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European Commission > Joint Research Centre > Institute for Environment and Sustainability > Land Resource Management Unit

European Soil Data Center > Applications - Services > Web Mapping Services WMS

What is WMS?

A Web Map Service (WMS) produces maps of georeferenced data. We define a "map" as a visual representation of geodata; a map is not the data itself. WMS is the production of spatially referenced data dynamically from geographic information. The map itself is an actual portrayal of geographic information presented as a digital image file for display on a computer. WMS maps are in picture formats such as PNG, GIF or JPEG . The OGC WMS specification standardizes the way in which maps are requested by clients and the way that servers describe their data holdings. For more detailed information the follow the links:

A WMS Viewer is either a standalone application or a web interface or can be a part of ESRI ArcGIS and allows the user to combine layers coming from different Map Servers. In Soils portal case, this means that the Soil layers (European Soil Database data layers , Organic Carbon, Soil Erosion, Compaction, Salinization, etc.....) can be viewed through any Web Map Service Client in combination with other layers coming from other Map Servers. In the following sections, there would be described the 2 methods to use the WMS services (In addition example strings will be provided for any of the services provided):

WMS for ESDAC Viewer

The European Soil Data Center (ESDAC) Map Viewer incorporates layers from the European Soil Database and other data sources currently hold in ESDAC. The public user can combine layers of other portals with the layers of ESDAC Map Viewer. The latest layers are offered as Web Mapping Services (WMS) in the following groups (The user should copy the suggested Strings to his WMS client). The user may click on the "GetMap Request" link in order to have a preview of the requested WMS servive (PNG file, width:1200, Height:900):


Layer Group Suggested String List of Available Layers
Soil Threats http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wrb/wms_Threats.asp? Organic carbon content (%) - GetMap Request
Soil Erosion in t/ha/yr- GetMap Request
pH - GetMap Request
Natural Soil Susceptibility to Compaction- GetMap Request
Saline and Sodic Soils- GetMap Request
Soil Texture http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wrb/wms_Texture.asp? TXSRFDO:Dominant surface textural class - GetMap Request
TXSRFSE:Secondary surface textural class - GetMap Request
TXSUBDO:Dominant sub-surface textural class - GetMap Request
TXSUBSE:Secondary sub-surface textural class - GetMap Request
TXDEPCHG:Depth class to a textural change - GetMap Request
Soil Classification WRB http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wrb/wms_WRB.asp? WRBFU:Full soil Code - GetMap Request
WRBADJ1:First Soil Adjective Code - GetMap Request
WRBLV1:Soil reference group - GetMap Request
WRBADJ2:2nd Soil Adjective Code - GetMap Request
Parent Material http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wrb/wms_Pmaterial.asp? PARMADO:Dominant Parent Material - GetMap Request
PARMASE:Secondary Parent Material - GetMap Request
PARMADO1:Major group code for the dominant parent material - GetMap Request
PARMASE1:Major group code for the secondary parent material - GetMap Request
PARMADO2:2nd level code for the dominant parent material - GetMap Request
PARMASE2:2nd level code for the secondary parent material - GetMap Request
PARMADO3:3rd level code for the dominant parent material - GetMap Request
PARMASE3:3rd level code for the secondary parent material - GetMap Request
FAO Soil Classification http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wrb/wms_FAO.asp? FAO90FU:Full Soil Code 1990 FAO - GetMap Request
FAO90LV1:Soil Major Group 1990 FAO - GetMap Request
FAO90LV2:2nd level Soil Code 1990 FAO - GetMap Request
Land Use http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wrb/wms_Landuse.asp? USEDO:Dominant Land Use - GetMap Request
USESE:Secondary Land Use - - GetMap Request
Limitation to Agricultural use http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/WRB/WMS_Agriculture.asp? AGLIM1:Dominant limitation to agricultural use - GetMap Request
AGLIM2:Secondary limitation to agricultural use - GetMap Request
Obstacle - Impermeable - Soil Water Regime http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/WRB/WMS_Obstacle.asp? ROO:Depth Class of obstacle to roots - GetMap Request
IL:Impermeable Layer - GetMap Request
WR:Annual average soil water regime - GetMap Request
Water Management System http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/WRB/WMS_Water.asp? WM1:Presence of Water Management System - GetMap Request
WM2:Type of Water Management System - GetMap Request
Altitude - Slope http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/WRB/WMS_Altitude.asp? ZMAX:Maximun elevetaion above sea - GetMap Request
ZMIN:Minimun elevetaion above sea - GetMap Request
SLOPEDO:Dominant Slope Class - GetMap Request
SLOPESE:Secondary Slope class - GetMap Request
Primary Properties http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/WRB/WMS_Primary.asp? TEXT:Dominant Surface Textural - GetMap Request
OC_TOP:Topsoil Organic Carbon - GetMap Request
PEAT - GetMap Request
ALT:Elevation - GetMap Request
Chemical Properties http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/WRB/WMS_Chemical.asp? DIFF:Soil Profile Differentiation - GetMap Request
MIN_TOP:Topsoil Mineralogy- GetMap Request
MIN_SUB:Subsoil Mineralogy- GetMap Request
CEC_TOP:Topsoil Cation Exchange Capacity- GetMap Request
CEC_SUB:Subsoil Cation Exchange Capacity- GetMap Request
BS_TOP:Base Topsoil Saturation- GetMap Request
BS_SUB:Base Subsoil Saturation- GetMap Request
Hydrological Properties http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/WRB/WMS_Hydrological.asp? PMH:Parent material hydro-geological - GetMap Request
DGH:Depth to a gleyed horizon - GetMap Request
DIMP:Depth to an impermeable layer - GetMap Request
HG:Hydro-geological class - GetMap Request
AWC_TOP:Topsoil available water capacity - GetMap Request
AWC_SUB:Subsoil available water capacity - GetMap Request
EAWC_TOP:Topsoil easily available water capacity - GetMap Request
EAWC_SUB:Subsoil easily available water capacity - GetMap Request
Mechanical properties http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/WRB/WMS_Mechanical.asp? DR:Depth to rock - GetMap Request
VS:Volume of stones- GetMap Request
TD:Rule inferred subsoil texture- GetMap Request
STR_TOP:Topsoil structure- GetMap Request
STR_SUB:Subsoil structure- GetMap Request
PD_TOP:Topsoil packing density- GetMap Request
PD_SUB:Subsoil Packing Density- GetMap Request
Applications http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/WRB/WMS_Application.asp? ERODI:Soil erodibility class - GetMap Request
TXEROD:Textural factor of soil erodibility - GetMap Request
CRUSTING:Soil crusting class- GetMap Request
PHYSCHIM:Physi-chemical factor of soil- GetMap Request
TXCRUST:Textural factor of soil crusting GetMap Request
ATC:Accumulated temperature class GetMap Request
USE:Regrouped land use- GetMap Request
AGLI2NNI:2nd Limitation to agricultural use (without no information) GetMap Request
AGLI1NNI:Dominant limitation to agricultural use (without no information)- GetMap Request

