Abstract. In\u00a02009, the International Soil Moisture Network\u00a0(ISMN) was initiated as a community effort, funded by the European Space Agency, to serve as a centralised data hosting facility for globally available in situ soil moisture measurements (Dorigo et\u00a0al.,\u00a02011b, a). The ISMN brings together in situ soil moisture measurements collected and freely shared by a multitude of organisations, harmonises them in terms of units and sampling rates, applies advanced quality control, and stores them in a database. Users can freely retrieve the data from this database through an online web portal (https://ismn.earth/en/, last access: 28\u00a0October\u00a02021). Meanwhile, the ISMN has evolved into the primary in situ soil moisture reference database worldwide, as evidenced by more than 3000\u00a0active users and over 1000\u00a0scientific publications referencing the data sets provided by the network. As of July\u00a02021, the ISMN now contains the data of 71\u00a0networks and 2842\u00a0stations located all over the globe, with a time period spanning from\u00a01952 to the present. The number of networks and stations covered by the ISMN is still growing, and approximately 70\u2009% of the data sets contained in the database continue to be updated on a regular or irregular basis. The main scope of this paper is to inform readers about the evolution of the ISMN over the past decade, including a description of network and data set updates and quality control procedures. A comprehensive review of the existing literature making use of ISMN data is also provided in order to identify current limitations in functionality and data usage and to shape priorities for the next decade of operations of this unique community-based data repository.
", "keywords": ["[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "Technology", "Atmospheric Science", "550", "Soil Moisture", "TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)", "02 engineering and technology", "Soil Moisture; ISMN; IMA_CAN1; swc; STEMS", "Spatial variability", "Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering", "01 natural sciences", "Agency (philosophy)", "remote sensing", "Antecedent wetness conditions", "Engineering", "Geography. Anthropology. Recreation", "GE1-350", "TD1-1066", "Smos brightness temperature", "Heihe river-basin", "T", "Soil Water Retention", "Leaf-area index", "004", "FOS: Philosophy", " ethics and religion", "Programming language", "Earth and Planetary Sciences", "Physical Sciences", "name=Water Science and Technology", "/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1900/1901", "Medicine", "name=Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)", "Mechanics and Transport in Unsaturated Soils", "Environmental Engineering", "Soil Moisture International Network", "0207 environmental engineering", "Epistemology", "Environmental science", "G", "Database", "Soil Moisture; network", "Arctic Permafrost Dynamics and Climate Change", "Scope (computer science)", "Land data assimilation", "Civil and Structural Engineering", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/550", "Consecutive dry days", "in situ", "FOS: Environmental engineering", "AMSR-E", "15. Life on land", "Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture", "Globe", "Computer science", "Environmental sciences", "QE Geology", "Philosophy", "Ophthalmology", "In-situ measurements", "13. Climate action", "ITC-ISI-JOURNAL-ARTICLE", "global scale", "Environmental Science", "G70.212-70.215 Geographic information system", "soil moisture", "ITC-GOLD", "/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2312", "Wireless sensor network"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://iris.polito.it/bitstream/11583/2998914/1/prod_447100-doc_161016.pdf"}, {"href": "https://iris.polito.it/bitstream/11583/2998914/2/prod_447100-doc_178365.pdf"}, {"href": "https://research.unipg.it/bitstream/11391/1498417/2/2021_The%20international%20soil_OA.pdf"}, {"href": "https://cris.unibo.it/bitstream/11585/910145/1/Dourigo_etal_2021.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5749-2021"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Hydrology%20and%20Earth%20System%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5194/hess-25-5749-2021", "name": "item", "description": "10.5194/hess-25-5749-2021", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5194/hess-25-5749-2021"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-11-09T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "11585/910145", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:24:10Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-11-09", "title": "The International Soil Moisture Network: serving Earth system science for over a decade", "description": "Abstract. In\u00a02009, the International Soil Moisture Network\u00a0(ISMN) was initiated as a community effort, funded by the European Space Agency, to serve as a centralised data hosting facility for globally available in situ soil moisture measurements (Dorigo et\u00a0al.,\u00a02011b, a). The ISMN brings together in situ soil moisture measurements collected and freely shared by a multitude of organisations, harmonises them in terms of units and sampling rates, applies advanced quality control, and stores them in a database. Users can freely retrieve the data from this database through an online web portal (https://ismn.earth/en/, last access: 28\u00a0October\u00a02021). Meanwhile, the ISMN has evolved into the primary in situ soil moisture reference database worldwide, as evidenced by more than 3000\u00a0active users and over 1000\u00a0scientific publications referencing the data sets provided by the network. As of July\u00a02021, the ISMN now contains the data of 71\u00a0networks and 2842\u00a0stations located all over the globe, with a time period spanning from\u00a01952 to the present. The number of networks and stations covered by the ISMN is still growing, and approximately 70\u2009% of the data sets contained in the database continue to be updated on a regular or irregular basis. The main scope of this paper is to inform readers about the evolution of the ISMN over the past decade, including a description of network and data set updates and quality control procedures. A comprehensive review of the existing literature making use of ISMN data is also provided in order to identify current limitations in functionality and data usage and to shape priorities for the next decade of operations of this unique community-based data repository.
