The Soil Data Center, MSU
The Soil Data Center was established on the Soil Science Department of M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University in March 2016 to coordinate the work on the digital inventory of soil information, the introduction of information technologies for the collection, processing and exchange of soil data to the scientific and educational processes, as well as the algorithmization of of information technologies use.
The mission of the MSU Soil Data Center is to support and develop the «Information system Soil-geographic database of Russia» (ISSGDB).
The activity of the Soil Data Center is as follows:
- The introduction of information technologies to the scientific and educational processes on the MSU Soil Science Department for everyday using by staff and students. These technologies are based on worked-out system (program) of collecting, processing, transferring soil information to the Soil-Geographical Database and intended for the inventory of soil data.
- Incorporation of software products created to fill the Soil and Geographic Database into practical training of masters of Soil Science (Information technologies and databases in the assessment of land resources).
- Practical training for teaching students to enter soil data and to present the results in the format of personal databases compatible with the Soil-geographical database.
- Development of standards for the description and presentation of soil data in a unified format for digital inventory of relevant and archived soil information. Publication of guidelines on the standard for storage, presentation and transmission of soil data.
- Improvement and modification of software products, methodological support of their use. Development of technological solutions for information exchange between regional data centers. Organization and holding of seminars for introduction of the worked-out software in the work of regional data centers.
- Ensuring the possibility of using the information collected in the Soil-geographical database for management decision-making.