Standalone WMS Viewers

A well-known standalone WMS viewer named GAIA ver 3 exist in the Carbon site and is free to download. The configuration of GAIA is quite simple and the following snapshot is showing the GAIA's interface:

 

Web Map Viewers

The Map Viewer tool allows the user to interact with map services, save maps for later use, set transparency levels, query map information, and provides rich functionality to overlay map services. The WMS combine layers of maps located in different Map servers all around the World.

The One Geology Portal provides a WMS viewer and it is fairly easy to use it:

On Geology


WMS & Metadata for past layers

In case the public user prefers to use the past strings for the data layers:

Service/Application Web Map Server (WMS) String HTML (View Details) XML
SOMIS 2.0 - European Soil database http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu:80/wmsconnector/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/Eusoils_WMS?
PESERA - Soil Erosion Risk http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu:80/wmsconnector/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/PESERA?
OCTOP - Organic Carbon Content http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu:80/wmsconnector/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/OCTOP?
MEUSIS - Multiscale EUropean Soil Information System http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wmsconnector/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/Meusis_alps?
Landform Classification http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wmsconnector/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/SRTMV2_Terrain? - -
ECALP - Eco-pedological Map of the Alps http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wmsconnector/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/Ecalp?
SPADE (Soil Profile Analytical Databases for Europe) http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/wmsconnector/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/Spade_v2?

Helpdesk

Information and data on this site have been put together by Panos Panagos and Marc Van Liedekerke
Help desk: Panos Panagos

 

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European Commission - DG Joint Research Centre
Institute for Environment and Sustainability
Contacts:
Marc Van Liedekerke(tel. +39-0332-785179)
Panos Panagos (tel. +39-0332-785574)