", "keywords": ["[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "Technology", "Atmospheric Science", "550", "Soil Moisture", "TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)", "02 engineering and technology", "Soil Moisture; ISMN; IMA_CAN1; swc; STEMS", "SMOS BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE", "Spatial variability", "Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering", "01 natural sciences", "Agency (philosophy)", "remote sensing", "Antecedent wetness conditions", "Engineering", "Geography. Anthropology. Recreation", "GE1-350", "Geosciences", " Multidisciplinary", "TD1-1066", "Smos brightness temperature", "Heihe river-basin", "T", "Soil Water Retention", "Geology", "Leaf-area index", "004", "FOS: Philosophy", " ethics and religion", "Programming language", "HEIHE RIVER-BASIN", "Earth and Planetary Sciences", "Physical Sciences", "Water Resources", "name=Water Science and Technology", "/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1900/1901", "Medicine", "0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience", "name=Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)", "3709 Physical geography and environmental geoscience", "Mechanics and Transport in Unsaturated Soils", "Environmental Engineering", "SPATIAL VARIABILITY", "IN-SITU MEASUREMENTS", "0207 environmental engineering", "Epistemology", "0905 Civil Engineering", "Environmental science", "G", "Database", "LAND DATA ASSIMILATION", "Soil Moisture; network", "WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK", "Arctic Permafrost Dynamics and Climate Change", "Scope (computer science)", "Land data assimilation", "Civil and Structural Engineering", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/550", "Science & Technology", "3707 Hydrology", "Consecutive dry days", "LEAF-AREA INDEX", "in situ", "FOS: Environmental engineering", "AMSR-E", "15. Life on land", "Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture", "ANTECEDENT WETNESS CONDITIONS", "Globe", "Computer science", "Environmental sciences", "QE Geology", "0907 Environmental Engineering", "Philosophy", "Ophthalmology", "In-situ measurements", "13. Climate action", "ITC-ISI-JOURNAL-ARTICLE", "global scale", "Environmental Science", "G70.212-70.215 Geographic information system", "4013 Geomatic engineering", "soil moisture", "CONSECUTIVE DRY DAYS", "ITC-GOLD", "/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2312", "Wireless sensor network"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://iris.polito.it/bitstream/11583/2998914/1/prod_447100-doc_161016.pdf"}, {"href": "https://iris.polito.it/bitstream/11583/2998914/2/prod_447100-doc_178365.pdf"}, {"href": "https://cris.unibo.it/bitstream/11585/910145/1/Dourigo_etal_2021.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/11585/910145"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Hydrology%20and%20Earth%20System%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "11585/910145", "name": "item", "description": "11585/910145", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/11585/910145"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-11-09T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "f8bb2439-9e0d-4bed-bda5-f7469c94999e", "type": "Feature", "geometry": {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-180.0, -60.0], [-180.0, 80.0], [180.0, 80.0], [180.0, -60.0], [-180.0, -60.0]]]}, "properties": {"themes": [{"concepts": [{"id": "imageryBaseMapsEarthCover"}], "scheme": "https://standards.iso.org/iso/19139/resources/gmxCodelists.xml#MD_TopicCategoryCode"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "Land use"}], "scheme": "https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "Global"}], "scheme": "http://inspire.ec.europa.eu/metadata-codelist/SpatialScope"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "World"}], "scheme": "http://geonetwork-opensource.org/thesaurus/naturalearth-and-seavox"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "Orthoimagery"}], "scheme": "http://inspire.ec.europa.eu/theme"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "geophysical environment"}], "scheme": "http://geonetwork-opensource.org/gemet"}], "updated": "2025-11-12T07:26:25.640463Z", "type": "Dataset", "created": "2017-12-01", "language": "eng", "title": "Fraction of Vegetation Cover 1999-2020 (raster 1 km), global, 10-daily - version 1", "description": "Fraction of vegetation Cover (FCOVER) corresponds to the gap fraction for nadir direction. It is used to separate vegetation and soil in energy balance processes, including temperature and evapotranspiration. It is computed from the leaf area index and other canopy structural variables and does not depend on variables such as the geometry of illumination