Framework to develop or improve a Soil Information System

The framework serves as an interactive guide for establishing a new Soil Information System (SIS) or enhancing an existing one. A well-structured SIS supports organizations in managing their soil data and knowledge, including its acquisition, analysis, archiving, and dissemination.

The framework is divided into four key phases: initiation, planning and design, implementation, and operationalization. Each phase is further organized into “components”, which provide a set of suggested activities, guiding questions, recommended tools, and supporting resources. This structure ensures the process is both practical and user-friendly. The activities within each component are flexible, allowing the SIS project team to choose which actions to undertake based on their specific needs and priorities.

The framework for sustainable national soil information systems was developed by CABI and ISRIC, with contributions from the soil data community, as part of the Soil Information Systems Review project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The project team inventoried all existing and past national SISs, from which nine countries were selected according to the criteria described in Chapter 2 of this report. In depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with SISs developers and owners for each of the nine countries to understand how the technical infrastructure, human capacities, financial, institutional and policy environment impacted the build of the SISs. Additionally, desk research was conducted on the history of these nine SISs, which can be found in the framework.