AI4SoilHealth

The European Commission has set an ambitious goal of transitioning towards healthy soils by 2030. As such, it is important to assess and monitor soil health metrics. The EU-funded AI4SoilHealth project will co-design, create and maintain an open access Europe-wide digital infrastructure founded on advanced AI methods combined with new and deep soil health understanding and measures. The AI-based data infrastructure will evolve a Soil Digital Twin. The project will deliver a coherent Soil Health Index methodology, Rapid Soil Health Assessment Toolbox, AI4SoilHealth Data Cube for Europe, Soil-Health-Soil-Degradation-Monitor, and AI4SoilHealth API and mobile phone app. AI4SoilHealth will test the tools, collecting feedback from target users.

The objective of AI4SoilHealth is to co-design, create and maintain an open access European-wide digital infrastructure, compiled using state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods combined with new and deep soil health understanding and measures. The AI-based data infrastructure functions as a Digital Twin to the real-World biophysical system, forming a Soil Digital Twin. This can be used for assessing and continuously monitoring Soil Health metrics by land use and/or management parcel, supporting the Commission’s objective of transitioning towards healthy soils by 2030.

The project is divided into seven (7) work-packages including: (WP2) Policy and stakeholder engagement - networking and synchronising with EU and national programmes, (WP3) Soil health methodology and standards - developing/testing methodology to be used by WPs 4-6, (WP4) Soil health in-situ monitoring tools and data - developing field and laboratory solutions for Observations & Measurements, (WP5) Harmonised EU-wide soil monitoring services - developing the final suite of tools, data and services, (WP6) Multi-actor engagement pilots - organising field-works and collect users' feedback, (WP7) Soil literacy, capacity building and communication - organising public campaigns and producing educational materials.

Key deliverables include: 1) Coherent Soil Health Index methodology, 2) Rapid Soil Health Assessment Toolbox, 3) AI4SoilHealth Data Cube for Europe, 4) Soil-Health-Soil-Degradation-Monitor, and 5) AI4SoilHealth API and Mobile phone App. Produced tools will be exposed to target-users (including farmer associations in >10 countries), so their feedback is used to improve design/functionality. Produced high-resolution pan-European datasets will be distributed under an Open Data license, allowing easy access by development communities. AI4SoilHealth will provide an effective Soil Health Index certification system to support landowners and policy makers under the new Green Deal for Europe.