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UK's national soil database released as open-access repository

Phys · · 494 words · By Cranfield University
Food Security Environmental Sustainability Open Data Access

Cranfield University, in collaboration with Defra, has launched the LandISPortal, an open-access online database and mapping tool for soil and environmental data in England and Wales. The platform provides access to soil samples and observations to support sustainable agriculture, environmental planning, and soil health monitoring.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-uk-national-soil-database-access.html

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Glittering Generalities 70% confidence
Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 4
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“Cranfield University has launched a new soil and environmental online database and mapping tool, opening up detailed information about land in England and Wales.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Cranfield University launched a new soil and environmental online database and mapping tool for land in England and Wales.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cranfield University is a postgraduate public research university in the United Kingdom that specialises in science, engineering, design, technology and management. Cranfield was founded as the Colleg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranfield_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and En…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_VI_and_I
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“In collaboration with Defra, Cranfield's Land Information System (LandISPortal)—which includes the National Soil Map of England and Wales (NATMAP)—is now on a new platform and open access, free and available for everyone to use.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general launch of the database is corroborated, the specific naming of 'LandISPortal' and its collaboration with Defra as an open-access platform is mentioned in the context of the primary reporting but not independently verified by a second distinct source in the provided evidence.
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web search NEUTRAL — At Cranfield University we partner with business to deliver research, postgraduate education and professional development
https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/
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web search NEUTRAL — About the University As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and mana…
https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/about
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web search NEUTRAL — Access Cranfield University's resources, courses, and tools by authenticating with your account credentials on the MyCranfield portal.
https://mycranfield.cranfield.ac.uk/
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“The initiative delivers the commitment in the government's Land Use Framework to make this soil data open access.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim are irrelevant (Microsoft Support pages) and do not mention the Land Use Framework or government commitments.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Open tab on the File menu shows your Recent files across devices and includes links to common locations you use to store files.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/open-files-from-t…
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web search NEUTRAL — Learn how to open a shared mailbox in Outlook. Shared mailboxes let a group of users view and send email, and share a calender, and open a contact list from a common mailbox.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/open-and-use-a-sh…
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web search NEUTRAL — Because you can open files directly within Teams, your Teams file open preference can be different from the file open preference in Microsoft 365 apps. When someone sends you a link to a file in a Tea…
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/open-file-links-di…
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“LandISPortal contains soil and soil-related information for England and Wales.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim are irrelevant (World Athletics Championships) and do not mention LandISPortal.
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web search NEUTRAL — Key info for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 Thousands of the world’s best athletes will head to Japan in September for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. The 20th edition of this …
https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cham…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 21, 2025 · The World Athletics Championships 2025 concluded a gripping season in track and field in Tokyo, Japan. Great Britain and Northern Ireland had hoped to land medals with Olympic champion …
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/world-…
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web search NEUTRAL — 23 hours ago · The world's best sprinters, headlined by Olympic champions Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shericka Jackson, Andre De Grasse, and Letsile Tebogo descended on Botswana's capital for the World Ath…
https://www.olympics.com/en/news/world-athletics-relays-gabo…
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“It is one of the largest systems of its kind in Europe and is recognized as the definitive source of national soils information in the U.K.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results confirm it is a definitive source of soils information and one specifically notes the NATMAP dataset is one of the largest in Europe.
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web search NEUTRAL — The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain,[m] is a country in northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom
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web search NEUTRAL — Definitive source of soils information.Soil is a vital natural asset that is under significant pressure from erosion, compaction, loss of organic matter and contamination. In the government’s 25 Year …
https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/press/news-2026/uks-national-soi…
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web search NEUTRAL — National Soil Information Systems.The International Union of Soil Science (IUSS) - at its Seventh Congress, at Madison, Wisconsin, USA, in 1960 - recommended that soil maps of continents and large reg…
https://www.fao.org/soils-portal/data-hub/soil-maps-and-data…
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“It has information from more than 30,000 soil samples and more than 250,000 soil observations and contains data on water catchment areas, subsidence and tree conditions.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific statistics (30,000 samples, 250,000 observations) and the inclusion of subsidence/tree conditions are found in one source.
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web search NEUTRAL — If the soil is saturated, or if the rainfall rate is greater than the rate at which water can infiltrate into the soil, surface runoff occurs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_erosion
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web search NEUTRAL — It has information from over 30,000 soil samples and over 250,000 soil observations and contains data on water catchment areas, subsidence and tree conditions information.
https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/press/news-2026/uks-national-soi…
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web search NEUTRAL — For soil sample C: The texture class is Sandy Loam. Three importances for a farmer to know the textural class of soil are: Water Retention: Different soil textures have different water retention capab…
https://studyx.ai/questions/4lmjhfg/soil-sample-particles-so…
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“In the government's 25-Year Environment Plan there are ambitions to reverse soil degradation and restore fertility, and to develop better information on soil health.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm the ambitions of the government's 25-Year Environment Plan regarding soil degradation, fertility, and health information.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Built Environment is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on urban planning and related fields. It began in 1956 as Official Architecture and Planning and was renamed Built Environment in 1972. Be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Built_Environment_(journal)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibil…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environment_Agency
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a structured project management method and practitioner certification programme. PRINCE2 emphasises dividing projects into manageable and controllable …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRINCE2
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Cranfield University has been collecting data on soil since the 1970s”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results explicitly state that Cranfield University has been collecting soil data since the 1970s.
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web search NEUTRAL — Cranfield University has been collecting data on soil since the 1970s and has world-leading research expertise in soil quality, crop growth, environmental informatics and ecosystems in the Cranfield E…
https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/press/news-2026/uks-national-soi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Cranfield University has been collecting data on soil since the 1970s and has world-leading research expertise in soil quality, crop growth, environmental informatics and ecosystems.
https://www.mkfm.com/news/local-news/uks-national-soil-datab…
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web search NEUTRAL — Cranfield University said the national soil map can help “non-soil specialists better understand soil resources and identify potential soil risks”. The NATMAP dataset itself is one of the largest in E…
https://www.farminguk.com/news/defra-unlocks-national-soil-m…
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“Cranfield University has world-leading research expertise in soil quality, crop growth, environmental informatics and ecosystems in the Cranfield Environment Center.”
CORROBORATED
Although the specific search for claim 8 returned no results, the evidence provided for claim 7 explicitly contains the text: 'has world-leading research expertise in soil quality, crop growth, environmental informatics and ecosystems in the Cranfield Environment Centre'. This is corroborated across two different web search results.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.