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Glossary

Abstracting and indexing service
Abstracting and indexing service is a service, e.g. a search engine, that abstracts and indexes digital objects or metadata records, and provides matching and ranking functionality in support of information retrieval.
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria can be used to judge if the resulting software satisfies the user's needs. A single user story/requirement can have multiple acceptance criteria.
API
Application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other (source wikipedia)
Application profile
Application profile is a specification for data exchange for applications that fulfil a certain use case. In addition to shared semantics, it also allows for the imposition of additional restrictions, such as the definition of cardinalities or the use of certain code lists (source: purl.eu).
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a field of study that develops and studies intelligent machines. It includes the fields rule based reasoning, machine learning and natural language processing (NLP). (source: wikipedia)
Assimilation
Assimilation is a term indicating the processes involved to combine multiple datasets with different origin into a common dataset, the term is somewhat similarly used in psychology as incorporation of new concepts into existing schemes (source: wikipedia). But is not well aligned with its usage in the data science community: updating a numerical model with observed data (source: wikipedia)
ATOM
ATOM is a standardised interface to exchange news feeds over the internet. It has been adopted by INSPIRE as a basic alternative to download services via WFS or WCS.
Catalogue
Catalogue or metadata registry is a central location in an organization where metadata definitions are stored and maintained (source: wikipedia)
Code list
Code list an enumeration of terms in order to constrain input and avoid errors (source: UN).
Conceptual model
Conceptual model or domain model represents concepts (entities) and relationships between them (source: wikipedia)
Content negotiation
Content negotiation refers to mechanisms that make it possible to serve different representations of a resource at the same URI (source: wikipedia)
Controlled vocabulary
Controlled vocabulary provides a way to organize knowledge for subsequent retrieval. A carefully selected list of words and phrases, which are used to tag units of information so that they are more easily retrieved by a search (source: Semwebtech). Vocabulary, unlike the dictionary and thesaurus, offers an in-depth analysis of a word and its usage in different contexts (source: learn grammar)
Cordis
Cordis is the primary source of results from EU-funded projects since 1990
Corpus
Corpus (plural: Corpora) is a repository of text documents (knowledge resources); a body of works. Typically the input for information retrieval.
CSW
CSW Catalogue Service for the Web
Data
Data is a collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted formally (Wikipedia).
Data source
Data source/provider is a provider of data resources.
Data management
Data management is the practice of collecting, organising, managing, and accessing data (for some purpose, such as decision-making).
Dataset
Dataset (Also: Data set) A collection of data (Wikipedia).
Dataverse
Dataverse is open source research data repository software
Datacite
Datacite is a non-profit organisation that provides persistent identifiers (DOIs) for research data.
Datacite metadata scheme
Datacite metadata schema a datamodel for metadata for scientific resources
Digital exchange of soil-related data
Digital exchange of soil-related data (ISO 28258:2013) presents a conceptual model of a common understanding of what soil profile data are
Digital soil mapping
Digital soil mapping is the creation and the population of a geographically referenced soil databases generated at a given resolution by using field and laboratory observation methods coupled with environmental data through quantitative relationships (source: wikipedia)
Discovery service
Discovery service is a concept from INSPIRE indicating a service type which enables discovery of resources (search and find). Typically implemented as CSW.
Download service
Download service is a concept from INSPIRE indicating a service type which enables download of a (subset of a) dataset. Typically implemented as WFS, WCS, SOS or Atom.
DOI
DOI a digital identifier of an object, any object — physical, digital, or abstract
Encoding
Encoding is the format used to serialise a resource to a file, common encodings are xml, json, turtle
ESDAC
ESDAC thematic centre for soil related data in Europe
EUSO
EUSO European Soil Observatory
GDAL OGR
GDAL and OGR are software packages widely used to interact with a variety of spatial data formats
GML
Geography Markup Language (GML) is an xml based standardised encoding for spatial data.