as compared to FAPAR. For this reason, it is a very good candidate for the replacement of classical vegetation indices for the monitoring of green vegetation. Because of the linear relationship with radiometric signal, FCOVER will be only marginally scale dependent. Note that similarly to LAI and FAPAR, only the green elements will be considered, either belonging both to the overstorey and understorey.", "formats": [{"name": "NetCDF"}, {"name": "OGC Web Map Tile Service"}, {"name": "File for download"}, {"name": "DOI"}], "keywords": ["Land use", "Global", "World", "Orthoimagery", "geophysical environment", "biogeophysical", "vegetation cover", "GLOBE", "Dekad", "10-daily"], "contacts": [{"name": null, "organization": "European Commission", "position": null, "roles": ["owner"], "phones": [{"value": null}], "emails": [{"value": null}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": [null], "city": null, "administrativeArea": null, "postalCode": null, "country": null}], "links": [{"href": {"url": "https://commission.europa.eu", "protocol": null, "protocol_url": "", "name": null, "name_url": "", "description": null, "description_url": "", "applicationprofile": null, "applicationprofile_url": "", "function": null}}]}, {"name": null, "organization": "Copernicus Land Monitoring Service", "position": null, "roles": ["custodian"], "phones": [{"value": null}], "emails": [{"value": "copernicus@eea.europa.eu"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": [null], "city": null, "administrativeArea": null, "postalCode": null, "country": null}], "links": [{"href": {"url": "https://land.copernicus.eu", "protocol": null, "protocol_url": "", "name": null, "name_url": "", "description": null, "description_url": "", "applicationprofile": null, "applicationprofile_url": "", "function": null}}]}, {"name": null, "organization": "European Commission's Joint Research Centre", "position": null, "roles": ["publisher"], "phones": [{"value": null}], "emails": [{"value": null}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": [null], "city": null, "administrativeArea": null, "postalCode": null, "country": null}], "links": [{"href": {"url": "https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/", "protocol": null, "protocol_url": "", "name": null, "name_url": "", "description": null, "description_url": "", "applicationprofile": null, "applicationprofile_url": "", "function": null}}]}, {"name": null, "organization": "Copernicus Land Monitoring Service helpdesk", "position": null, "roles": ["pointOfContact"], "phones": [{"value": null}], "emails": [{"value": "copernicus@eea.europa.eu"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": [null], "city": null, "administrativeArea": null, "postalCode": null, "country": null}], "links": [{"href": {"url": "https://land.copernicus.eu/en/contact-service-helpdesk", "protocol": null, "protocol_url": "", "name": null, "name_url": "", "description": null, "description_url": "", "applicationprofile": null, "applicationprofile_url": "", "function": null}}]}], "distancevalue": "0.00892857142857", "distanceuom": "http://standards.iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/ISO_19139_Schemas/resources/uom/ML_gmxUom.xml#deg", "edition": "Version 1"}, "links": [{"href": "https://globalland.vito.be/wmts?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMTS", "name": "INSPIRE WMTS", "protocol": "OGC Web Map Tile Service", "rel": null}, {"href": "https://globalland.vito.be/download/netcdf/fraction_green_cover/fcover_1km_v1_10daily/", "name": "Global Land product download service", "protocol": "File for download", "rel": null}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.2909/f8bb2439-9e0d-4bed-bda5-f7469c94999e", "protocol": "DOI", "rel": null}, {"href": "https://sdi.eea.europa.eu/public/catalogue-graphic-overview/clms_global_fcover_1km_v1_10daily.png", "name": "preview", "description": "Web image thumbnail (URL)", "protocol": "WWW:LINK-1.0-http--image-thumbnail", "rel": "preview"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "f8bb2439-9e0d-4bed-bda5-f7469c94999e", "name": "item", "description": "f8bb2439-9e0d-4bed-bda5-f7469c94999e", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/f8bb2439-9e0d-4bed-bda5-f7469c94999e"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"interval": ["1999-01-01T00:00:00Z", "2020-06-30T23:59:59Z"]}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Globe&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Globe&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Globe&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Globe&offset=3", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 3, "numberReturned": 3, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-05-25T14:20:57.265692Z"}