Published
soil
vr.tr.soil · thing-q36133
Let an agent handle soil by type, properties, health, use, contamination and protection.
Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.MAT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Type Which soil.
Class
WRB or USDA.
Class
Soil type.
- What soil type is it, under which classification? provenance
- What is its texture? measurement
Profile
Horizons.
Profile
Soil profile.
- What horizons does the profile show? definition
- How deep is it? measurement
Properties Testing.
Chemistry
pH and nutrients.
Chemistry
Soil chemistry.
- What are its pH and nutrient levels? measurement
- From which lab? provenance
Organic matter
Carbon.
Organic
Organic matter.
- How much organic carbon does it hold? measurement
- Is it changing? measurement
Management Soil health.
Health
Practices.
Health
Soil health.
- Which practices improve soil health here? action
- What evidence supports them? provenance
Erosion
Protection.
Erosion
Erosion control.
- Is the soil at risk of erosion or compaction? boundary
- How can it be protected? action
Contamination Pollution.
Assessment
Testing.
Assessment
Contamination assessment.
- Could the soil be contaminated, for example on former industrial land? boundary
- Who should test it? action
Gardening
Food growing.
Gardening
Growing food.
- Is it safe to grow food in this soil? boundary
- What precautions help? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.MAT
- Other names and narrower kinds
- eluvium, urban soil, bay mud, Cover loam, Spermosphere, histosol, rural land (Portugal), lunar soil, Catena, buried soil, peaty meadow soil, Mollisol
What it is Filled
The upper layer of the Earth surface made of mineral particles, organic matter, water, air and living organisms, formed by weathering and biological activity, and classified into types such as histosols, loams and urban soils.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle soil by type, properties, health, use, contamination and protection.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Living, layered mixture
- Forms very slowly
- Varies by climate, rock and time
- Can be eroded or contaminated
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Dump waste, fuel or chemicals onto or into soil.
- Disturb soil on land it has no permission to work, including protected or archaeological sites.
- Hide or misreport evidence of soil contamination.
- Move contaminated soil to a site not authorized to receive it.
Only with a human decision
- Excavating or removing soil from a site.
- Declaring land safe for growing food or for housing after contamination.
May
- Report soil type, condition and test results from surveys and sampling it is authorized to do.
- Advise on erosion control and soil care using recognised guidance.
Moral aspects Filled
- Soil takes centuries to form and can be lost or poisoned in a season.
- Contaminated soil harms the people who grow food or live on it, often poorer communities.
Who is affected
- Farmers and land users
- People living on or near the land
- Soil organisms and ecosystems
Owners Filled
Steward
The landowner or occupier; environmental and agricultural authorities oversee protection.
Master systems
- Soil survey and soil information databases
- Contaminated land registers
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q106865236 - registry parent class
- Q1155083 - registry parent class
- Q11780457 - registry parent class
- Q1783121 - registry parent class
- Q206615 - registry parent class
related
- natural system and granular material - category
- plant and agriculture - function
- erosion - process
- World Reference Base - scheme
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.soil
- Wikidata: Q36133 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q36133)
Direct properties required Filled
- Dry bulk density: kg/m3 - Measure dry soil mass per undisturbed bulk volume, including pore space.
- Particle size distribution: % by dry mass - Measure mineral particle fractions by sieving and sedimentation or another documented method, specifying the size classification used.
- Volumetric water content: m3/m3 - Measure water volume relative to total soil volume using a calibrated sensor or gravimetric measurements with bulk density.
- Porosity: % - Determine the proportion of bulk volume occupied by pores from measured bulk and particle densities or a suitable direct method.
Recognition required Filled
- Texture: sand, silt, clay, loam
- Horizons in a soil profile
- Classification such as WRB or USDA
- Layers of brown, black, red or grey material with roots and organisms.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- test soil properties
- improve soil health
- prevent erosion
- assess contamination
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Erosion and compaction
- Contamination from industry
- Loss of organic carbon
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- EU Soil Monitoring Law
- Contaminated land regimes
- ISO soil quality test standards
Context of use required Filled
- Growing plants and food, storing carbon and water, supporting ecosystems and foundations.
- mineral soils
- organic soils such as histosols
- agricultural soils
- urban and made-ground soils
- soil types under WRB
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q36133: soil - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Soil - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should soil types be separate entries?
- How should soil maps be linked?
- How should soil health indicators be recorded?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q36133/spec.json