This presentation was presented during Day 1 of the Global Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly – 5th Session that took place at FAO Hq in Rome, Italy, from 20 to 22 June 2017. The presentation was made by Mr. Rik van den Bosch, Director of ISRIC

1. Hosting the GSP Soil Data Facility
Rik van den Bosch, Director
June 20, 2017/ General Assembly GSP / FAO, Rome

2. Contents
• About ISRIC – World Soil Information
• Our experience in soil information systems
• Our offer

3. Some features
• Founded in 1966, upon recommendation of UNESCO, FAO and the
IUSS
• Independent foundation based in Wageningen
• Cooperation agreement with Wageningen University.
• 20 staff, plus guest employees, plus students
• Accredited as the World Data Centre for Soils by the International
Council for Science
• Participating Organisation of the Intergovernmental Group on Earth
Observations (GEO)

4. Mission
• We produce and serve quality-assured soil information together with
our partners at global, national and regional levels.
• We stimulate the use of this information to address global
challenges through capacity building, awareness raising and direct
cooperation with users and clients.

5. Work stream 1:
Reference and Standard Setting
(‘The Foundation’)

6. World Reference Base (WRB)
< Insert title of your presentation here >

7. Soil Data Interoperability Experiment

8. Work stream 2:
Soil Information Brokering
(‘Raison d’etre’)

9. World Soil Information System (WoSIS)
• Soil Profile
database
• >150.000
profiles
• Ongoing
process

10. SoilGrids: clay content at -15 cm (%)

11. Work stream 3:
Capacity Building and Advocacy
(‘Competent user community’)

12. World Soil Museum
< Insert title of your presentation here >

13. Virtual Soil Museum
< Insert title of your presentation here >

14. Yearly spring school
< Insert title of your presentation here >

15. Work stream 4:
Developing derived Products
(‘Boosting Impact’)

16. Plant-available water holding capacity
(mm, maize)

17. Information platform for production of
site specific fertilisers

18. Our offer
• We endorse the approach and principles of GSP Pillar 4 (IP
Policy, distributed system, bottom up approach with
capacity building)
• We offer 2 fte for 3 years (6 fte)
• Various specialists, depending on requirements in the annual
plans
• Cooperation with scientific community
• Endorsements from CSIRO, Landcare Research , INRA, IITA,
Sydney University, Int. Soil Carbon Network
• Governments of Canada and the Netherlands
• We see our input as a means to help kick start Pillar 4
• To produce more results
• To attract funds needed to carry out all activities

19. More information:
rik.vandenbosch@isric.org
www.isric.org