A new study published in Big Earth Data introduces the University of Bonn Soil Moisture Data Catalog (UB-SMDC), a standards-compliant metadata portal that centralizes information on publicly available soil moisture content (SMC) datasets and provides a unified platform for efficient data discovery, comparison, and access. Built on the GeoNetwork platform and supported by a controlled metadata taxonomy, the catalog analyzes 373 SMC datasets, facilitating transparent research, cross-dataset integration, and a comprehensive understanding of the global soil moisture data landscape.The data and materials supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. All metadata records are cataloged and publicly accessible in the UB-SMDC GeoNetwork data portal (https://ubsmdc.sfb1502.de/).
Citation
Mohseni, F., & Haunert, J. H. (2026). Publicly available soil moisture datasets: an overview and the UB-SMDC portal. Big Earth Data , 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/20964471.2026.2652079
Abstract
Soil moisture is a fundamental environmental variable essential for applications in agriculture, drought assessment, hydrological modeling, and climate research. In recent decades, numerous Soil Moisture Content (SMC) datasets have been produced from in-situ measurements, airborne and spaceborne observations, and model simulations. However, information about these datasets is fragmented across disparate repositories, publications, and portals, making data discovery, comparison, and integration a significant challenge for researchers. This study introduces the University of Bonn Soil Moisture Data Catalog (UB-SMDC), a unified, standards-compliant metadata portal designed to overcome this fragmentation. Two primary objectives drove the project: first, centralizing information on publicly available SMC datasets into a single, user-friendly, web-based interface; and second, conducting a comprehensive statistical analysis of SMC datasets to characterize the global SMC data landscape. The UB-SMDC was developed using a structured, three-phase methodology: (1) comprehensive data discovery, (2) catalog design and implementation, and (3) metadata creation and analysis. Built on the open-source GeoNetwork platform, the catalog aligns with the Geographic information, ISO19139 metadata standard, to ensure consistency and interoperability. To harmonize key attributes, a controlled keyword taxonomy was developed to standardize terms for spatial and temporal resolution, measurement depth, data format, processing level, and data version. Each metadata record is enriched with links to initial data sources and access, and includes map-based previews to visualize dataset coverage. By assessing 373 metadata records, the UB-SMDC streamlines the data discovery and selection process, supports transparent and reproducible research, and facilitates cross-dataset comparison and integration.
#geoscience #remote sensing #earth observation #GIS #data analysis #Big Data #visualization #landuse
Big Earth Data is an interdisciplinary Open Access journal which aims to provide an efficient and high-quality platform for promoting the sharing, processing and analyses of Earth-related big data, thereby revolutionizing the cognition of the Earth’s systems. The journal publishes a wide range of content, including Research Articles, Review Articles, Data Notes, Technical Notes, and Perspectives. It is now included in ESCI, Scopus, Ei Compendex, GEOBASE, and Inspec. Starting from 2023, Big Earth Data has announced a new award series for authors: Best and Outstanding Paper Awards.
Big Earth Data
Data/statistical analysis
Not applicable
[Research Article] Publicly available soil moisture datasets: an overview and the UB-SMDC portal
13-Apr-2026
Researchers declare no conflicts of interest related to this study