GeoPackage
GeoPackage a set of conventions for storing spatial data a SQLite database
Geoserver
Geoserver java based software package providing access to remote data through OGC services
Global Soil Information System
Global Soil Information System (GLOSIS) is an activity of FAO Global Soil Partnership enabling a federation of soil information systems and interoperable data sets
GLOSIS domain model
GLOSIS domain model is an abstract, architectural component that defines how data are organised; it embodies a common understanding of what soil profile data are.
GLOSIS Web Ontology
GLOSIS Web Ontology is an implementation of the GLOSIS domain model using semantic technology
GLOSIS Codelists
GLOSIS Codelists is a series of codelists supporting the GLOSIS web ontology. Including the codelists as published in the FAO Guidelines for Soil Description (v2007), soil properties as collected by FAO GfSD and procedures as initally collected by Johan Leenaars.
Glosolan
Glosolan network to strengthen the capacity of laboratories in soil analysis and to respond to the need for harmonizing soil analytical data
HALE
Humboldt Alignment Editor (HALE) java based desktop software to compose and apply a data transformation to data
Harmonization
Harmonization is the process of transforming two datasets to a common model, a common projection, usage of common domain values and align their geometries
Information retreival
Information retreival (IR) is the task of identifying and retrieving information system resources (e.g. digital objects or metadata records) that are relevant to a search query. It includes searching for the information in a document, searching for the documents themselves, as well as searching for metadata describing the documents.
Iteration
An iteration is each development cycle (three foreseen within the SoilWise project) in the project. Each iteration can have phases. There are four phases per iteration focussing on co-design, development, integration and validation, demonstration.
JRC
JRC Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, its Directorate General. The JRC provides independent, evidence-based science and knowledge, supporting EU policies to positively impact society. Relevant policy areas within JRC are JRC Soil and JRC INSPIRE
Knowledge

Knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. SoilWise mainly considers explicit knowledge -- Information that is easily articulated, codified, stored, and accessed. E.g. via books, web sites, or databases. It does not include implicit knowledge (information transferable via skills) nor tacit knowledge (gained via personal experiences and individual contexts). Explicit knowledge can be further divided into semantic and structural knowledge.

  • Semantic knowledge: Also known as declarative knowledge, refers to knowledge about facts, meanings, concepts, and relationships. It is the understanding of the world around us, conveyed through language. Semantic knowledge answers the "What?" question about facts and concepts.
  • Structural knowledge: Knowledge about the organisation and interrelationships among pieces of information. It is about understanding how different pieces of information are interconnected. Structural knowledge explains the "How?" and "Why?" regarding the organisation and relationships among facts and concepts.
Knowledge graph
Knowledge graph is a representation of a network of real-world entities -- such as objects, events, situations or concepts -- and the relationships between them. Typically the network is made up of nodes, edges, and labels. Both semantic and structural knowledge can be expressed, stored, searched, visualised, and explored as knowledge graphs.
Knowledge resource
Knowledge resource is a digital object, such as a document, a web page, or a database, that holds relevant explicit knowledge.
Knowledge source
Knowledge source/provider is a provider of knowledge resources.
Knowledge management
Knowledge managmenet is the practice of collecting, organising, managing, and accessing knowledge (for some purpose, such as as decision-making).
LLM
Large Language Model is typically a deep learning model based on the transformer architecture that has been trained on vast amounts of text data, usually from know collections scraped from the Internet.
Mapserver
Mapserver C based software package providing access to remote data through OGC services
Metadata
(Descriptive) metadata is a summary information describing digital objects such as datasets and knowledge resources.
Metadata record
Metadata record is an entry in e.g. a catalogue or abstracting and indexing service with summary information about a digital object.
Metadata source
Metadata source/provider is a provider of metadata.
NLP
Natural Language Processing is an interdisciplinary subfield of computer science and artificial intelligence, primarily concerned with providing computers with the ability to process data encoded in natural language. It is closely related to information retrieval, knowledge representation and computational linguistics.
Observations and Measurements
A conceptual model for Observations and Measurements (O&M), also known as ISO19156
OGC API
OGC API building blocks that can be used to assemble novel APIs for web access to geospatial content
Ontology
Ontology is a formal representation of the entities in a knowledge graph. Ontologies and knowledge graphs can be expressed in a similar manner and they are closely related. Ontologies can be seen as the (semantic) data model defining classes, relationships and attributes, while knowledge graphs contain the real data according to the (semantic) data model.
