http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership/en/ This presentation was presented during the 4th Plenary Assembly of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) that took place at FAO headquarters 23-25 May 2016. The presentation was made by Rainer Bartiz and presents. © FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Progress in the implementation of
the endorsed Plans of Actions
Pillar 5 – Harmonization

2. Roadmap
• Pillar 5 Plan of Action (3rd PA, 2014)
• Global Implementation Plan (Q2 2016) integrated to
Regional Implementation Plans.
Mr. Vinod Bhanooduth Lalljee, African Soil Partnership
Mr. Audthasit Wongmaneeroj, Asian Soil Partnership
Ms. Floria Bertsch, Central America, Caribbean & Mexico Soil Partnership
Mr. Hakki Erdogan, European Soil Partnership
Mr. H. Amadov, Eurasian Soil Partnership
Mr. Imad Ghanma, Near East-North Africa Soil Partnership
Mr. Curtis Monger, North America Soil Partnership
Ms. Alison Collins, Pacific Soil Partnership
Mr. Jefé Leáo Ribeiro, South American Soil Partnership
Mr. Vinod Bhanooduth Lalljee, Pillar 5 Chair ITPS
GSP Secretariat: Mr. Rainer Baritz and Ronald Vargas
ISO repr., IUSS WG repr., others if needed
Members
working
group

3. Areas of harmonization Output
The GSP
Harmonization
Concept (Rec 1)
 Definitions
 Key areas/principles (Rec 2)
Harmonization
Products
Harmonized soil
profiles, classification,
maps (Rec 3)
 Reference system soil profile description
 Reference system for soil classification
 Reference system for soil mapping
Soil sampling and
analysis
 Good Practice field sampling, sample
preparation and measurement (Rec 4)
Interoperability -
Exchange of digital soil
information
 Global soil information model (Rec 5)
 Controlled vocabulary and metadata
Interpretation and
evaluation
 Catalogue of soil health indicators (Rec 6)
 Method data base of pedo-transfer
functions
Plan of Action - Recommendations

4. Implementation Plan
Reference
systems
 Continue and support existing activties on soil
classification (IUSS USC, WRB)
 Revise FAO-soil profile description and ISO
 Develop approach to integrate soil maps
Soil analysis
 Good practice soil analysis: documentation, method
selection, archiving, etc.
 Build network of reference laboratories: volunteers
to organize ring tests, host a spectral library, develop
standards and QA/QC procedures, engage in capacity
building
 Support ISO working groups

5. Implementation Plan
Data
exchange
 Agree on global soil information model.
 Develop vocabulary service and
recommendations for metadata development.
Indicators
and
evaluation
methods
 Agree on an indicator set for soil monitoring (SDG,
Status of the World‘s Soil Resources, SoilSTAT).
 Provide recommendation for application (derive from
existing data, methods for data colection, methods to
develop baselines and thresholds).
 Collect information about evaluation methods,
derive generic methods applicable to global data sets.

6. Ongoing action
1) Data
exchange
2) Soil
analysis
3) Indicators
 Asian Regional Partnership/South-East Asia
Laboratory Network (SEALNET): training courses
2015 and 2016: establishment of a network of
laboratories sharing same procedures and
QA/CC procedures.
 Cooperation with Global Open Data in Agriculture
and Nutrition (GODAN): GSP membership.
 Involvement of ISO TC 190 (Soil Quality), Open
Geospatial Consortium (OGC) AG Domain WG and
IUSS WG SIS.
 Concept of SoilSTAT includes indicators for soil
monitoring.