Simple CSV

A simple approach to providing soil data, where all data is stored within a single Excel sheet with tabs.

Notice that this approach is valid for a single campaign only. Only a single method and unit can be used for all observations in a single column. If you need to capture data from different campaigns, using different units or procedures, consider to split the data per campaign.

The following tables are proposed:

• Metadata: general metadata applicable to the entire dataset. Includes concepts like title, author, license.
• Observable Properties: list of all observed properties (which are the columns in the Data table). For each property you can provide the used Methodology and Unit of Measurement.
• Samples: description of the samples or locations on which observations are made, samples refer a concept for which the sample is representative (site, profile, layer/horizon).
• Data: the actual observation data, columns are the observed properties, rows the samples.

Diagram

erDiagram 
    Metadata ||--|{ Data : describes
    ObservableProperties ||--|{ Data : defines
    Samples ||--|{ Data : locates
    Data
    Metadata {
        string property
        string value
    }
    ObservableProperties {
        string Column-name
        string Variable
        string Variable-URI
        string Unit
        string Unit-URI
        string Methodology
        string Methodology-URI
    }
    Samples {
        string Identification	
        number X	
        number Y	
        number Upper-Depth	
        number Lower-Depth	
        string Feature-of-Interest
    }
    Data {
        string Sample-ID
        string Column1
        string Column2
    }

Test the template on your data

• Download the sample Excel sheet.
• Copy your observation data to the data tab.
• Copy your samples data to the samples tab (make sure the samples are properly referenced from the data tab).
• For each observed property column in the data tab, add a line to the ObservableProperties tab, and complete the field metadata.
• Check vocabularies such as the soilvoc if relevant uri’s are available for the properties and procedures you have used.
• Export each of the tabs to a CSV file and upload them to Zenodo or upload your excel into the Soilwise annotator tool to validate the excel and download the dataset in alternate formats, before uploading to Zenodo.