WDS Member Highlight: World Data Centre for Soils
The World Data Centre for Soils (WDC-Soils) is a member of the World Data System and a leading provider of soil-related collections and information services. WDC-Soils is hosted by ISRIC – World Soil Information, an independent foundation that serves as a custodian of global soil information.
WDC-Soils’ mission is to ensure the long-term preservation and archiving of soil specimens, country documentation, and geo-referenced databases. Many of these resources are available freely online and can be used to support studies of environmental, societal, and economic sustainability.
WDC-Soils follows clear procedures and workflows for safeguarding, quality-assessing, standardizing, and serving soil data to the world, using FAIR principles. WDC-Soils also promotes open science, data literacy, and data stewardship among its stakeholders and partners.
WDC-Soils is a valuable member of the World Data System community. It is a leader in the field of soil science and its work is making a real difference in the world. Here are some of WDC-Soils’ accomplishments:
- Developed the ISRIC Soil Data Hub: a web portal that provides access to various soil data products and services from ISRIC and other sources.
- Created the SoilGrids system: a global gridded soil information system that provides high-resolution maps of soil properties and classes.
- Launched the Global Soil Information Facilities project: a collaboration between ISRIC and other partners to develop a global infrastructure for soil data sharing and integration.
Operating across disciplines and borders, the World Data Centre for Soils liberates the potential of soil data to provide insights into local, regional, and global processes. Their commitment as a World Data System member to offering state-of-the-art soil data services propels innovative soil science with far-reaching benefits. Through a ceaseless focus on improvement, they expand access to soil information for researchers worldwide.