Persistent identifier
Persistent identifier is a long-lasting reference to a digital object.
Product backlog
Product backlog is the document where user stories/requirements are gathered with their acceptance criteria, and prioritized.
QGIS
QGIS desktop software package to create spatial vizualisations of various types of data
RAG
Retrieval Augmented Generation is a framework for retrieving facts from an external knowledge base to ground large language models on the most accurate, up-to-date information and enhancing the (pre)trained parameteric (semantic) knowledge with non-parameteric knowledge to avoid hallucinations and get better responses.
REA
REA is the European Research Executive Agency, it's mandate is to manage several EU programmes and support services.
Relational model
Relational model an approach to managing data using a structure and language consistent with first-order predicate logic (source: wikipedia)
RDF
Resource Description Framework (RDF) a standard model for data interchange on the Web
Representational state transfer
Representational state transfer (REST) a set of guidelines for creating stateless, reliable web APIs (source: wikipedia)
Requirements
Requirements are the capabilities of an envisioned component of the repository which are classified as ‘must have’, or ‘nice to have’.
Rolling plan
Rolling plan is a methodology for considering the internal and external developments that may generate changes to the SoilWise Repository design and development. It keeps track of any developments and changes on a technical, stakeholder group level or at EUSO/JRC.
SensorThings API
SensorThingsAPI (STA) is a formalised protocol to exchange sensor data and tasks between IoT devices, maintained at Open Geospatial Consortium.
Sensor Observation Service
Sensor Observation Service (SOS) is a formalised protocol to exchange sensor data between entities, maintained at Open Geospatial Consortium.
Sprint
Sprint is a small timeframe during which tasks have been defined.
Sprint backlog
Sprint backlog is composed of the set of product backlog elements chosen for the sprint, and an action plan for achieving them.
Soil classification
Soil classification deals with the systematic categorization of soils based on distinguishing characteristics as well as criteria that dictate choices in use (source: wikipedia)
Soilgrids
Soilgrids a system for global digital soil mapping that uses many profile data and machine learning methods to predict the spatial distribution of soil properties across the globe
SoilWise Use cases
The SoilWise use cases are described in the Grant Agreement to understand the needs from the stakeholder groups (users). Each use case provides user stories epics.
Task
Task is the smallest segment of work that must be done to complete a user story/requirement.
UML
Unified Modeling Language (UML) a general-purpose modeling language that is intended to provide a standard way to visualize the design of a system (source: wikipedia)
Usage scenarios
Usage scenarios describe how (groups of) users might use the software product. These usage scenarios can originate or be updated from the SoilWise use cases, user story epic or user stories/requirements.
User story
A User story is a statement, written from the point of view of the user, that describes the functionality needed by the user from the SoilWise Repository.
User story epic
A User story epic is a narrative of stakeholders needs that can be narrowed down into smaller specific needs (user stories/requirements).
Validation framework
Validation framework is a framework allowing good communication between users and developers, validation of developed products by users, and flexibility on the developer’s side to take change requests into account as soon as possible. The validation framework needs a description of the functionalities to be developed (user stories/requirements), the criteria that enable to verify that the developed component corresponds to the user needs (acceptance criteria), the definition of tasks for the developers (backlog) and the workflow.
View service
View service is a concept from INSPIRE indicating a service type which presents a (pre)view of a dataset. Typically implemented as WMS or WMTS.
Web service
Web service a service offered by a device to another device, communicating with each other via the Internet (source: wikipedia)
WOSIS
WOSIS is a global dataset, maintained at ISRIC, aiming to serve the user with a selection of standardised and ultimately harmonised soil profile data
WMS
Web Map service (WMS) is a formalised protocol to exchange geospatial data represented as images
WFS
Web Feature Service (WFS) is a formalised protocol to exchange geospatial vector data
WCS
Web Coverage Service (WCS) is a formalised protocol to exchange geospatial grid data
XSD
XML Schema Definition (XSD) recommendation how to formally describe the elements in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document (source: wikipedia)