Open Access

REVIEW

Earth Observation for Comprehensive Soil Health Assessment and Monitoring

Lachezar Filchev^1,*, Milen Chanev¹, Galin Petrov²

1 Department of Remote Sensing and GIS, Space Research and Technology Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria
2 Department of Geography, St Cyril and St Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, Veliko Tarnovo, 5000, Bulgaria

* Corresponding Author: Lachezar Filchev. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Resource and Environmental Information Modeling)

Revue Internationale de Géomatique 2025, 34, 513-533. https://doi.org/10.32604/rig.2025.064280

Received 11 February 2025; Accepted 24 June 2025; Issue published 06 August 2025

Abstract

This review article provides a comprehensive analysis of Earth Observation (EO) applications for soil health assessment in Europe and abroad. The study explores the effectiveness of EO in capturing contextual information about various soil properties and conditions, as well as its role in monitoring soil health over time. The authors examine the current state of operational, semi-operational, and developing EO products and services relevant to soil health indicators. These include vegetation cover, forest cover, soil organic carbon, soil structure, landscape heterogeneity, and the presence of soil pollutants, excess nutrients, and salts. The review identifies gaps in existing knowledge and highlights potential areas for future research, such as improving spatial and temporal resolutions of EO products, developing better models for soil biodiversity assessment, and integrating EO data with ground-based measurements. The article discusses how contextual information derived from EO can contribute to sustainable soil management practices and policies in Europe. It also addresses technical challenges associated with EO applications in soil health assessment, including limitations in detecting subsurface soil properties and the need for improved data processing techniques. The authors conclude that while EO offers significant potential for soil health monitoring, further research and development are needed to fully leverage its capabilities for comprehensive and accurate soil health assessment across Europe.

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