🌱 Public methodology
GroundCheck — Living Soil diagnostic
The BIOM365 tools' methodology is published and grounded, indicator by indicator, in the field's reference work: each tool sets out what it measures, how it computes it, its sources and its limits.
Use the tool →What it measures
The biological health of a soil at a given moment (not its intrinsic « quality »), through field indicators achievable without a laboratory. The quality / health distinction and the need for guide-values are set out by Cerema.
How it computes
A weighted sum of indicators aligned with the 4 soil functions of the MUSE grid (biodiversity reservoir, biomass, carbon, water regulation), returning a per-function profile in addition to the score. Each class maps to a published guide-value (e.g. earthworms: order of magnitude ~280 ind./m² in urban settings). Protocols: structure (VESS), earthworms (OPVT), infiltration (mini-Porchet), compaction (penetrometry), texture (textural triangle), organic matter (colorimetry).
≥ 3 points per homogeneous zone, imposed season window (excluding drought / frost / waterlogged soil); outside the window or in extreme moisture, the earthworm and infiltration indicators are flagged unreliable. Non-lethal earthworm counting. Orientation diagnostic.
Standardised multi-plot aggregation + physico-chemical composite, moisture measurement, enriched bio-indicators (earthworm ecological categories, epigeal fauna), optional laboratory analyses. Feeds the « initial soil state » and the ecological soil quality monitoring (initial state / impact assessment).
Common methodological foundation
- Verifiability - a data point carrying a score must be provable — mandatory in PRO.
- Conservativeness - without evidence, we do not overestimate; declarative input is flagged.
- Consistency - any time-series data is comparable — bounded observation effort.
Two quality indices accompany each score: a reliability index (input completeness; below a threshold the score reads « not computable ») and a confidence index (traces the source of each value; by convention, the lowest of its components' indices).
On screen: a 0-100 score + a one-word label + a colour. Performance axis (Excellent / Good / Fair / Low / Critical), thresholds aligned with the internal grade so a displayed score and its history never contradict each other. Exposure axis for BiodivPass and TerraLink (Contained exposure → Immediate action).
Thresholds and weightings rely on the guide-values and reference frameworks cited, and are consolidated continuously with the scientific committee (Biodiversity Standard Council).
Stated limit
A point-in-time state diagnostic; texture and organic matter estimated by eye (inter-observer variability); the fauna guide-values are comparative orders of magnitude, not regulatory thresholds.
Sources & references
- Cerema — Indicators for soil quality
- MUSE project — soil functions & indicators
- VESS — Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (SRUC)
- OPVT — Observatoire Participatif des Vers de Terre
- Plante & Cité — Acting for urban soils
- ACT Biodiversity — methodology (ADEME/OFB)
- Avoid-Reduce-Offset sequence (OFB)
The measurement protocols rely on the recognised methods above. Thresholds and weightings are consolidated continuously with the scientific committee (Biodiversity Standard Council).
Training the teams who use these tools.
A one-day course gives the ecological reference points these tools assume: recognising what is being recorded, understanding what a protocol requires, and knowing what makes a survey usable.
7 hours · No prerequisite
Operated by IRICE with QUALITEL Formation, a Qualiopi-certified body. Training is not covered by the accreditation held for certification activities.