There is a need for accurate, up-to-date and spatially referenced soil information. This need has been expressed by the modelling community, land users, and policy and decision makers. This need coincides with a enormous leap in technologies that allow for accurately collecting and predicting soil properties.

We propose to make a new digital soil map of the world using state-of-the-art and emerging technologies for soil mapping and predicting soil properties at fine resolution. This new global soil map will be supplemented by interpretation and functionality options that aim to assist better decisions in a range of global issues like food production and hunger eradication, climate change, and environmental degradation.

A workshop was held at the University of Columbia (USA) from 4 to 6 December 2006. The workshop was attended by 30 scientists from universities, research centres and developmental organizations across the globe. The group has formed a consortium that will seek funding for this major global effort. The PowerPoints presented during  this three-days workshop are here a list of participants here 

The Columbia University workshop followed several activities of the Digital Soil Mapping Working Group of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS).