GeoPackage → INSPIRE Soil (so 4.0) transformation

A hale Studio project that converts the SoilWise GeoPackage into an INSPIRE Soil GML dataset (so 4.0.2, schema).

Usage

Requires hale Studio or the hale CLI 6.4.1+, and network access on first open to fetch the INSPIRE schemas.

cd transformation
hale transform -project SoilWise-GeoPackage-to-INSPIRE-Soil.halex \
  -source path/to/SoilWise.gpkg -target SoilWise-INSPIRE-Soil.gml \
  -preset INSPIRE-Soil-GML -reportsOut reports.xml

The INSPIRE-Soil-GML preset holds the writer settings; set the same in the GUI export wizard:

crs.epsg.prefix = http://www.opengis.net/def/crs/EPSG/0/
geometry.unifyWindingOrder = clockwise (correct: the alignment swaps the axes into EPSG:3035 northing/easting order, which reverses ring orientation)
xml.notNil.omitNilReason = true
xml.pretty = true (indented output)

Check the hale report after each run. Data the transformation changes or leaves out is reported as a warning. A mandatory INSPIRE element with no value in the source, or an unexpected isderived / profileelementtype value, is reported as an error: the feature is still written, but is not INSPIRE-conformant until the source is fixed. For the SoilWise GeoPackage (SoilWise_with_data, 2026-10-07), expect 0 errors and 47 warnings (47 derivedProfilePercentageRange values above 100 %).

Project variables (in the .halex, editable in hale Studio):

INSPIRE_NAMESPACE (default https://soilwise-he.eu/) is used only for rows without an inspireid_namespace.
INSPIRE_PARAMETER_NAMES (default false): see observed properties below.

What’s mapped

INSPIRE type	from
`SoilSite`	`soilsite`
`SoilPlot`	`soilplot`
`ObservedSoilProfile` / `DerivedSoilProfile`	`soilprofile`, by `isderived` (0 / 1)
`SoilHorizon` / `SoilLayer`	`profileelement`, by `profileelementtype` (0 / 1)
`SoilBody`	`soilbody` + `soilbody_geom` (one `MultiSurface` per body)
`SoilDerivedObject`	`soilderivedobject`

Associations are written in both directions, and nested types (WRB name and qualifiers, FAO notation, other soil names / horizon notations, depth ranges, derived profile presence) are built in full.
Observations become inline om:OM_Observation on the site, profile, profile element or derived object they belong to. Units are the UCUM codes from the GeoPackage (e.g. [pH]); Count results get uom="1".
Observed properties keep the URI of the external vocabulary as stored in the GeoPackage (GLOSIS / SOILVOC), also where an INSPIRE equivalent exists. Total vs. extractable contents are distinguished by the observation’s procedure. The INSPIRE Soil model expects values from its own …ParameterNameValue code lists (a manual check in the INSPIRE validator); if a reviewer requires them, set INSPIRE_PARAMETER_NAMES to true, which maps pH, Carorg and Nittot to pHValue, organicCarbonContent and nitrogenContent.
Transitional horizons: FAOHorizonMaster allows one symbol, so it carries faohorizonmaster_1; the full notation with both master symbols goes into gml:description, e.g. “Transitional horizon AC (FAO master symbols A and C)”.
Texture (sand, silt, clay) becomes particleSizeFraction: content in %, size range in µm from the GLOSIS code descriptions. A fraction measured more than once on the same element stays an observation, as particleSizeFraction has no date or method.
Properties with no source data are voided (xsi:nil + nilReason).