Digital Technologies in the Service of Soil Science: Training at the U.U. Uspanov Kazakh Research Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry

Within the framework of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 15, at the U.U. Uspanov Kazakh Research Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry, a five-day training workshop entitled “GIS-Soil: Digital Tools of the Modern Soil Scientist” was held from January 21 to 27, 2026.

The program was led by PhD Azamat Kairatovich Ershibulov, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Geography, Land Management and Cadastre of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and Researcher at the Department of Soil Geography, Genesis and Assessment of the Institute.

The event was aimed at developing advanced skills among young scientists and institute staff in the application of remote sensing methods and geographic information systems. The training covered the following key topics:

• Integration of Remote Sensing into Scientific Practice: Use of multispectral satellite imagery from Landsat 9 and Sentinel-2 for monitoring soil salinization dynamics and assessing vegetation indices.

• Spatial Modeling: Application of interpolation methods (IDW, Kriging) to transform point-based field data into high-precision digital cartograms.

• Digital Cartography: Presentation of research results and preparation of final map layouts in accordance with the requirements of international peer-reviewed journals and national standards.

This intensive training contributes to the implementation of advanced GIS technologies in the Institute’s ongoing projects focused on the monitoring, assessment, and conservation of soil resources in Kazakhstan.