CSIRO Australian National Soil Information System open to farmers

The CSIRO has revealed the Australian National Soil Information System, which brings together data from more than 300,000 sites to guide governments, industries and farmers managing the valuable natural resource.

Speaking at the Soil Science Australian conference in Darwin, ANSIS project lead at CSIRO, Peter Wilson, said it was an important step forward for the future sustainable management of soils in every part of the country.

"Until now, it's been exceptionally difficult to find, access, integrate and compare soil data," Mr Wilson said.

"This new system brings together all this information providing easy access to soil data and information that will underpin the effective management of soil.

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"What used to take six months, will now take six minutes."

The tool will allow farmers to compare the condition of their soil with other soils in the region, monitor how their soil has changed over time and inform opportunities for change or improvement in land management practices.

Governments and industry bodies can use the data to develop national, state, or regionally-targeted soil programs, and to inform policy decisions in areas such as drought resilience, climate adaptation, natural capital accounting and biodiversity conservation.

The ANSIS does not host the soil data, but taps into various databases within other organisations, such as the CSIRO and NSW government.

The number of data pools will continue to grow, with plans to link up with all state and territory governments, universities, National Resource Management Groups and federally-funded programs that offer landholders soil testing grants in exchange for sharing their data.

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Australia's national soils advocate Penelope Wensley said the launch of the new national was a major step forward in the implementation of the National Soil Strategy.

"Good data, available in a consistent, accessible form, is essential for better understanding and management of Australia's soil," Ms Wensley said.

"I know development of the system has been a challenging task and extend my compliments and thanks to CSIRO and everyone involved in delivering this important new tool for soil stakeholders and policy makers," she said.

To use the new tool, visit ansis.net.