Under the framework of Pillars 4 and 5 of the GSP and related endorsed Plans of Action, the International Network of Soil Information Institutions (INSII) will hold its third meeting on 31 October - 1 November 2017, at FAO headquarters in Rome. The INSII is a heterogeneous group composed by institutions working on soil information in FAO member countries. They are meant to provide expertise, and facilitate soil data/information sharing, and other forms of technical support based on agreed technical specifications and standards towards the successful establishment and performance of the Global Soil Information System (GLOSIS) and its associated products of global interest such as the Global Soil Organic Carbon map (GSOCmap) and SoilSTAT.

During the meeting, discussions will mainly focus on the completion of the GSOCmap, which will be launched on 5 December 2017 on the occasion of World Soil Day 2017.

Besides, the following activities have been prioritized on the agenda:

• Execution of the Pillar 4 Implementation Plan towards the implementation of  GLOSIS, detailed planning on the spatial data infrastructure and SoilSTAT;
• Quality Assessment and Quality Control of national GSOCmap products;
• Progress of Pillar 5 related to GLOSIS.

The last item on the agenda links to the subsequent meeting: The launch of the Global Soil Laboratory Network

For more information on INSII’s progress to date, the outcomes of the first and second INSII workshops can be consulted.