http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership This presentation was made during the third GSP Planery Assembly that took place in Rome; FAO HQ from 22-24 June 2015. The presentation was made by Ronald Vargas, David Rossiter and Rainer Baritz and it presents the Progress in the implementation of agreed Plans of Action. ©FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Progress in the implementation of agreed
Plans of Action, including eventual
consideration of detailed Implementation
Plans
Ronald Vargas, David Rossiter and Rainer Baritz
22 June 2015

2. Guidelines for Plans of Action for GSP PillarsOrganization of
International
workshops
Establishment of
global Working
Groups
Preparation of
Draft Plans of
Action
Review and
endorsement by
ITPS
Endorsement by
Plenary
Assembly
Implementation through:
 Global Implementation Plans (only if
global components)
 Regional Implementation Plans
Plans of Action
for GSP Pillars

3. Status of Implementation Plans
Global Plans of Action:
 Pillar 1: only at regional level
 Pillar 2: only at regional level
 Pillar 3: NA
 Pillar 4: global and regional (plan has been finalized)
 Pillar 5: global and regional (under development)
Regional Implementation Plans:
 The Secretariat has focused on supporting the development of RIPs
by hiring facilitation staff, organizing regional workshops and
consultation processes.
 4 regions having their RIPs at final stage of development (item 5).

4. Pillar 4 Implementation Plan
“Enhance the quantity and quality of soil data and information:
 data collection (generation)
 analysis
 validation
 reporting
 monitoring
 integration with other disciplines”
Key principle: Distributed system
Data remain with the data owner, and are shared via web
services using agreed specifications for data exchange

5. Process for developing the Pillar 4
Implementation Plan
• GSP Plenary approved Pillar 4 “Plan of Action” July 2014;
• Consultant hired to facilitate the development of the Pillar 4 Implementation
Plan (IP);
• Working group established and initiated his work (December 2014- May 2015):
• Representatives from Regional Soil Partnerships;
• ITPS chair;
• Pillar 4 Plan of Action Chair;
• GSP Secretariat
• Drafts also sent to possible implementing institutions
• Three iterations with the working group, comments from working group, last
version sent for final endorsement;
• Final plan (here presented) May 2015

6. Global Soil Information System
 Global grids of soil functional properties
 Global map of soil types
 Global soil profile database
Global Soil Monitoring System: SoilSTAT
 flexible design
 gradual implementation
 will fill the gap in the FAOSTAT family
Synthesis, forecasting, interpretation and capacity development
 regular reports on “Status of World Soil Resources Report”
starting in 2015.
 supply of information to global reporting mechanisms
 diverse information products available online
 continuous capacity development programme

7. ELEMENTS OF GOVERNANCE
 International Network of Soil
Information Institutions (INSII);
 Global Soils Spatial Data
Infrastructure Centre (GSSDIC);
 SoilSTAT (as part of the FAOSTAT
Family);
 Pillar 4 Working Group
 Ad-hoc working groups (when
needed)
GSP secretariat

8. Timeline 2015
• Establish International Network of Soil Information Institutions (INSII)
• Hold an initial meeting of the INSII
• data sharing protocols and intellectual property rights
• structure of a distributed system, identify existing data sources.
• designate a Global Soils Spatial Data Infrastructure Centre (GSSDIC)
Design the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for a distributed system
Establish working groups (monitoring, SoilSTAT)
I. Governance/terms of reference
• Carry out capacity needs assessment ⇒ capacity development plan.
• Improve Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) at 1 km grid.
• Make initial Tier 1 soil profile database; initiate the design Tier 2.
• Perform with results on World Soils Day 2015
II. Products
III. Funding • Secure funding for years 2016-2018.

9. Core contributors:
– Institutions that have the technical ability and willingness to
contribute to new soil data products;
– Institutions with legal mandate, (sub-national, national, regional
or global) for collecting and distributing soil information for the
territory of responsibility;
– Any other soil data provider willing and able to contribute to the
Implementation Plan.
International Network of Soil Information
Institutions (INSII)

10. TIMELINE 2016
– Develop specifications for Version 1 soil property grids
– Design the data exchange schema, distributed system and web platform
for populating and serving the Version 1 grids (→ link Pillar 5)
– Develop web portal and templates for collecting soil profiles and
analytical data for Tier 2 soil profile database.
– Expand functionalities of web portal, including crowd-sourcing facilities.
II. Products
I. Governance/terms of reference
– Establish implementation group for SoilSTAT; conceptual design
Capacity
building
Infra-
structure
Data
– Design capacity development plan; write training materials
– Carry out training programs
– Update Tier 1 harmonized soil profile database
– Populate Tier 2 distributed harmonised soil profile database
(n.b., continues indefinitely).
– Complete global 1:500k soil polygon map.

11. Timeline 2017-2018
–Compile first SoilSTAT report
–Includes monitoring / reporting plans
–Demonstrate preliminary Version 1 grids (2017)
–Demonstrate Version 2 grids (2018)
–Continue with capacity development
–Evaluate progress to date and plan further activities within this
Pillar of the GSP.
Products

12. Minimum funding requirements
2015: USD140 000 (in-kind); USD218 000
2016: USD2.014 000
2017: USD3.921 000
2018: USD2.094 000
Total external funds to be solicited: $8.247 000

13. Save the date
To all GSP-focal points:
Contact your national soil information survey
institutions
Investigate options to co-fund
Rome, FAO HQ
xy October 2015
Establishment meeting of the International Network of
Soil Information Institutions (INSII)
To all Regional Partnerships/representatives for Pillar 4:
• ensure sufficient coordination and input at the
continental level