2026-09-03 –, Ran2
WoSIS is a global soil information service that safeguards, standardises and shares soil profile data from contributors worldwide. Built on PostgreSQL/PostGIS, GraphQL and OGC services, it covers the full cycle from ingestion to dissemination. This presentation discusses the architecture, soil data workflows, and latest developments.
WoSIS is developed and maintained by ISRIC with the aim to safeguard world soil profile data, quality-assess and standardise the data, and serve it to support digital soil mapping and environmental applications. WoSIS draws on voluntary contributions from data holders worldwide who share their data for the benefit of the international community.
The architecture is built entirely on open source technologies:
PostgreSQL/PostGIS as the core spatial database, with a data model based on the ISO 28258 standard;
GraphQL APIs (PostGraphile and Node.js) for data ingestion and dissemination;
Automated ETL pipelines that validate, harmonise and standardise contributed datasets;
OGC web services, dashboards, metadata catalogues and DOI referenced snapshots.
Data ingestion follows a strict protocol. Submitted soil profiles undergo automated checks for overlapping horizons, implausible values, unit inconsistencies and vocabulary mismatches. WoSIS never alters the original data; it flags issues for the contributor to resolve before re-submission. Only error-free datasets enter the system. In return, providers receive dashboards, downloads in multiple formats, and if needed a DOI for findability and citeability.
Standardised data flows out through GraphQL, OGC services and freely available snapshots, feeding downstream products such as SoilGrids.
In this presentation we will walk through the soil data workflows, the open source architecture behind them, and the latest developments in the WoSIS APIs.
PostgreSQL, PostGIS, PostGraphile, Node.js, GraphQL, Mapserver (OGC web services)
I make my conference contribution available under the CC BY 4.0 license. The conference contribution comprises the abstract, the text contribution for the conference proceedings, the presentation materials as well as the video recording and live transmission of the presentation:
Geospatial engineer with over 20 years of experience and still excited about maps. Works with spatial databases, cloud platforms, and drone-based mapping. Enjoys building things with open-source tools, breaking REST APIs, and convincing people that PostGIS can do almost anything. Has been running this workshop since before GraphQL was cool. When not writing SQL, probably flying a drone or arguing about data standards.