
(g oup 1) and hose using con en ional illage (g oup 2) e eals a clea and consis en end.
• Box plo insigh s (see Figu e 3):
o No- ill g oup shows a signi ican ly lowe median ba e soil pe cen age compa ed o ill
g oup.
o Ou lie s in he illage g oup sugges some pa cels ha e excep ionally high ba e soil expo-
su e, which is no obse ed in he no- ill g oup.
• His og am insigh s (see Figu e 4):
o The dis ibu ion o G oup 1 is skewed owa d low ba e soil pe cen ages, wi h a s ong
peak nea 0%.
o In con as , G oup 2 displays a wide sp ead, wi h a modal alue a ound 15–20%, and a
long ail ex ending up o 50%.
o This suppo s he hypo hesis ha con en ional illage is associa ed wi h mo e equen
and ex ensi e ba e soil p esence, whe eas no- ill p ac ices main ain g ea e g ound co e .
Figu e 3: Box plo compa ing he median equency o ba e soil be ween he wo g oups o ag icul u al p ac ices.
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Figu e 4: His og am compa ing he dis ibu ion o ba e soil equency be ween wo g oups o a me s wi h di e en illage
p ac ice; G oup 1: Fa me s who shi ed o no- ill be o e 2015, G oup 2: Fa me s wi h no change in p ac ice.
These esul s con i m he hypo hesis ha long- e m adop ion o no ill p ac ices esul s in a dec ease in
he equency o ba e soil, as shown by Soil Sui e EO da a. This no only alida es Soil Sui e's po en ial o
di e en ia ing illage p ac ices, bu also ein o ces i s use in moni o ing egene a i e ag icul u e p og ams.
The analysis con i ms ha his o ical a ming p ac ices can be meaning ully linked o EO-de i ed indica o s
o assess conse a ion p ac ices a scale.
He e is an illus a ion o ou p og am pa cels om wo a me s wi h di e en illage p ac ices ( egene a i e
s. con en ional) supe imposed on Soil Sui e da a ( equency o ba e soil).
Figu e 5: Two a me s wi h di e en illage p ac ices ( egene a i e s. con en ional) supe imposed on Soil Sui e da a ( e-
quency o ba e soil).
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3.4 Summa y / e alua ion o he CUP4SOIL da a used
Use ulness
• The CUP4SOIL da a shows s ong po en ial o assessing he adop ion o egene a i e ag icul u e and
dis inguishing be ween pe manen and cul i a ed ields. I s spa ial esolu ion is well-sui ed o bo h e-
gional and ield-scale ag icul u al analysis.
• The "ba e su ace equency" indica o and he 3-class mask (ba e su ace, pe manen ege a ion,
o he ) a e highly ele an o ou use cases.
• While Soil Sui e may no ully eplace o he EO ools due o speci ic unc ionali ies, i o e s aluable
complemen a i y h ough inc eased g anula i y. In pa icula , i is e ec i e in di e en ia ing be ween
pe manen and cul i a ed ields.
• I s s anda dized da a p oduc s can also se e as use ul benchma ks o alida ing o he soil- ela ed
da ase s.
• In he long e m, he da ase is aluable o moni o ing pe sis en changes in a eas wi h high ba e soil
equency—pa icula ly in he con ex o egene a i e ag icul u e— o assess whe he egene a i e p ac-
ices a e main ained a e p og am implemen a ion.
Da a handling
The da a o ma s a e manageable, bu when scaled o a na ional le el (e.g., F ance), he olume o da a
becomes la ge and may esul in slow downloads and p ocessing imes.
Accu acy
The Soil Sui e appea s o sys ema ically o e es ima e ba e soil equency when compa ed o comme cial
da ase s. This disc epancy could s em om unde epo ing by comme cial p o ide s o me hodological di -
e ences.
Sugges ions o imp o emen
• Tempo al esolu ion: The cu en 5-yea composi e smoo hs ou in e annual a iabili y and ails o
cap u e sho - e m ag icul u al changes, such as annual illage p ac ices. Enhancing empo al g an-
ula i y would signi ican ly imp o e usabili y.
• Sys em in eg a ion: Fo be e in eg a ion in o au oma ed moni o ing sys ems, mo e cu en and
empo ally esol ed da ase s a e essen ial.
